Morgan Jerkins
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New York Times bestselling author | Two-time National Magazine Award-winning journalist | Filmmaker
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Articles by Morgan Jerkins
Edge Control: the art exhibition using hidden camera images to explore race and beauty
Edge Control – Deana Lawson Photograph: Deana Lawson/Courtesy Gagosian In her essay The Oppositional Gaze: Black Female Spectators, writer and philosopher bell hooks explains that the relationship between Black people and the act of “looking” has been traumatic since slavery.
Edge Control: the art exhibition using hidden camera images to explore race and beauty
default In her essay The Oppositional Gaze: Black Female Spectators, writer and philosopher bell hooks explains that the relationship between Black people and the act of “looking” has been traumatic since slavery. Black people, many of whom are still subject to the constant surveillance that originated during enslavement, have historically been punished with severe consequences, such as lynching, for looking back at those who subjugate them.
Send in the clowns: the new guard of activists combating the right
On a humid morning on 15 July, Tillie the Clown, a Brooklyn-based drag performer whose real name is Taylor Horne, was waiting to be let inside a New York City council meeting. Horne had started getting into character at 5am, for a makeup and clown-costuming process that would take two hours. It would be another 10 hours before Horne was allowed to address the city council about the passing of Romanch's Law, which would phase out and ultimately ban New York's horse carriage industry.
‘I'm trying to figure out where I'm supposed to be': singer Momo Boyd on making space for herself
“I'm trying to figure out where I'm supposed to be, but at the same time enjoying the fact that there's nowhere I'm supposed to be.” This admission might seem like the beginning of an existential crisis, but it's a welcome, liminal space for the rising singer and songwriter Momo Boyd. Between her recently released debut EP, a second EP in the works, and two tours, the 27-year-old is being pulled in many directions.
‘I’m trying to figure out where I’m supposed to be’: singer Momo Boyd on making space for herself
"I'm trying to figure out where I'm supposed to be, but at the same time enjoying the fact that there's nowhere I'm supposed to be." This admission might seem like the beginning of an existential crisis, but it's a welcome, liminal space for the rising singer and songwriter Momo Boyd. Between her recently released debut EP, a second EP in the works, and two tours, the 27-year-old is being pulled in many directions.
‘I’m trying to figure out where I’m supposed to be’: singer Momo Boyd on making space for herself
"I'm trying to figure out where I'm supposed to be, but at the same time enjoying the fact that there's nowhere I'm supposed to be." This admission might seem like the beginning of an existential crisis, but it's a welcome, liminal space for the rising singer and songwriter Momo Boyd. Between her recently released debut EP, a second EP in the works, and two tours, the 27-year-old is being pulled in many directions.
‘I’m trying to figure out where I’m supposed to be’: singer Momo Boyd on making space for herself
'It takes a lot of work to have gratitude and peace. I have done a lot of work to protect my heart and who I am at the core and maintain this joy.'Photograph: Roam Artists "I'm trying to figure out where I'm supposed to be, but at the same time enjoying the fact that there's nowhere I'm supposed to be." This admission might seem like the beginning of an existential crisis, but it's a welcome, liminal space for the rising singer and songwriter Momo Boyd.
It’s America’s 250th birthday. And Black Americans are sitting out the celebrations
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It’s America’s 250th birthday. And Black Americans are sitting out the celebrations
‘We know freedom is different for us.’ Photograph: Nathan Howard/Getty Images Not soon after Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration, there emerged a viral illustration of four Black women sitting at the top of a building while watching the world burn at a distance. They are observing with coffee cups in hand. An American flag hangs over the edge. If that exhaustion hadn’t been made clear enough, Black people, particularly across TikTok and Threads, have urged one another to “not give them a reaction”.
What Suzannah Herbert’s Documentary Natchez Reveals About Black History Original
5 min read Toward the end of the new documentary Natchez, viewers have an extended scene with tour guide David Garner. Garner is an elderly white gay man, proud of his town. Natchez, Mississippi, is a place where the nostalgia of antebellum slavery is incorporated and romanticized into the modern tour industry. Natchez is also a blue dot in a red state. Let the queer community tell it and Natchez would’ve lost its luster a long time ago had it not been for the efforts of white gay men like Garner.
