The Radical Vision of Toni Morrison
“For decades Morrison has reflected back to us what it’s meant to be on the other side of this country’s approved history. When young white men again sing songs about lynching black men without being able recall who taught them those songs, and the hateful origins of the N-word are erased by a convenient amnesia to allow its constant use by outsiders, who will tell the stories we don’t tell ourselves?”
Henry Taylor’s Wild Heart Can’t Be Broken
Essayist Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah profiles the figurative painter Henry Taylor.
A Most American Terrorist: The Making of Dylann Roof
Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah’s harrowing feature explores not only the background of Dylann Roof, who murdered nine parishioners of Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church in 2015, but also the racial and social identities that still prevail throughout the South.
Her Eyes Were Watching The Stars: How Missy Elliot Became an Icon
Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah profiles multi-platinum, Grammy-award winning recording artist and producer Missy Elliot for Elle, placing the innovative performer squarely at the center of a tradition of creators who have changed how we listen to music.
The Weight of James Arthur Baldwin
Ghansah visits the house of the revered writer and social critic in France and examines his legacy.
A River Runs Through It
A history of Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios, which became a safe haven for artists during a time when record companies operated with an “ironfisted grip,” and went on to mentor artists like Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Mos Def and Talib Kweli, Santigold and Bilal.
