Leslie D. Rose

2021-2022 interview reel.

The Queen of Christmas joined Leslie D. Rose (Blavity) to discuss her McDonald's Partnership, "All I Want For Christmas Is You," and ways to maintain the holiday spirit after a rough couple of years.

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) has been hard at work utilizing the tools at her disposal to hold credit bureau Equifax accountable for its recent infraction of inaccurately reporting scores for millions of customers from March 17 to April 6, which resulted in credit and loan denials and higher interest rates. Initial phases of her plan included sending letters to Equifax and the CEOs of the nation’s largest commercial banks in which she demanded a timely response to several questions mean...

Black women experience fibroids at a slightly higher rate than women of other races, with eight of every ten Black women being diagnosed with these generally-noncancerous uterine growths. More often than not, when experiencing severe symptoms of the gynecological issue, the aforementioned group of women faces healthcare disparities and poor recommendations for treatment options, even botched surgical procedures that leave them with unsightly and unnecessary scars.

Rap and hip hop music became major tools for advertising, marketing, and branding in the mid-1980s. It is likely the perception of cool that works well for advertisers, coupled with the ever-growing popularity of the genre among younger audiences. Over the years rap has been used as a means of drawing in consumers not familiar with it but fascinated with its elements, as well as rap fans seeking to emulate popular artists. Since the mid-1980s, rap has been used to sell everything from clothing to cars, cell phone providers, computers, beverages, food, lint rollers, and dolls.

Last year, I stood under the Maryland moonlight on the evening of a once-every-19-year eclipse in my zodiac. I was 19 years old the last time it had occurred. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I would remain in a complicated relationship with that grown teenager for the next two decades. It would take a full year to develop the gratitude and grace for my former self that would propel me to honor and appreciate the strong and successful woman I have become since then...

Erika Alexander is not only an iconic veteran actress; she’s also an entrepreneur, creator, producer, director and activist who utilizes her work to benefit the well-being of Black women and other marginalized groups.

Using song lyrics against rappers on trial may soon become a thing of the past in New York, as the birthplace of rap music and hip-hop culture could potentially be the first state to protect the First Amendment rights of rappers who often face having their creative licenses disregarded in courtrooms. That’s all if Senate Bill S7527, also known as “Rap Music on Trial,” introduced by Senators Brad Hoylman (D/WFP-Manhattan) and Jamaal Bailey (D-The Bronx), successfully becomes law.

The history of Hawai’i is rarely discussed beyond the understanding that it became the 50th state of the union on Aug. 21, 1959, following 61 years as a territory of the U.S. But even though Statehood Day is a legal holiday in Hawai’i, the way the islands became a part of this country is not a celebrated story.

How writers explore homelessness is essential to effective advocacy

No matter what kind of storyteller you are, all writers are committed to telling effective stories.

This is especially important when it comes to exploring sensitive topics like homelessness and housing insecurity, where the language used can be the difference between an advocacy-based piece and one that further marginalizes an already impacted group of people.

Pop diva Lizzo recently joined The Breakfast Club for a morning chat about new music and even dished on her relationship with comedian Myke Wright, during which she jokingly referred to her social media posts with him as a soft launch.

I was born a Black girl to a light-skinned Black American man and an Afro Puerto Rican woman. My entire being sits at the intersection of Black and Latina. My life oftentimes feels like a competition between multi-marginalization and some sort of privilege I don’t ever feel the benefit of experiencing. I am not a unicorn, but all too often I don’t know who understands me or if I even want to acknowledge the social constructs of my genetic makeup.

In 2014, baby Saul was born prematurely at 28 weeks. He died after 29 days in the NICU. Inspired by the brief life of their son, Kimberly and Aaron Novod created Saul’s Light, an organization that helps NICU families through their experiences.

How one brief conversation immediately shifted my perception of how different a shared lived experience could be.

The Mount Holly Township that I am from is not the same Mount Holly Township that writer and editor Michael Jackson grew up in. Michael and I were having a conversation on homelessness and how communities must come together to rewrite housing rules and build options people can actually afford. During our chat, we realized that we had...

Author and educator Lindsey Stewart had one very central idea when working on her book, The Politics of Black Joy. She wanted to speak out as a Black southerner to let the world know that there, too, is happiness in the Black community and much more on the minds of Black folks than turmoil.