Kara Young on ‘Purlie Victorious,’ ‘I’m a Virgo’
Photo: Miranda Barnes This story was originally published on June 27, 2023. We are recirculating it after the news that Kara Young won her second Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance as Aziza in Purpose on Broadway. for Last year, she won her first Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance as Lutiebell Gussie Mae Jenkins in Purlie Victorious, and has been nominated four times.
Love endures all, including slavery and the pandemic. I wanted to show how
‘I was inspired by the oeuvres of Toni Morrison and Gabriel García Márquez, and I wanted my fourth book to be vast in scope.’Photograph: New York public library In early 2020, I made up my mind that I wanted to write a love story. Separated from my family and friends during the height of the pandemic and emotionally raw from living alone, I wanted to write something where I already knew the ending from the beginning: the characters would win. How they got there would be the most difficult part.
Morgan Jerkins Unpacks the Complexities of Sex and Slavery
I have this memory from when I was a child. I was in my mother’s bedroom and we were either talking about Roots or the legacy of slavery. She made a mention of how enslaved Black women were taken advantage of by their masters which led to me looking the way that I do. My snap reaction was to look down at my relatively lighter skin and then back at hers in shock. I didn’t know how to hold this horror but I knew that this deep, corporeal memory stretched for generations.
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor on ‘Nickel Boys’ and Southern Living
Photo: Grier “You come here and see this view and you think, Yeah, this is my life,” says Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor. “Then you have to say, No, it’s not really.” For the average anxious person, overhearing such a statement could send you down a spiral about life, career, belonging. But Ellis-Taylor’s honey-warm voice obliterates any trace of nervousness buzzing about her Central Park hotel suite.
Trad wives are thriving in the post-Dobbs era
Last year, despite minding other people’s business online, I didn’t know what a “trad wife” was. Now it seems like every time I log in to Instagram or TikTok, there is another video of a beautiful woman cleaning her home or making an extraordinarily long and needlessly difficult meal. These trad wives, short for traditional wives, are women who post online content showing themselves adhering to patriarchal gender roles while keeping house and raising children—and making it look easy.
Trad Wives Are Thriving in the Post-Dobbs Era
Last year, despite minding other people’s business online, I didn’t know what a “trad wife” was. Now it seems like every time I log in to Instagram or TikTok, there is another video of a beautiful woman cleaning her home or making an extraordinarily long and needlessly difficult meal. These trad wives, short for traditional wives, are women who post online content showing themselves adhering to patriarchal gender roles while keeping house and raising children—and making it look easy.
Kara Young on ‘Purlie Victorious,’ ‘I’m a Virgo’
Photo: Miranda Barnes This story was originally published on June 27, 2023. We are recirculating it after the news that Kara Young won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance as Lutiebell Gussie Mae Jenkins in Purlie Victorious. Kara Young stands at the top of the stairs of her parents’ Harlem brownstone enthusiastically yelling for me to come on up, the front door left ajar for me to venture inside.
How Hollywood Learned to Eat the Rich
When the US targeted Russia’s oligarchs after the invasion of Ukraine, the trail of assets kept leading to our own backyard. Not only had our nation become a haven for shady foreign money, but we were also incubating a familiar class of yacht-owning, industry-dominating, resource-extracting billionaires. In the January + February 2024 issue of our magazine, we investigate the rise of American Oligarchy—and what it means for the rest of us. You can read all the pieces here.
Nana Mensah on ‘Jaja’s African Hair Braiding’ Broadway Debut
Photo: Courtney Sofiah Yates Nana Mensah knows what she wants. When we meet in the midst of a torrential September downpour at Friedman’s at the Edison in the Theater District, she looks at the menu and takes all of 30 seconds before deciding that she’ll have the Nova Benny, the American-style restaurant’s spin on eggs Benedict. “I cannot resist a potato pancake,” she exclaims. Life for this actress moves as quickly as the restaurant chatter that surrounds her.
