Image

In The News

Documenting and disseminating news about black grandmothers makes me feel like God sprinkled fairy dust over my head! Truly #blackgirlmagic. Sharing their stories in their many forms (personal accounts, oral and living histories, news, and culture) reminds me that I was made for this. The timing couldn’t be better (or more divine). I can set google alerts to capture when, where, and how they are being talked about and who is doing the talking. I can also disseminate this information using a number of social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr). How are black grandmothers being cast in the public eye? Are they being politicized? For instance, Hillary Clinton recently stated, “Like every grandmother, I worry about the safety and security of my grandchildren. But my worries are not the same as black grandmothers.” Now imagine centuries of worry to this magnitude—hence the creation of RealBlackGrandmothers. Are they inspiring political action? Like Lee Daniels’ grandmother did, making him declare he would never not vote again. Or are they being revered (while at the same time fueling debate) like Simone Biles’s grandmother turned adoptive mom? RealBlackGrandmothers harnesses the power of global reach and digital media to bring representations of black grandmothers to public discourse that reflect their nuance, complexity, depth, and humanity. With gratitude, LaShawnDa

In the News: 86-Year-Old Black Grandmother Weds Longtime Love, Goes Viral
6 years ago

In the News: 86-Year-Old Black Grandmother Weds Longtime Love, Goes Viral

“It was a lovely day,” Millie’s granddaughter, Khadija Elkharbibi, 28, tells PEOPLE. “This isn’t a typical story — most grandmothers don’t remarry or they give up on love. It’s amazing …
Read More

In the News: Duchess Harris Shares Grandmother’s Story in Upcoming ‘Hidden Human Computers: The Black Women of NASA’
6 years ago

In the News: Duchess Harris Shares Grandmother’s Story in Upcoming ‘Hidden Human Computers: The Black Women of NASA’

“My grandfather was a professor at [the private Hampton, Virginia,-based black university] Hampton University, so that’s where my grandmother lived during World War II,” said Harris, a married mother of …
Read More

In the News: Meet Sue Taylor, the Black Grandmother Leading the Charge to Bring Marijuana to the Elderly
6 years ago

In the News: Meet Sue Taylor, the Black Grandmother Leading the Charge to Bring Marijuana to the Elderly

“Sue Taylor is an African-American grandmother who runs three miles a day and describes her late 60s as the time of her life. She’s a retired Catholic school principal living …
Read More

In the News: Producer, Director Lee Daniels Encourages Democratic Campaign Volunteers
6 years ago

In the News: Producer, Director Lee Daniels Encourages Democratic Campaign Volunteers

“He spoke to a modest crowd, at the Democratic headquarters, made up mostly of volunteers who have been knocking on doors and making phone calls.

Daniels’ grandmother, Grace H. Daniels, …
Read More

In The News: Simone Biles Soars, Lifting Another Country With Her
6 years ago

In The News: Simone Biles Soars, Lifting Another Country With Her

In 2003, “Simone, then 6, and her younger sister Adria, then 4, were adopted by their maternal grandfather, Ron Biles, and his second wife, Nellie Cayetano Biles, who is from …
Read More

In The News: Olympic Gymnast Simone Biles’ Lessons from Mom
6 years ago

In The News: Olympic Gymnast Simone Biles’ Lessons from Mom

“She encourages me and never lets me feel down about something for too long,” Simone Biles said in an email. “If I’ve had a bad day in the gym or …
Read More

In the News: Growing up in Racist America: Meet Maya Washington’s 100-Year-Old Great-Granny

Maya Washington interviews her 100-year-old great-grandmother. Her interview showed her grandmother’s positive outlook despite coming up in the Jim Crow era. Listen to her discuss racism, living in the south, …
Read More

IN THE NEWS: The importance of African grandmothers in the fight against AIDS
6 years ago

IN THE NEWS: The importance of African grandmothers in the fight against AIDS

“A South African grandmother, with a young orphaned baby on her back.”

© DEBRA BLACK / TORONTO STAR

https://www.thestar.com/authors.black_debra.html

IN THE NEWS: A week before grandmother passing
6 years ago

IN THE NEWS: A week before grandmother passing

“In mourning: Rihanna in a recent picture with her grandmother Dolly just weeks before her passing”

@ RIHANNA VIA TWITTER