Stephanie Smith-Strickland

“I was a Black guy who was curious about bourbon,” says O.J. Lima, describing his impetus for co-founding Taste Select Repeat, an online members club that curates and ships hand-selected bottles and barrel picks from distilleries the world over.…

As with any good meet-cute, 28-year-old Kajuan Douglas, fell in love with yoga by chance. Almost a decade ago, after watching one too many episodes of So You Think You Can Dance, Douglas was inspired to sign up for a dance class. When he arrived,…

In Japan the concept of bihaku, which translates to beautifully white, is so culturally ubiquitous it has become an accepted standard. Where in the United States, Europe, the Caribbean and on the African continent, the conversation about skin…

Let’s start by playing catch-up: On Aug. 28, DJ, activist and model Munroe Bergdorf made history as the first out trans woman to land her own L’Oréal U.K. campaign. On Sept. 1, L’Oréal U.K. fired Bergdorf after anti-racist comments she made in the…

“I was completely different from the other boys around me growing up. Everywhere I went, people pointed out how different I was in the most unpleasant ways,” Richard Akuson, founder and publisher of A Nasty Boy, said in a recent interview with Mic.…

Last year Nigerian-English grime music pioneer Skepta joined Drake to remix afropop sensation Wizkid's single "Ojuelegba," rapping "When I was in school being African was a diss/ sounds like you need help saying my surname Miss." This unguarded…

Throughout childhood, there were many moments I felt ugly or invisible. I was a black girl in a fairly uniform Midwestern town where I attended a school whose perks included being the only person of color in most of my classes along with the…

Carrie Bradshaw and her trio of girlfriends captured the imagination and closet envy of millions long after Sex and the City's run ended in 2004. However, not all fantasies are created equal, and Carrie and her conspicuously caucasian troupe of…