Black Girl Times - The Lighthouse|Black Girl Projects

Our blog, Black Girl Times, offers Black creatives a platform to discuss their experiences and those of southern Black girls, women (in particular but not exclusively) and gender non-conforming people on The Lighthouse’s website. Through this project, creatives use writing, photography and other mediums to underscore the organization’s mission, further elevating those voices on matters ranging from reproductive justice to music, economic justice to pop culture. Additionally, we share information important to our community and those, likewise, disenfranchised. We proudly say our aim is not to break news–there are people doing that. We want to ensure people in our communities know how the news in traditional media impacts their everyday lives.

Editorial Team

Natalie A. Collier

Editor in Chief

LaTanya Lane

Managing Editor

Adam Lynch

News Editor

Perdita Patrice

Culture Editor

Xhana Thompson

Social Media Editor

Dawson Johnson

DJI Fellow

Jaylin Jones

DJI Fellow

Sirita Render

Creative Director

Joecephus Martin

Photographer/Videographer

Sarah Jené

Design Assistant

Haile Cole

Contributing Editor

Madison Meeks

Sports Writer

Vernadette Barnes

Sykina Butts

Danielle Buckingham

Jammie Garrett

Alexis Hicks

Jessiree Jenkins

Ashlee Kelly

Tysianna Marino

Ste’Aira Thomas

Lighthouse Staff

Contributors

Jeanette Miller

Editorial Assistant

June 24, 2022

Mississippi’s Last Abortion Clinic to Close

Jackson’s last abortion clinic will be closing within days, putting the onus upon voters to either accept the loss or protest with their mid-term vote. For months, professionally trained escorts were required to protect patients from the mob of begging, noisy anti-abortion activists hounding them all the way into Jackson’s last abortion clinic. The...

The LighthouseUncategorized

June 24, 2022

We Outside: A Photo Essay

After lockdown and restriction brought on by the global health pandemic, the idea of being “outside” renders an air of newfound freedom for many. Resumed travel, time with loved ones, and re-invigorated event attendance all stand as signposts of hope after a difficult period of isolation. While we all long for semblances of normalcy, for...

Haile ColeBlack Aesthetic, Lists, Lists and More Lists

June 22, 2022

Pride, Prejudice and🔥🔥🔥

When I was little, my mom would take us to the Newport News Public Library on Saturdays and make a bee line for the video section. Most of the library videos were black and white films, some of them goofy and others great. Pride and Prejudice with Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier was great. Some...

LaTanya LaneBlack Aesthetic, In Her Words

June 21, 2022

How to Prepare for the Upcoming School Year This Summer

Photo by Skylar KangWe know, we know. Summer has just arrived, and we’re already talking about the next school year! Ok, but hear us out. We understand and fully believe that children need a break from the regular rhythm that the academic year requires. Still, there are some simple things you can be mindful of...

Pamela ThompsonLists, Lists and More Lists

June 15, 2022

Summer Reading List for Black Women

One way to encourage more reading among the young people in your sphere is for them to see *you* prioritize reading. Yes, even if you have a child who has declared themselves a sworn enemy to reading, when they see that this is a value consistently held and and cherished in your life, they will...

Pamela ThompsonLists, Lists and More Lists

June 14, 2022

Keep Watching | June

Perdita and LaTanya discuss the Rothaniel comedy special that aired on HBO Max in March. Enjoy their conversation and share your thoughts in the comments!

The LighthouseLists, Lists and More Lists

June 10, 2022

Finding the Receipts – France’s $21B Debt to Haiti

In 2003, Haitian firebrand and authoritarian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide put the Haitian economy front and center of his platform. One of his biggest arguments: the $21 billion the nation of France extorted from the little island nation throughout the majority of the last two centuries. The nation, formerly known as Saint-Domingue, was once the most...

Adam LynchUncategorized

June 9, 2022

We Ain’t Afraid of No Ghosts

I just finished a full re-watching of Criminal Minds – I blame TikTok users for posting clips of the show, which reminded me that, oh yeah, I used to like watching that. In turn, I spent the past several weeks catching up with Garcia, Reid, Rossi, Morgan, JJ, and Prentiss over 15 seasons and two...

Perdita PatriceBlack Aesthetic, In Her Words

June 8, 2022

Summer Reading List for Black Girls

Caregivers of children are familiar with the “summer slide.” It’s a loss of academic skills that occurs during the summer months when school is not in session and no regular, consistent learning is happening for students. What most parents may not know is that this slide is due largely to a lack of reading. The...

Pamela ThompsonLists, Lists and More Lists

June 6, 2022

Is the WNBA is in Crisis?

Almost every time I click on my “explore” page on Instagram, I see a post telling me that yet another WNBA team has either waived a player and/or signed a player on a hardship contract. When I say every time, I definitely mean EVERY. TIME. Coming off the 2021 Chicago Sky championship winning season, I...

Madison MeeksBlack Aesthetic, Black Girls

June 6, 2022

Jan. 6 Select Committee Chair says Committee Already Has All the Evidence it Needs

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss, chairs the select committee investigating the events of Jan. 6, 2021. Photo by Sethasak Boonchai This week, Mississippi’s own select committee Chair Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Vice Chair Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., will launch a series of public hearings showcasing former president Donald Trump’s involvement in overthrowing democracy in America on...

Adam LynchUnder the Dome

June 3, 2022

The Horrifying Legacy of Whore’s Lake

Mississippi seniors suspect this small lake outside the town of Drew is a graveyard for lynched Black women and girls. The route on 49 West to the small town of Drew, Mississippi, will take you through Entergy Mississippi’s spanking-new solar facility near the outskirts of Ruleville. Three-hundred and fifty thousand freshly constructed solar arrays stretch...

Adam LynchUnder the Dome

June 1, 2022

Welcome to June: We Out Here!

Summer is here and after years of lockdown and 45 We are out here! Short, shorts, legs out. Out here. Exams finished, schools out. Out here. Juneteenth, BBQs, Black business shopping. Out here. Flag waving, PRIDE swelling. Out here. Fresh from the vine. Out here. Unapologetic. Faces to the sun. Basking in the joy of...

LaTanya LaneUncategorized

May 31, 2022

Summer Camp isn’t the Only Option for Your Kids

Summer break is fast approaching, and many moms, dads and caregivers find themselves searching for things to occupy the young, brilliant minds of their children. It is a question I am familiar with as the mother of four inspiring and delightful girls. I am also an educator and serve as the Chief Learning Officer at...

Pamela ThompsonUncategorized

May 30, 2022

Starbucks Unionization Expands West, Rattling CEOs

By Jaylin Jones The national wave of Starbucks unionizations hit Texas last week, throwing corporate CEO’s into a panic. Employees at two Starbucks branches in Dallas announced their intent to unionize on Twitter, with workers claiming it’s time to remind the corporation that it was “built by and for people.” They argue that it...

The LighthouseUnder the Dome