Shonda Buchanan

Letitia Wright in Black Panther; Credit: Marvel Studios

Why Black People Need Today’s Award-Winning Black Movies

Shonda Buchanan
America needs to continually see beautiful, whole Black male and female bodies in play, in love and in positions of power and vibrant with humanity in order to confront the unfortunate perpetuation of stereotypes, biases, micro-aggressions and the simple fear of the black body, image and voice that haunts us from an antebellum past. Thankfully, in Hollywood's top films, we finally are....
Host Sheryl Lee Ralph and Outstanding Male Artist award recipient MAJOR at the 50th annual NAACP nominees luncheon; Credit: Courtesy NAACP

Celebrating the Deep Roots of the NAACP Image Awards

Shonda Buchanan
The NAACP Image Awards celebrated 50 years of recognizing the achievements by black people in entertainment the weekend, attracting stars from both behind the front of the camera. But the biggest star was awards creator Toni Vaz her vision come full circle....
Regina King in If Beale Street Could Talk.; Credit: Universal Pictures

Regina King Matters: An Appreciation

Shonda Buchanan
From her beginnings as a teen actress in the television sitcom 227 to memorable turns in classics such as Boyz in the Hood and Poetic Justice to her riveting role in Ray to her Oscar-wining role in If Beale Street Could Talk, Regina King has steadily built a career on portraying relatable, diverse and complex black women onscreen....
Vivian Nixon

L.A. Dance Icons Debbie Allen and Lula Washington Honored at Dance/USA Event

Shonda Buchanan
Earlier this month the City of Los Angeles’ Department of Cultural Affairs launched its inaugural DCA L.A. Dance Platform, a host of dance exhibitions, talks and performances, at the Dance/USA 2018 Annual Conference and Awards, held for the first time in L.A. Dance matriarchs Debbie Allen and Lula Washington were honored, and the city was recognized for its presence and power as a center for dance in the world....
Glory Edim accepts her Innovator's Award at Friday's Festival of Books kickoff event.; Credit: Courtesy L.A. Times Book Prizes

Black Women Writers at Bookchella: A Celebration of Black Girl Magic

Shonda Buchanan
Black women writers and #BlackGirlMagic were celebrated at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, featuring Well-Read Black Girl and Innovator's Award winner Glory Edim, cultural commentators Morgan Jerkins and Ijeoma Oluo and celebrity authors Vivica A. Fox, Laila Ali, Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Gabrielle Union....
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Child of the Night

Shonda Buchanan
It's freezing in the small West Hollywood recording studio. Nailah crouches in a corner chair, one slender hand raking through her locks, the other stealing to her throat, wrapped in a thick woolen scarf. She rises and stretches, her delicately slender body arching, catlike. Shoulders almost too wide for her......