Gloria Richardson
Lives Matter” movement leaders, Johnetta Elzie. They all spoke favorably about the phrase. A few days after, Elle Magazine ran an article by Linda Chavers entitled: “Here’s my problem with Black Girl Magic. Black girls aren’t magical. We’re human.” She argued that the phrase holds Black women to unfeasibly high standards by celebrating them when they achieve but criticizing them when they don’t. However, this argument has been dismissed by most African American women. Phrases like #beingaBlackgirlislit, #blackgirlmagic, and #melaninpopping are still being used by Black women among each other to affirm their beauty and intellectual prowess by unapologetically celebrating every inch of themselves and each other. February marks Black History Month, and as we celebrate Black women every day, we are encouraged to promote and celebrate #BlackGirlMagic, around the country and around the globe too. We remember all of the remarkable Black Women of the past and raise a glass to the queens of the present. Through the #BlackGirlMagic movement, a foundation for positivity and empowerment is set for women of color worldwide. While pioneers like Madame CJ Walker, Dorothy Dandridge, Hattie McDaniel, Shirley Chisholm, and countless others laid the foundation, plenty of women are also breaking barriers today. Black women make history daily in education, politics, music, sports, and film. Here’s a look at some of them who have made history with some “firsts” in recent years.
It may currently be seen majorly online, but in reality, it embodies something that has been done for years by several Black women. That is, forming communities of support based on mutual goals, beliefs, and struggles. “Black Girl Magic” was started by CaShawn Thompson in 2013 when she launched the movement #BlackGirlsAreMagic, which has since been shortened and popularized to #BlackGirlMagic. It celebrated Black women’s beauty, power, and resilience. In a think piece for Black History Untold, CaShawn talks about Gloria Richardson, a civil rights worker and warrior, as her main inspiration behind the movement. Gloria was an embodiment of Black civil rights drive and power throughout her lifetime. That fighting spirit was duly portrayed in a photo of her in Maryland, shoving a bayonet at a protest. CaShawn notes that that particular image motivated her to start a woman-led revolution. And then, the #BlackGirlMagic movement was born. She used digital activism with the help of social media to celebrate Black history and Black women in ways that had never been done. Today we raise our glasses in a toast to Gloria, CaShawn, and all of the beautiful Black women who have made their mark on the world. “Black Girl Magic” has drawn criticism from outside and within the African American community. Essence Magazine once published a special edition highlighting “Black Girl Magic.” It featured three prominent Black women on its covers: actresses Teyonah Parris, Yara Shahidi, and one of the “Black
317
Powered by FlippingBook