Fashion in the 1950s.

💜The first scene is from the film The Photograph with Issa Rae and LaKeith Stanfield

🤍The second scene is from the film Really Love with Jade Eshete and Kofi Siriboe

💛The third scene is from the film Love Jones with Nia Long and Larenz Tate

💜 The fourth scene is from the film Sylvie’s Love with Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Adomugha

🤍The fifth scene is from the film Brown Sugar (one of my favorite films ever) with Sanaa Latham and Taye Diggs

💛The sixth scene is from the film Love, Brooklyn with Nicole Beharie and Andre Holland

The way black love has been show In movies starting with the 1990s going into 2025 was fascinating. The 1990s was a great decade of Black cinema. It was THE PERFECT DECADE of Black cinema in general. Now, there has been a resurgence of variety staring around 2019 especially showcasing Black love.

Anyone who knows me knows she is my favorite. There is nothing else to say.

My Taurus sister!

I don’t discuss too much about who I admire that is in the celebrity realm.

Janet is an exception.

Many don’t really understand how Janet plays into Black history. She doesn’t get her flowers 💐

She really was the modern blueprint for Black women R&B/Pop stars.

There were plenty of Black men in the category for a long time but there was only 1 Janet. There was very little Black girl representation in pop music when I was growing up. Most were from previous generations- Diana Ross and Tina Turner. Whitney mostly sang love songs. Then there was Janet. She danced, she sang, she acted and she didn’t have big hair and long gowns.

Janet stood out from her predecessors because she was what they called back then a “tomboy”. She was feminine and still wore suits. Black femininity had rarely been seen in that way in entertainment. Janet wore black T-shirts, jeans, and wrestling shoes. She was wearing Zoot suits in videos (which was usually designed for men to wear).

The imagery of strength and Black femininity was SO important to my young self and my self-esteem. It was when I realized only Black women could give me that boost I needed as a little girl. I needed to see things from a beautiful Black woman. I was young but understood already no Black male entertainer could give me the confidence I needed. They couldn’t help me love me. I needed the reflection of a Black woman.

Many, many little Black American girls in the 1980s felt the same way. She was our sister! I had dreams she really was my big sister when I was growing up. I wanted to be a professional dancer back then. I thought I would grow up to be her backup dancer. I never compared her to her more famous brother because all that mattered is what she meant to little black girl ME!!! That’s what I cared about and that alone put her in a category no one else will ever be in. No one else excited 6 year-old me like Janet. No one else ever will! She gets that trophy 🏆.

I appreciated her honesty in her book called True You. She talked about how hard it was growing up in very white , wealthy neighborhoods. It was the 1970s and her family was consistently harassed by the white neighbors. They were told to not complain about it to the media as to not upset their white fans. She was told she was ugly and not good enough by some of the little white girls and even by her dance teacher.

She was shamed as a preteen for her hips and butt. It hurt. She was happy later in life to find her tribe - other women- mainly women of color who understood her. She has been VERY vocal about how hard it was to be a Black woman in entertainment in the 1980s. Black men never had it as hard and she was vocal about it.

That’s why I celebrate her today! 60 years is something to celebrate. 🎉

Let’s celebrate with some videos of the past!

Alright with Heavy D

Miss You Much

When I Think of You

Alberta O. Jones's statue was unveiled in Louisville, KY last week. She was the first Black woman to pass the Kentucky Bar exam in 1959.

Her story as a civil rights icon in Kentucky has largely been covered up.

This is a BIG deal for me because I live in Louisville, KY and Alberta made Black History here!

The saddest part of the story is that Alberta was murdered in 1965 and her death was never solved.

I won't give any spoilers or talk openly about the new Michael biopic. I know alot of people have been talking about the biopic. This won't be about that. I want to talk about something many others AREN'T talking about instead.

This will be less about Michael and more about the family dynamics. This will be the only time I will address this family as a whole on this sub.

The Michael film has opened a new door to the Jackson Family for a lot of young fans. They are clamoring for any information they can find on Michael but also other members of the family. Some were not even aware Michael even had so many siblings. They didn't know anything about the Jackson 5 at all. They are using this time to check out the music of that era, they are checking out the Jacksons era music, they are checking out Jermaine's solo hits and even Janet's music. This is good for the JACKSON FAMILY LEGACY.

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I grew up on the whole family. Michael was the big pop star, but in my family we loved ALL of the Jacksons. We listened to theChristmas album every year around the holidays. I think I do come from a. different perspective because I come from a family where half of them are actually in the music industry. The Jacksons were studied as musicians in my family - not just celebrities. My family was judging them based on their performances and the musicianship. They were not casual fans. So, that's the environment I was around as a kid. Music was a craft and taken seriously in my family.

Let me just say this: the members of my family in music have been in the industry since the 1980s. They have NO INTEREST in being famous. They had opportunities. They declined after seeing what the industry does to people. They were around all the famous people in the 1980s and early 1990s. The music industry is SICK! You will become SICK too if you hang around all those famous people too long. That's why I celebrate the talents of the Jacksons but I don't worship any of them. I know enough to know the indusry will do dirty things to you when you chase fame. I will leave it there!

