Tomorrow is Christmas Day, and I think it’s pretty fair to say that we’re all tired, and I think it’s been a year of transformation and shedding. A friend of mine said that in numerology, 2023 was a number 7 year, which, according to mind body green is a year of inner reflection and “shaking things up”. Not sure about you but I can pretty much confirm it did its job. If my Instagram feed was a litmus test, fatigue hit everyone towards the end of this year. As we close out 2023, here is the final The Week Unboxed of the year.
TARAJI P HENSON TALKS ABOUT HOLLYWOOD’S UNDERPAYMENT OF BLACK WOMEN
Taraji P Henson went viral this past week for being very open about the challenges of being paid appropriately in Hollywood. What made this testimony more impactful is that we witnessed Taraji in tears, which is heartbreaking. During several interviews as she promotes the remake of the film The Colour Purple which she stars in, she talks about what it really takes to be a star in Hollywood, the costs that come with it to make it happen and how she has seriously had to think about leaving her acting career behind her. She also reveals that she almost had to walk away from The Colour Purple for the same reason despite the fact that this production is being executive produced by (Aunty) Oprah.
It really did hurt to hear Taraji speak on the inequity in her industry, but it wasn’t really a surprise. There are times when I often question my hyper awareness of being a Black woman in this world, where sometimes people make it sound like you’re using the race card to avoid being accountable for your outcomes rather than the fact that our race ( or it’s lack of acceptance) is embedded in the very fabric of every “westernised” structure let alone the fact that you’re a woman. I’m confident that misogyny is the only (but not least) thing that Black women have to navigate where we’re in the majority as I often hear people say that they didn’t realise that they were Black until they came to this country. It was just never something that was a dividing factor.
The reference to Colour Purple also doesn’t immediately imply that Miss Winfrey was part of that negotiation process. She’s not going to be involved in every instance, though I’m sure she’ll have some level of oversight. So people’s immediate consideration that she’s part of the problem could be misguided. On the other hand, you never truly know who people are in celebrity land.
I often think of my consideration around being Black and female as low vibrational thoughts that can impact how you move in the world. However, it is a reality that we live with daily. It’s unavoidable. I’m often told that this is the instance in which “playing the game” becomes necessary to survive. But I (and my counterparts) deserve more than just surviving and navigating. It is exhausting. I’m pleased that Taraji and her peers consistently use their platform to highlight inequity and lack of opportunities in their industry, and unfortunately, this is not just exclusive to Hollywood. This is across all sectors, including at times, self-employment. Calling people out and highlighting the realities sparks conversations and it has been a hot topic for a number of people online. It chips away at the silence and hopefully the complicity across industries. They can’t do it alone, though. I know some subscribe to the idea that we need to stay quiet until we reach a certain level before we can speak out, but that means we perpetuate and feed life into the oppression of our fellow colleagues. I wish there was a day where we all come together in numbers and unify against this imbalance.
I also wonder where Black women were represented in the recent writers and acting strikes, which kept Hollywood on its knees for weeks on end? Were Black women even considered during the protests? I saw a number of Black women take part in the protests but if those demonstrations mirrored what feminism is often accused of – ignoring the nuance of racial intersectionality in the cause – the guild is not serving all its members, a problem in itself.
NOT SO CLEVERLY THE HOME SECRETARY JOKES ABOUT DATE RAPING HIS WIFE
Copyright: UK parliament
I genuinely worry for people of colour in the Conservative party. Not necessarily because of their political rules – everyone is allowed to have one, obviously – but, as discussed above, how Black people navigate race in positions of power. James Cleverly is one of those high profile Black people of colour. He’s just become Home Secretary six weeks or so after Suella Bravermam became too problematic (even for them) and was asked to leave.
However James is obviously not Cleverly by name or nature as it was revealed he apparently joked about keeping his wife “sedated” so she won’t leave him and apparently made specific jokes about the date drug Rohypnol. Cleverly seems to be the king of inappropriate comments when he aprparently called Stockton a “s***hole”
Basically he’s every PR person’s very lucrative nightmare.