The Outsiders: Why Black Audiences Love Italian American Screen Icons
“It’s the greatest love story—that movie is emblazoned on us. It romanticizes the decadence and excess that is hip-hop,” DJ Quik says from the Zoom rectangle, holding up a photo of himself wearing a T-shirt featuring the image of one of Al Pacino’s most famous roles, Scarface’s Tony Montana.
Delicate' Based On?
Danielle Valentine's latest novel, Delicate Condition, follows the story of Anna Alcott, an actress who seemingly has it all-Oscar buzz, a doting husband, and supportive friends-but who yearns to become a mother. From the beginning, her IVF journey seems doomed. Critical appointments are moved without her knowledge, vital medicine is lost, and she's sure someone is following her. Things take a turn when Anna suffers a miscarriage, except she can still feel the baby inside her.
What Book Is 'American Horror Story: Delicate' Based On?
Danielle Valentine’s latest novel, Delicate Condition, follows the story of Anna Alcott, an actress who apparently has it all—Oscar buzz, a doting husband, and supportive friends—but who years to become a mother. From the beginning, her IVF journey seems doomed. Critical appointments are moved without her knowledge, vital medicine is lost, and she’s sure someone is following her. Things take a turn when Anna suffers a miscarriage, except she can still feel the baby inside her.
Kurt Angle on his three UFC offers, his real match with Brock Lesnar and how 'DC' would have done in WWE
Kurt Angle got on a plane in 2006 bound for Las Vegas. The former Olympic wrestling gold medalist was potentially about to embark on a new career path. He was finishing up after an excellent run with WWE that made him a prominent national name. And after a decade in pro wrestling, Angle was interested in jumping to MMA. Angle's manager reached out to the UFC and promotion president Dana White flew Angle out to Las Vegas to meet with him.
31 years later, pro wrestling returns to Wembley Stadium with AEW's All In
The last time a wrestling event was held at London's Wembley Stadium, The British Bulldog -- also known as Davey Boy Smith -- defeated Bret "The Hitman" Hart in the SummerSlam headliner for the Intercontinental championship. The match was a classic, a hotly anticipated bout that featured an intriguing lead-up. At the center of it was Smith's real-life wife, Diana, who is Hart's sister. The storyline featured Diana torn over who she wanted to come out on top in the battle for the IC title.
Hip-Hop 50: Jay-Z, Jordan and the stories we tell to support GOAT status
Editor's note: In honor of hip-hop turning 50, ESPN tapped the culture's top voices to write about their favorite athlete name-drops in hip-hop history. "And with the third pick/I made the earth sick/MJ/him Jay/fadeaway/perfect" -- Jay-Z on "Hola Hovito" (2001) First, we observe greatness -- we see someone do something we didn't know was possible, achieve something we didn't think a human being is capable of -- but the measure of greatness lies in the stories we tell about it.
How Ric Flair influenced a new generation of drip
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Hip-Hop 50: How Ric Flair influenced a new generation of drip
Aug 10, 2023, 08:30 AM ET Editor's note: In honor of hip-hop turning 50, ESPN tapped the culture's top voices to write about their favorite athlete name-drops in hip-hop history. "Ric Flair drip, go 'woo' on a b---- / Fifty-seven ninety, spent a coupe on my wrist" -- Offset on "Ric Flair Drip" (2017) In 2002, watching "WWE Smackdown!" became a secret routine of mine after school.
Hip-Hop 50: How Ric Flair influenced a new generation of drip
Editor's note: In honor of hip-hop turning 50, ESPN tapped the culture's top voices to write about their favorite athlete name-drops in hip-hop history. "Ric Flair drip, go 'woo' on a b---- / Fifty-seven ninety, spent a coupe on my wrist" -- Offset on "Ric Flair Drip" (2017) In 2002, watching "WWE Smackdown!" became a secret routine of mine after school.
Michelle Buteau Shrinks for No One
“This is where I did a lot of growing up,” says Michelle Buteau, nestled in the corner of a Soho restaurant. Her eyes drift toward the window, and she sighs dreamily. “Every block got a memory.” The restaurant is nearly empty, and Buteau’s ebullience can’t be ignored. The wait staff dotes on the comedian as if they were all old friends, and she orders her usual: fried chicken, honey-butter biscuits, and coleslaw. For someone about to release a new Netflix series, she is remarkably calm.