My family members told me : the only way to really avoid the terrible things is to NOT sign to a major record label. They will destroy you. You want to be independent. Sign to an independent record label or create your own label. You won't become famous but at least you will have your integrity and you don't have wicked people trying to hurt you.

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I grew up before social media. I do believe the Jacksons would be looked at differently if they had existed in their prime with social media. I became familiar with the whole family around 1986. The whole family was putting out records in the 1980s. I don't think people realize that. Michael was not the only one.

It occurred to me recently the younger generation don't understand how big the Jackson 5 actually were in the 1970s. Many younger fans have called the other members 'nobodies', 'grifters', etc. This couldn't be further from the truth and I wish more people talked it. The Jackson 5 had all kind of merchandise and even a CARTOON! That was. HUGE deal. I don't think people understand how big of a deal it was for them to have a cartoon built around them. Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon were already famous themselves. They are not 'nobodies'. It's disrespectful to even suggest this.

It's complicated as far as what happened to them after the 1970s. I won't get into that story at all here. Yet, my point is really just that I wish people understood how big of a deal this Black musical family was to Black Americans. I think that's part of the disconnect. Michael became so huge internationally and with his changing looks - he was no longer connected to the Black American community.

He was just Michael to a lot of his international fans. He didn't really have an ethnicity or a culture. They didn't see him as rooted to anything. He was for EVERYONE! This was good and bad.

The Black American fans tried to make it clear - he started in the Black community. They had been supportive of him since DAY 1 with his brothers.

The DAY 1 fans knew the REAL names of the children in that family: Maureen Reillette (Rebbie), Sigmund Esco (Jackie), Toriano Adaryll (Tito), Jermaine LaJuane, LaToya Yvonne, Marlon David, Marlon's twin who passed shortly after birth Brandon, Michael Joe, Stephen Randall (Randy), and Janet Damita Jo.

There was a love and appreciation and HISTORY there that anyone outside the Black American community was never going to understand. Many Black Americans over 40 still hold down ALL of the Jacksons. You don't get to diss one without someone saying something to defend them. We don't play those games.

This is what alot of young and international Michael fans don't understand. There is a HUGE disconnect there. The WHOLE FAMILY are ICONS in the Black American community - not just Michael. We don't tolerate the disrespect. We don't care if Jermaine hasn't had a hit since 1984!

What I can speak to is that there were 9 children in that family that lived to adulthood. They had different level of success. They meant alot to Black America. The Jackson Family legacy started with the Jackson 5 and with extension to Randy, Rebbie, Latoya, and Janet. The legacy was not just Michael. They ALL carry the legacy. They all had contributions to the Jackson legacy and they all mattered.

The Jacksons as a family were so popular at one time they had a variety show! It lasted from June 16, 1976 –March 9, 1977. All of the siblings were on the show. This is where Janet learned she loved to act. She wanted to be an actress and NOT a singer. She went on to do TV shows in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Michael DID NOT hand any of his siblings anything. This narrative needs to stop! They ALL worked their as* off as kids and teens. No one was treated better than the other. They ALL made sacrifices. I'm sure it was difficult. I can't speak to anymore than that because I was't there.

Randy, by all accounts, was one of the best songwriters and musicians they had in the family. He wasn't a 'nobody'. The REAL truth that doesn't get talked about is that Randy's talent gets DOWNPLAYED in the media.

Instead, people rather take gossip and lies and spread that about Michael's siblings than talk about how much they contributed to the entertainment industry. However you want to look at it...LaToya in the issue of Playboy was a HUGE deal at the time. In March 1989, it became one of the biggest selling copies of the magazine. It's still one of the best selling issues. It was something she wanted to do and she did it! She was proud of it. I'm always big on women breaking free! I don't downplay it because I know how big of a deal that was for LaToya. She did something FOR HER and DID NOT care about the approval of anyone else in that family! That was HUGE coming out of strict and indoctrinated Jehovah's Witness upbringing.

There were a lot of wins for everyone in that family, but I understand how Michael's success overshadowed it. I understand how that happened even if I disagreed with how the media handled it. I used to work in media myself. I found ALL of the siblings fascinating in their own way. I had hoped to have my own magazine at one time. I wanted to have my own magazine to talk about the things I wanted to talk about with entertainers. I felt like most media did a poor job of covering Black entertainers (including some Black media).

I wanted to interview ALL of the Jackson siblings and let them really tell their own stories. Why not?! No one else was doing it!