I don’t really expect much from this batch of politicians and Boris Johnson’s tenure made the whole government feel like a joke to be honest but this really struck me hard. His apparent response was that it was meant to be a private conversation which makes me worry about whether Cleverly’s apology is genuine as to even think and then articulate this “joke” is more than unseamly?
I’d love to genuinely hear from each Black Conservative minister about their perspectives on race and politics. And not just the stuff they spout for the voters. They may subscribe to the idea that Britain is without racism, I don’t know but whether they want to or not they do represent the wider population by default by simply being Black.
For James Cleverly to joke about this type of violence against women is worrying and unacceptable. I can also imagine this is embarrassing for his wife. This isn’t about being overly PC either, which seems the default comeback when people are perceived to be incapable of “taking a joke”. Violence against women should be considered an epidemic, and I’m not convinced an apology should be enough, but with the Party already on one knee, I doubt that Cleverly will be going anywhere.
RETAIL CONTINUES TO BE SWINGS AND ROUNDABOUTS FOR BLACK BUSINESSES
Earlier in the year, I wrote a piece about whether 2023 was a poor year for Black businesses. as more and more businesses started closing their doors. Most recently as the stories that Afrocentrix is no longer Black owned as reported by one of the last remaining platforms for Black British women, Black Ballad and that St.Aymes, one of the most Instagrammable and prettiest cafe (by a London publication) closed its doors this month – those its closure if framed more as an evolution to better things which is a great move – I can’t help wonder if I was right? This comes after brands like gal-dem and Oja closed and others like Grassfields were taken over as seems to have happened to Afrocentrix. These were all founded by incredible capable women who pushed boundaries and showed us all what was possible. And because so few have reached these levels before their loss is felt deeper -at least by me – because we root harder for our sisters. Their win is our win.
To be fair, businesses open and close all the time. It’s natural. I just wonder how much true support is given to them? When Grassfield’s closed, one of their founders took to social media to try and galvanise their audience. A move I understood but would only recommend under very controlled circumstances. In this instance it backfired and it took an extended period of time before they made another attempt to tell their story in a much more cohesive and controlled way. I’m glad Afrocentrix took a structured route by going to a trusted platform in the community though I’m concerned that it doesn’t seem it has been widely picked up nor has the company acknowledged its founder’s departure which will ultimately bite them in the ass.
Running a business is not easy, even less so if you’re Black, female and in the case of Afrocentrix, a mother. I think more should be done to cater for the emotional wellbeing of Black people in business because they’re likely to have their rise littered with obstacles simply because they’re Black, female and caregivers and should be a mandatory consideration when building an incubator or development programme, particularly if you’re building for people of colour.
However it’s not been all doom and gloom this year. Brands like Ruka have had a phenomenal year raising millions in seed money and finding a home in the luxury retailers, Selfridges. Also retailer Maniere de Voir which is owned by former footballer, Reece Wabara, made its bricks and mortar debut this month on one of the world’s most talked about shopping locations, Oxford Circus. Now Wabara is an anomaly to this story as he’s male but the achievement is worth a mention.
What I know for all the businesses and the founders mentioned is that this is not the end and I would bet money that they could come back stronger and with even more offerings if they wanted to. So I congratulate them on their success and look forward to seeing what they do next.
ON THAT NOTE…
Copyright: Emil Huzeynzade
Christmas is a time for spending time with family and friends, lying around watching the telly and gifts. Channel 4 gifted us with a first-look trailer of the television version of the acclaimed book Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams. Boasting a cast of recognisable faces, the beloved book is the second time Carty-Williams’ work has hit the small screen with Champion being her first on BBC.
Unfortunately we have to wait for the series to launch “sometime in 2024” but in the meantime you can watch the trailer below.
If you’re looking for a more immediate watch created by Black British talent, try Riches on ITVX for drama, Black is the New Black and Outsiders from filmmaker Simon Frederick on Netflix and Dreaming Whilst Black on iPlayer.
