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

Xhana Thompson

Social Media Editor

Alexis Hicks

Engagement Editor

Joecephus Martin

Creative Director

Sirita Render

Senior Graphic Designer

Rose Parkman Marshall

Special Projects Copy Editor

Adam Lynch

Senior Staff Writer

Haile Cole

Contributing Editor

Jeanette Miller

Editorial Assistant

Madison Meeks

Sports Writer

Vernadette Barnes

Sykina Butts

Danielle Buckingham

Jammie Garrett

Jessiree Jenkins

Ashlee Kelly

Tysianna Marino

Perdita Patrice

Ste’Aira Thomas

Lighthouse Staff

Contributors

January 20, 2022

All I Want for 2022 is for Women Athletes to be taken Seriously

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” WRONG. Words do hurt. They hurt a lot. Looking back on 2021, women athletes made huge statements. In an unprecedented move for her field, Simone Biles courageously prioritized her mental health. In their first showing in the Women’s College World Series, the...

Madison MeeksPop Culture, Women

January 18, 2022

State Leaders Working to Bust the Budget for the Wealthy

Mississippi House members approved legislation ending personal income tax in Mississippi this week, and economists are warning it will be a budget killer. “I looked at the fiscal note (on this thing) and they are 100 percent offsetting the cost of these cuts with the revenue surplus that came from federal sources like ARPA (American...

Adam LynchUnder the Dome

January 7, 2022

Under the Dome is Back, Baby! | Week 1 (Jan. 2022)

The Lighthouse’s “Under the Dome” series is officially back as we follow a slate of 2022 legislative sessions opening across the Southeast. As before, we’ll be closely watching for bills in many states coming down the pipe that impact the health, finances, safety and personal freedom of Black girls, women and the people who are...

Polly C. SpeakUnder the Dome

December 13, 2021

Black Clergy Give Payday Lenders Competition in Memphis

There’s a new lender in town, and he’s aiming to put predatory loans out of business. For those in the know, a payday loan—also known as “cash advance” loan or “check advance” loan—is packaged as a short-term, high-cost loan that should be repaid by the borrower’s next payday. Lenders proclaim the due date to be two or four weeks from...

Adam LynchUncategorized

December 10, 2021

Lotus

There was a woman born from a Lotus Her heart was golden, deep as the ocean And then this one man, he came and broke it ‘Til it was open, just like a Lotus Oh, yes, there were explosions She found her focus, the beast awoken # I almost died twice before I was even born. The first would’ve been via abortion. In...

Aaron TalleyBlack Aesthetic, In His Words, Self Care, The Feature | Vexation and Revival

November 30, 2021

HBCU sports–Moving Up in the World

“Go Ratttluhhhhssss!” fdIs this what the FAMU fans say? Regardless, here ye, here ye, an important announcement: the FAMU women’s volleyball team has won the SWAC conference championship— and this is their first year being in the SWAC conference! FAMU joined the SWAC (Southwestern Atlantic Conference) on July 1, 2021– which means they’ll be playing...

Madison MeeksBlack Girls, In the Spotlight

November 29, 2021

Keep Listening and Learning | November 2021 Podcasts

At The Lighthouse | Black Girl Projects we are celebrating November with Grace and Gratitude. We hope you have many things to be grateful for right now and are finding grace where and how you need it. Here are some podcasts to keep your ears happy for a bit. hey, girl. is a podcast that...

Jeanette MillerFlavor in Your Ear, Lists, Lists and More Lists

November 24, 2021

Interview with Elizabeth Davidson

| The Minority Report | Our favorite voices, ideas and people who aren’t Black girls and women

Leah HunterPhilanthropy

November 22, 2021

Book Bans Trying to Silence Marginalized Voices, says Author

Book bans continued this month with a brief effort by the Goddard school district, in Wichita, Kansas, to ban a list of books including well-known novels “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas and “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood. The list, which was created and submitted by a...

Adam LynchPoliticking (/ˈpɑlətɪkɪn/), Politics, Pop Culture

November 17, 2021

Black Writers Are Writing, but Black Books Still Rare

November is National Novel Writing Month and to celebrate Black Girl Times wants to shine a light on hard-working Black authors and the book industry they have to navigate. There’s plenty of stirring work out there, from Angie Thomas to Toni Morrison, to the trend-setting science fiction of Octavia E. Butler and Rivers Solomon’s smash hit An Unkindness of...

Adam LynchBlack Aesthetic

November 11, 2021

Black Artists, Black Art | Nov 2021

What are you grateful for? I have so much gratitude for all the wonderful expressions of self, challenge, passion, hurt, love, and so many other artistic interpretations I see in our world. And I’m grateful that each day I get to experience something new and share some of those findings with you. We are celebrating...

Jeanette MillerBlack Aesthetic, Lists, Lists and More Lists

November 10, 2021

National Labor Shortage is Actually a Nationwide Walkout

Businesses in southern states and nationwide are moving into the holiday season with a rash of vacancies on their sales and service teams. Restaurants across the U.S. have “Now Hiring” signs hanging in windows and doors, promising free food on the side, better wages, even help with college. So far, bosses and managers are still struggling to fill...

Adam Lynch9 to 5 | 3rdShift, Dollars and Sense

November 5, 2021

The World We Live In

For November, we are featuring a short story about a girl at an important moment in her journey to womanhood. Despite early missteps and fumbles, Omega tries to navigate this new terrain with grace. Happy reading! *** Mama Say: “Omega, Omega, Omega! Wake up!” Mama yells. She shakes my arm, and I groan. I roll...

Sykina ButtsThe Feature | Vexation and Revival

November 2, 2021

Grace & Gratitude in November

Can you feel the shift happening? I’m not talking about the fall weather, though that’s happening, and I love cool weather. I mean the shift in the atmosphere around here at The Lighthouse. One of my favorite and, simultaneously, most stressful things about being here is the growing pains. This is Lighthouse 6.0. What does...

Natalie A. CollierSelf Care

October 26, 2021

Where Everything Begins…. THE ROOTS!

“WE DON’T GO “NATURAL”, WE RETURN. “NATURAL” IS WHERE IT BEGAN” -UNKNOWN Life for me begins at the bottom of a curved, cave-like, structure containing DNA tracing back to ancestors. Growing in an upward direction, extending from one’s mind, where all energy is embodied. Choosing me can take you on multiple journeys, possibly a spiritual...

Miracle WilliamsUncategorized