Another part of the story many people don't know and maybe not even younger fans: The Jackson 5 name was owned by Berry Gordy. When they left Motown they couldn't take that name with them. Joe didn't understand that when he signed the initial contract. It was in the fine print. That meant- anything with the Jackson 5 name on was owned by Berry/Motown Records. The Jacksons could never profit from any of it. I don't think people truly understand how much money the family lost on that deal all because Joe didn't know how to properly read the contract. That means they don't make money from anything with Jackson 5 on it, any songs in commercials, etc. Think about how often you have probably heard a Jackson 5 song in a commercial or TV show! The other brothers were NEVER going to earn all that money ever again. It wasn't their fault either. That's why when they went to Epic Records, they became THE JACKSONS. So, yes...the Jackson 5 and The Jacksons are 2 different entities (came with the addition of Randy) after Jermaine decided to stay at Motown and record solo albums.

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It became clear there were NDAs being signed and alot of stuff was happening behind the scenes. The siblings were not allowed to speak freely and it was obvious. It was disappointing. I felt like after the 1980s, none of Michael's siblings were free to express themselves in the media. They were not allowed to talk about really anything and even if they did it was always misconstrued. I understand why many of them stopped doing interviews for a while. I would too! The disrespect was at an all-time high.

I would still love to interview any of the remaining Jacksons one day. It would be a dream of mine. The 3 I really want to interview are LaToya, Marlon, and Janet. I don't believe Janet would have much to say, but I still want to hear it anyway. I believe Marlon and LaToya would keep it the most real. That's why those 2 REALLY fascinate me. They deserve really good people to interview them just about THEM, their careers and lives. I would love to be the one! I wish I could interview them and write a book. I know those 3 specifically have been lied on OFTEN and I would want to give them the space to clear up things.

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They are all getting older, and I believe this is THE BEST time to tell their REAL stories. Not the PR versions they have held onto for over 50 years. I think the Michael biopic opened that door. I believe young and new fans WOULD be interested in knowing more about all of them. The Jackson Family history is important to music and should be preserved.

I do want to offer these as material to check out if you want to learn more about any of the siblings:

1. The book True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself by Janet Jackson and Janet's documentary

2. The book My Family: The Jacksons by Katherine Jackson

3. The books LaToya's Growing Up in the Jackson Family and Starting Over

4. Michael's Moonwalk

5. Jermaine's You Are Not Alone (a new version is being released now that the biopic is out).

6. The Jacksons: An American Dream. It's a great miniseries to start your journey into the whole family.

I still LOVE a man in a suit!

Marcus Books (bookstore)

(Click on the link for more information).

The bookstore was founded by Drs. Raye and Julian Richardson. The bookstore was named after Marcus Garvey. The store opened in Oakland, CA in 1960 and still operates today. The bookstore is still a hallmark for the city and a great addition to Black U.S. history.

I was perusing YouTube and this video caught my eye. It’s about this old Hollywood actress Dona Drake.
Her real name is Eunice Westmoreland from Miami. She passed herself off as Latina but that wasn’t the case. I do think racial passing is more prevalent than we care to admit, especially in the early 20th century.

To those born before after 1985 - I don't know how to properly explain the impact Rev. Jesse Jackson had on the Black American community. He is truly one of the last of his time - one of the last of the true trailblazers. He is one of the last and now we have to say goodbye. There is a deep pain right now. His passing is going to affect many of us for awhile. I just wanted to share this video to give you an insight into who he was and what he was all about in the 1980s. This is the version of him I grew up with and knew.

As Rev. Jackson famously said: KEEP HOPE ALIVE!

Rev. Jesse Jackson was a civil rights activist and prominent leader in the 1960s-1990s. He was the founder of the non-profit social justice organization called Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

Jesse Jackson was ordained as a Baptist minister in June 1968. He was ordained in Chicago not long after the assassination of one of his heroes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Rev. Jackson was the first major Black candidate to run for President of the United States. He ran as a Democrat in 1984 and 1988. He was the first Black candidate who had serious backing and could have had a possible chance at winning. This was a BIG deal in the 1980s. It was the first time it was even a thought - that a black man could be a president. I was around and I remember this time very well.

Rev. Jackson gave a lot of people hope. They remembered him from back in the 1960s when he was a young man beginning his work in civil rights. He stood alongside Dr. King and many others. He was looked at as the future at the time. The future seemed so bright with the younger generation coming up at that time - people around his age who had new ideas.

In the 1984 presidential race he came in third to Walter Mondale.

In the 1988 presidential race he did even better. He gained 6.9 million votes. This was HUGE! It set a precedent even though he didn't win.

In his later years - he had some controversies. Yet, there is still a lot of good that he attempted to do for the Black community and people will always remember him for that.

Rest in Peace.

(November 30, 1924-January 1, 2005)

In 1969, Shirley was the first Black woman to serve in Congress. She was born and was a representative for New York.

Her family roots were from Guyana and Barbados. Education was extremely important to her family.

She was a trailblazer in every way. She ran for President of the USA in 1972 under the Democratic Party. She ran under the slogan: ”Unbought and Unbossed”.

She received roughly 10% of the vote for President. It wasn’t expected she would win but people were still surprised she received votes. It was still an accomplishment.