PODCAST: The Politics of Black Girl Magic #CONFESSIONSESSION

The hashtag #BlackGirlMagic has created a culture, both on and off social media, of a continuous celebration of black women being amazing and doing amazing things. This includes creating culture shifting content to inserting their intellectual prowess in every possible sphere.

A DC native, CaShawan Thompson, is credited to creating the hashtag in 2013, with the goal of celebrating celebrities, change makers, and your everyday woman.

Despite the Thompson's intentions for inclusivity with the term, there may be adverse effects embedded in the culture of Black Girl Magic. These politics of the Black Girl Magic showed up in a recent panel discussion facilitated by Kiah Chism at a high school in Lansing, MI.

In room of about 20 black and brown girls, myself and 3 other panelists, one question bubbled to the surface mostly along the lines of "Who does this (Black Girl Magic) apply to and why?"

The responses from both the teens and the four panelist all expressed similar sentiments of having tension surrounding the movement, specifically personal experiences that questioned who gets crowned, celebrated and deemed worthy of a title.

Listen to our confession session about the politics of the Black Girl Magic movement and how it's truly connected to the esteem of women and girls.