Kara Young on ‘I’m a Virgo’ & Acting on Broadway
Photo: Miranda Barnes Kara Young stands at the top of the stairs of her parents’ Harlem brownstone enthusiastically yelling for me to come on up, the front door left ajar for me to venture inside. When I meet her in the entryway, she immediately wraps her arms around me and offers me a bottle of water. These days, Young is a busy woman. She’s preparing for Broadway’s forthcoming revival of Purlie Victorious with Leslie Odom Jr. and starring in Boots Riley’s Prime Video series, I’m a Virgo.
Central Park birdwatcher Christian Cooper on why racist ‘incident’ won’t define him
Ivana Knoll was cheering on Croatia at the Nations League final on Sunday The model made a name for herself during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar She could only look on as Croatia fell victim to Spain in a penalty shootout Croatian model Ivana Knoll was cheering on her country during the Nations League final in Rotterdam - after making a name for herself at the World Cup last year.
Tina Turner Was the Queen of the Rebrand
Photo: Paul Natkin/Getty Images In November 1996, Tina Turner gave interviewer Mike Wallace a tour of her estate in Villefranche sur Mer, a coastal town along the French Riviera. While observing the Mediterranean view from one of her bedrooms, Wallace asked her, “You think you deserve all this?” Turner side-eyed him and said, “I deserve more.” It’s a profound yet painful clip that is making its rounds across social media following the passing of the 83-year-old musician.
Amazon and Mindy Kaling announce plans to adapt 2 titles from Mindy's Book Studio for the screen
Mindy Kaling wears many hats: actress, screenwriter, author, comedian, producer. A new endeavor with Amazon now brings many of her careers together. Frustrated with a lack of diverse voices in the publishing industry and on the screen, Kaling partnered with Amazon to launch Mindy’s Book Studio in late 2022. Kaling selects books to be published under her imprint with Amazon Publishing (APub), and Amazon Studios gets a first look to adapt them for streaming.
Justice for Law Roach
Two days after the Oscars, Law Roach used his platform to make a big—and totally unexpected—announcement: he’s retiring. In a candid and cryptic Instagram post, the 44-year-old celebrity stylist wrote, “My cup is empty…the politics, the lies, and false narratives finally got me! You win…I’m out.” People were shocked, airing their protestations and expressing mass confusion in the comments.
Justice for Law Roach
Justice for Law RoachArturo Holmes - Getty Images Two days after the Oscars, Law Roach used his platform to make a big—and totally unexpected—announcement: he’s retiring. In a candid and cryptic Instagram post, the 44-year-old celebrity stylist wrote, “My cup is empty…the politics, the lies, and false narratives finally got me! You win…I’m out.” People were shocked, airing their protestations and expressing mass confusion in the comments.
To The Twitter That (Never) Was
Whenever I was invited onto panels or podcasts, I would tell people that I am the quintessential millennial author.
'Wakanda Forever' Perfectly Captured Afro-Diasporic Mourning
The latest Marvel film may be set in a world of fantasy, but the traditions shown at T'Challa's funeral are deeply rooted in real life. From the moment Wakanda Forever opens, audiences are thrown into a frantic scene. Shuri is trying to save her brother, T'Challa, but to no avail. He has gone on to be with the ancestors. What followed was something that I immediately recognized, as I assume others of the African diasporas understood, too: a homegoing ceremony.
Leaders share their advice for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as she begins her first term on the Supreme Court
On Monday, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson sent a message that she would be a vocal member of the court as she dominated the questioning in a case on water pollution; then on Tuesday, she shined while calling out Black voter suppression.
Leaders share their advice for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as she begins her first term on the...
By Morgan Jerkins On Monday, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson sent a message that she would be a vocal member of the court as she dominated the questioning in a case on water pollution; then on Tuesday, she shined while calling out Black voter suppression.
