Reality Television Dr. Shawn Best Proves Black Excellence Is Still a Work in Progress My conversation with Dr. Shawn Best from Married at First Sight left me thinking about something much bigger than reality television. It reminded me that becoming the best version of yourself is not a destination you reach because you earned a doctorate, landed an impressive title or learned how to By Dr. Christal Jordan • 5 min read
10 Reasons a Brown-Skinned Girl From Oklahoma Fell in Love With Dolly Parton I had just finished a lunch meeting when I found out Dolly Parton was gone, and my heart dropped. I had put my phone down so I wouldn’t be distracted, and when I finally picked it back up, the first thing I saw was a video of her nephew By Dr. Christal Jordan • 13 min read
Humanity Democracy Forum at Martha’s Vineyard Was Hosted by Joy-Ann Reid, One of the Most Trusted Voices for Black America When Give Black Alliance and Black Voters Matter came together on Martha’s Vineyard for a conversation about voting rights, Black political power and the future of American democracy, Joy-Ann Reid was the natural choice to lead it. On Friday, August 14, The Strand Theatre in Oak Bluffs hosted By Dr. Christal Jordan • 5 min read
Culture Caresha’s “Spend Dat” Gets a T-Boz Co-Sign on the It’s Iconic Tour Caresha’s “Spend Dat” has become one of the summer’s most talked-about records, inspiring viral videos along with criticism from people who believe the song represents exactly what has gone wrong with women, relationships and popular culture. But somewhere between all the outrage and pearl-clutching, something interesting By Dr. Christal Jordan • 3 min read
Culture When Harlem Meets the Vineyard: Dance Theatre of Harlem Celebrates Black Art and Culture On Martha’s Vineyard, Dance Theatre of Harlem brought Robert Garland and Mickalene Thomas together for a conversation that connected two places with deep roots in Black creativity, community and cultural influence. There are certain places that mean something different to Black people because of the history we have created By Dr. Christal Jordan • 6 min read
Everyday Community Can Keisha Lance Bottoms Do What Stacey Abrams Couldn’t? Georgia has already watched one Black woman come painfully close to the governor’s mansion. But in 2026, the candidates, the opponents and Georgia itself are different. When Stacey Abrams lost her second bid to become governor of Georgia in 2022, I think a lot of Democrats quietly wondered whether By Dr. Christal Jordan • 15 min read
Superstar Among Friends: Broadus Together Snoop Dogg Is the Algorithm — And He's Bringing the Culture With Him on TikTok LIVE PREMIERE Long before Snoop Dogg became one of the most recognizable entertainers in the world, there was Calvin Broadus, a lanky young man from Long Beach with an unmistakable voice, a little bit By Victor Flavius • 6 min read
Culture OWN’s 12th Season of Love & Marriage: Huntsville Proves #SideChicksBeWinnin’ Twelve seasons ago, Love & Marriage: Huntsville introduced us to something I was genuinely excited to see on television: Black love, Black marriage, Black ownership and Black entrepreneurship. Three attractive, successful Black couples in Huntsville, Alabama, were building businesses, raising families and trying to create something together. They were upper- By Dr. Christal Jordan • 4 min read
Culture Truth Hurts Isn’t Pandering to Women and That May Be Exactly Why They Keep Listening The Philly relationship personality has built an audience by saying the things people do not always want to hear, admitting his own flaws and refusing to pretend social media created the war between Black men and women. Truth Hurts is not particularly interested in making women feel good. That becomes By Dr. Christal Jordan • 9 min read
Copyright: AP2011, Credit: AP, Creator: Gerald Herbert Humanity Why the Angola Farm Line Ruling Was a False Victory Angola sits on land with one of the darkest histories in America. During the 1830s and 1840s, Isaac Franklin, one of the nation’s largest slave traders, pieced together several plantations into a massive cotton operation worked by hundreds of enslaved Africans. The plantation’s name reflected a common practice By Victor Flavius • 5 min read
Photography: Derek Blanks Culture Dr. Stacii Jae Johnson Says Forget Love at First Sight and Build a Love That Lasts The OWN relationship expert turned generational heartbreak into a blueprint for healing, healthy partnership, and lasting love. When I asked Dr. Stacii Jae Johnson whether she believed in love at first sight, her answer came without hesitation. "No.” It wasn’t the response I expected from a woman whose By Dr. Christal Jordan • 7 min read
Health & Wellness Every Woman Needs a Dr. Brandy Why the future of women’s healthcare is about more than medicine. It’s about women helping women. For generations, women have quietly carried the physical and emotional changes that come with womanhood. Mothers often didn’t have language for what they were experiencing, daughters inherited more silence than answers, By Dr. Christal Jordan • 5 min read
