Janell Hobson

More Than A Magazine, A Movement

More Than A Magazine, A Movement

Patrisse Cullors’ art show in Los Angeles, “Between the Warp and Weft: Weaving Shields of Strength and Spirituality,” is dedicated to Black women.

Kamala Harris and the Legacy of Black Women’s Leadership: The Ms Q&A With Black Feminist Scholar Carole Boyce Davies on Harris as President

Beyoncé’s “Freedom” is the theme song for Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. Pop culture got us ready for a Black woman leader.

In Wicked, there are many parallels to our own universe: the rise of fascism in Oz; the vilification of a powerful woman (whose laugh some incidentally described as a “cackle”) concerned about the well-being of the most marginalized among us; a media enabling propaganda to villainize said powerful woman and prop up an empty shell of a man specializing in elaborate cons; and the failure of solidarity between women. Part 1 ends with Elphaba’s ostracism from Oz, but the cinematic pan of her ascension in the sky looks less like tragedy and more like triumph. In times that require moral clarity, a perpetual outsider coming to self-actualization, freed from systems of power because she’s found her own, highlights that we have to look to different skies and different lenses to find a new kind of heroism.

The year 2024 had promised an era of women rising to the top. This was spectacularly highlighted by the historic presidential run of Vice President Kamala Harris, who had mounted an unprecedented campaign in just over 100 days. Sadly, Harris fell short of the necessary votes. 2024 nonetheless demonstrated that women still hold powerful sway across our popular culture, even as they struggle for the highest political position. We continue to hold onto hope for a feminist future with more opportunities for gender and racial breakthroughs, which are still possible because they have been imagined and envisioned in our pop culture. Here are our picks for the year’s top 10 feminist moments.

An American Requiem: Beyoncé’s Country Statement About Black Women, Black History and U.S. History at the Grammy Awards

Patriotic Ironies in Pop Culture: 'The Six Triple Eight,' Kendrick Lamar and Beyoncé Challenge the American Myth

The Oscars reward women—especially Black women—who package their pain into performances of vulnerability, including Anora and The Substance.