"Don't Worry Darling" and Black Women in Suburbia
//Disclaimer: There are minor spoilers ahead. Trigger warning: Suicide// In Greek mythology, a Trojan priestess named Cassandra was said to have captured the heart of the god Apollo. He was so in love with Cassandra that he endowed her with prophetic gifts. However, when Cassandra ultimately turned down Apollo’s gifts, he was so upset that he placed a curse upon her talent so that no one would ever believe a word that she said.
The Black Women Who Rule The Sea
Last Friday night, Disney captured our attention with a trailer for The Little Mermaid movie, set to be released in May 2023. The trailer is simple: We are miles deep within the ocean, completely enveloped in a bioluminescent world. We follow a woman’s tail through a tunnel where a fiery glow awaits her on the other end.
Black or bot? The long, sordid history of co-opting Blackness online
In late February, just after Russia invaded Ukraine, my Twitter feed began filling up with videos showing Black exchange students being refused passage on trains fleeing the escalating conflict, while white students had no problem boarding. But not everyone was buying it.
The Internet Does Not Respect The Dead
It happens every single time a powerful, white person dies. There is an acknowledgment of this person’s passing and then politicians, celebrities, and other public figures from around the world extend their condolences through photo and video montages, affectionate emojis, and retweets. But for a large swath of social media, particularly those who are the descendants of the enslaved or colonized, there is a celebration. The death becomes an absurdity.
"Don't Say Gay" Bill and The Fight to Preserve LGBTQ+ History
When it comes to fighting for human rights, Robert Kesten is no stranger to this kind of uphill battle. He was in Tahrir Square during Arab Spring and sought to establish it as a Human Rights City. He urged top figures in Ukraine to make the country the first former Soviet republic to decriminalize homosexuality, and counseled John Atta Mills, former President of Ghana, to incorporate human rights into the country’s constitution. But Florida was a different obstacle.
Evette Dionne has had to pivot many times.
“A Most American Terrorist: The Making of Dylann Roof” by Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah
"A Crisis of Our Own Making": Monkeypox, COVID, and Federal Failure
Y’all, I am so excited about publishing this piece. Imani Barbarin, a disability rights and inclusion activist and speaker, and Joe Osmundson, a queer biophysicist and author of Virology— two powerhouses who have been sounding off in person and online about how badly the government has fucked up COVID and monkeypox testing, messaging, and post-diagnostic care.
Advice Column 001: The Fear of Pitching
Dear Morgan, I’m a thirtysomething-year-old Black, gay man who has a ton of stories that I’d like to write but I’m always afraid to hit send on an email. I didn’t go to journalism school, I don’t have an MFA, and I’m still learning about how the media industry works. It all seems so easy for other people to get stories in certain places. How do you get over the fear of pitching? Boy oh boy oh boy. I have gotten this question for as long as I’ve been a professional writer.
The Reckoning of Tyra Banks and ANTM
For the past two years, there has been one disturbing throwback clip after another of Tyra Banks and her panel of judges, ripping an America’s Next Top Model (ANTM) contestant to shreds, that circulates on Twitter. The timing back in 2020 made sense. In that year, the chickens were coming home to roost across many different companies as the world galvanized through protests for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Marginalized people were speaking up about workplace discrimination.
Friday Goodie Bag 08/19
Hey Lorain fam. Happy Friday. Right now, I’m in transit because I will be spending my weekend at the Mississippi Book Festival where I’ll be on some panels, attending some social events, and eating good food. In spite of Lorain already being over a week old, I feel like I’ve been doing this newsletter for longer and I’ll tell you why: When you work for yourself, you have to have a schedule. Granted, when I was a freelancer, as I mentioned in my initial post, I’m used to this.
Dorothy Berry Never Thought She'd Be An Archivist
I have no idea how I first got acquainted with Dorothy Berry via Twitter but in any case, I’m so glad that I did. Her Twitter feed is chock full of Black history, whether she’s talking about magazines from the Harlem Renaissance, giving a private showing of the Houghton Library (her previous place of employment) to Yara Shahidi and Professor Sarah Elizabeth Lewis, or posting old newspaper articles of her ancestors’ romantic scandals, Berry is the real deal.
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