Katura J. Hudson

Author Pearl Cleage In 2006, Oprah hosted her “Legends Ball,” a three-day event honoring 25 Black women pioneers in the arts, entertainment, and civil rights. Dr. Maya Angelou. Coretta Scott King. Dorothy Height. Diahann Carroll. Ruby Dee. Rosa Parks. Lena Horne. Way makers. Risk takers. Freedom fighters. Leaders. When the “Legends Ball” special aired, I watched it over and over, newly inspired each time by the stories, the sacrifice, the sisterhood. Even more touching was the way in which the legends were honored by Oprah and the “youngins” (new generation of Black artists, activists and leaders). It was thoughtful, personal, and done with love. The legends received the gratitude that same way, with Dr. Maya Angelou reminding: “There's nothing greater than thank you.” Watching these legends receive their flowers, I knew that was true. Oprah asked author Pearl Cleage to write something special for the occasion. Her poem “ We Speak Your Names ” remains the most powerful “thank you” ...

I spent every day of Black History Month   doing something to celebrate us. Some days it was as simple as rocking a top from a Black business and reading a short blog. Other days it was back to back events and documentary deep dives. This was a priority, sometimes a challenge, and to be honest, not enough. I was looking forward to the joy. But in this climate it felt more like an act of resistance — against all the noise, negativity, anti-Blackness that’s taken the form of legislative actions, corporate rollbacks, social media posts and much more.   I know it doesn’t have to be either/or. Celebration can be resistance. And even if it takes a bit more effort to reclaim the joy in it, it’s important to heed the call to action I heard on Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw’s webinar this week. “Use every platform you have to tell the truth about who we are.” - Kaye Wise Whitehead 

January was a month. February is our month. Not only February, but especially February. Every day of Black History Month this year, I'm rocking, reading, watching, attending, and most importantly enjoying something that celebrates Black history, Black culture, or Black folks. I’ll post about what I’m doing, wearing, listening to, recommending, learning here on the blog daily.  — Feb. 1 -  Kicking off the month with this super cute, handpainted shirt from artist Cynthia Vaughn @iamcjgallery on IG Feb. 2 - Caught a replay of “We Knew What We Had” (PBS) a doc about the history of jazz in Pittsburgh, highlights the talents of George Benson, Art Blakey, Mary Lou Williams and other greats — all from Pittsburgh. Feb. 3 - Watched several eps from Crash Course - Black American History (YouTube) hosted by Clint Smith. The 51-episode series discusses the experience of Black people in America, from the arrival of the first enslaved Black people who arrived at Jamestown to the Black Liv...

On New Year’s Eve, someone on social shared a great idea. Buy from a small business at midnight so an entrepreneur would start the new year with an order. I’m always looking for an occasion to shop small, and a business owner logging in and seeing new  orders on January 1 felt as important as me eating black eyed peas and greens. So I selected two businesses I hadn’t purchased from before, scrolled, and clicked. My orders arrived on the same day less than a week later: Leverage Everything in Life Journal Wax print robes from Diop I’ve been known to skip New Year’s resolutions because I’m one of those people who feels the new year doesn’t truly start until spring. And that you can choose a new path any day of the year. But I liked this approach to welcoming 2025. Starting small . 

This cutie wrote a book report on the picture book I did with Sylvia Walker: I’m A Big Sister Now . Look at the sharp commentary! And she gave it 5 stars. Thanks Skylar!

No Skips.  You know the times you listen to music all the way through, not wanting to miss a song? That's what BlackWeek was like. Stage after stage of powerful content thoughtfully curated to help advance opportunity and economic growth in Black and Brown communities and “move the culture forward.” One of the things that stuck with me when I first heard about BlackWeek: they offered pay equity pricing in acknowledgement of the pay disparities between women, women of color and male counterparts. That intentionality showed up throughout the entire event, from the onsite barber services by Bevel to the BlackWeek app, which I'm still revisiting a week later. Congratulations and THANK YOU to the BlackWeek founders and planning team for this much-needed space, vision, and the greatness it’s inspiring!  Learn more. Photo description: 1. Joe Anthony, Dabo Che and Gabrielle Shirdan present at the “Black Lemonade” panel. Gabrielle is standing near a large screen displaying a slide that...