Movie

‘Friday’ (1995)

A vital film in black culture, “Friday” illustrates many nuances of living in the ‘hood’ in South-Central Los Angeles. Fired on his day off, Craig spends the day with his friend and neighborhood stoner, Smokey, who inadvertently puts both of their lives in danger due to a debt with an infamous drug dealer. With limited time to pay what is owed, Craig and Smokey plot and plan to come up with the funds in time, prompting a series of complications and incidents that make for an eventful, action-packed Friday. 

Book

The Bluford Series

A collection of novels that illustrate the lives of young adults, this series describes the myriad of circumstances that encircle the experiences of young, black people. Between rendezvous with love, acts of violence, episodes of antagonism within friendships and family, and challenges with finding a place in the world, the series guides its reader in understanding the complexities of individual black lives, leading them on the tumultuous path through the characters’ adversity to the sweet destination of triumph. 

Television

‘Living Single’ (1993-1998)

“Living Single” follows the lives of six young, black individuals in a brownstone in Brooklyn, New York. As Synclaire James has just moved in with her cousin, Khadijah James, and their childhood friend, Regine Hunter, the trio share an apartment that is frequented by their lawyer friend Maxine Shaw as well as their upstairs neighbors Overton Wakefield and Kyle Barker. The show comically explores the love interests and work lives of each character, from Regine’s unfading demand for a man with large pockets to Khadijah’s ambitious career as the editor and publisher of her own magazine, Flavor. 

Music

‘CrazySexyCool’ by TLC

“CrazySexyCool” channels the sexuality of black women as T-Box, Left-Eye, and Chilli explore the intricacies of love, sex and relationships. Between the betrayal and deceit that frequent relationships and its ramifications as told in ‘Creep’ and the cautionary anecdotes surrounding the repercussions of ignorance and temptation described in ‘Waterfalls,’ TLC utilizes music to exude hope and optimism in weathering the storms that have the potential to bring sunny days.