Afrofuturism

The Jezebel stereotype, named after a biblical woman, has long been used to characterize Black women as hypersexual and immoral. Emerging during slavery, this trope justified the sexual exploitation of enslaved Black women by framing them as inherently promiscuous and complicit in their own oppression. Enslavers used the Jezebel stereotype to absolve themselves of guilt and to … [Read more...] about Unraveling the Jezebel Stereotype: The “Inherent” Factor of Black Womanhood

In Get Out (2017), Jordan Peele explores the concept of double consciousness as coined by W.E.B. Du Bois, which refers to the internal conflict Black individuals experience while navigating their own identity and the way they are perceived by a predominantly white society. Get Out follows a young black man, Chris, going upstate to meet the upper-class white family of his … [Read more...] about Double-Consciousness as Explored by Jordan Peele’s “Get Out”

Janelle Monáe, a critically acclaimed singer, songwriter and actress, never fails to push the boundaries with her art. Labeled as a concept artist, Monáe transports listeners to another realm where alter egos, scientific fiction, and neo soul come together as one. Monáe’s album, and film project of the same name, Dirty Computer (2018) is no different, combining elements of pop … [Read more...] about Exploring Memory and Identity Through Janelle Monae’s “Dirty Computer”

For decades, Africa has often been portrayed in the media as a "dark continent," a place defined by poverty, conflict, and lack of resources. Examples of this stereotype can be found in movies such as Blood Diamond (2007) or Out of Africa (1985), where the African characters and African continent are demoralized, all while the white protagonists are depicted as “saviors” of the … [Read more...] about Reimagining Africa: Black Panther and the Power of Afrofuturism