Are You "The Baddest" Woman You Know? Let's Talk!
Plus, how being Black with money makes you a target for racists, and me partying like it's 2019!
This weekend I was on Threads "manifesting."
Not for money (although that would be nice!) And not for fame, because who wants that! No, I was manifesting to be connected with brave, bold, dynamic women so I could write profiles about them!
Don't mind me. I'm just manifesting myself writing glamorous, compelling profiles on women who defy reality and refuse to apologize for being themselves!
If you know a woman with a compelling story, an interesting personality, or a wholly unique spirit who's unapologetically herself, I want to talk to her!
If they're over 40, great. If they're women of color, even better. And if they're a little mean, funny, and kind of ruthless, DM me right now!!!
I'm still deciding what to call this story series. I want the name to be as engaging and fun as the women I hope to write about. The Rebel Women? The Sirens? The Baddest? We, the Brave? I don't know. If you have suggestions, drop them in the comments or shoot me an email.
But the criteria to be profiled are simple—be awesome and have a good story to tell. I'm looking for "women who defy reality and refuse to apologize for being themselves." All women can apply, but I do want to prioritize women of color, ages 35 and up!
If this sounds like you, you can nominate yourself or have someone else nominate you by filling out this Google form.
The Plot (Against Black Wealth) Thickens
Did you see this report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research on Black wealth?
It's pretty sobering. And upsetting.
(I)f you're Black, you've watched your median net worth decline by 25 percent since 2022. That's from a paltry $49,100 median net worth in 2022 to an even more depressing number, $36,800 in 2025. And with more than 600,000 Black women and half a million Black men who have lost their jobs since 2025, that number is likely worse.
For comparison, in 2026, the federal poverty line in the United States for a family of four is $33,000 a year. And the median net worth for a lower-middle-class family is $43,760.
So Black households are broke-broke.
This is unsurprising, given our history of being paid less for our labor. (Or not paid at all.) Black Americans have the least wealth out of all racial groups in the United States. And we're the only racial group that has lost money per household, according to newly released Federal Reserve data
But let me take you on a tangent...
As a chubblicious, vibrant, funny Black woman who found success in media and has the opposite of a resting bitch face, I'm always perplexed when racism causes someone to see anything but that.
Sometimes racist rejection is my protection. Like when no one wants to sit next to me on Amtrak, or when I don't get sexually harassed by my (white male) bosses and peers because I'm an asexual Black blob to them.
Like, I'll take that. Thank you for not ruining my day or life.
But sometimes when people do "see" you for what you are, it doesn't inspire the best in those who only want to see the worst in Black people.
A Black, educated, successful person with more than $5 in their pocket is often seen as a threat. Not of the kind who will rob or harm you, but a threat to a belief that white skin color connotes superiority.
If a Black person is more successful, more respected, more liked, better looking, and making more money than a person who harbors racist sentiment, the response is not one of adulation, but one of annihilation. Surely, you must have cheated, because how did you defy all the traps racism set for you?
It can't be that all those traps turned you into the best of the best!
(Some folks never read about Brer Rabbit, and it shows.)
For these people, Black people with money are a glitch in the Matrix that must be destroyed.
Many of the hard-won financial gains our parents and grandparents made since the 1960s are slipping away, just like our civil liberties and voting rights.
And it's happening not because we failed, but because many of us succeeded despite a system meant to break us.
White supremacy abhors any challenge to its dominance, or any evidence that its greatness is pure mythology.
We had to be stopped.
While it does, literally, take a nation of millions to hold us back, even with all that, many of us still find success. So of course, that makes some angry and spiteful. Racists would rather institute cruel policies that hurt everyone just in the hope of getting us.
I don't know what they think will happen if we ascend. The last decent president was a Black man, and under him, we had a strong economy, and all the parties were lit.
But then, his presidency not being a failure was likely the problem all along.
Read the full story, "The Plot Against Black Wealth."
Snob Takes
GIRL, PUT ON YOUR NOSTALGIA GOGGLES: Last week, for my Substack newsletter, I wrote about how I partied like it was 2019 for the past two weeks. Just nothing but galas, luncheons, parties, and other soirees keeping me busy while my face was caked in makeup. Then I started reminiscing about my penultimate Root 100 gala, when we all went to Cafeteria in NYC afterward, and chaos started unfolding all around us. But it was a good chaos, even though I probably didn't see it that way at the time. Pre-pandemic life was so crazy in a good way. (The Snob Parties Like It's 2019)
WHATCHA GONNA DO WHEN THEY COME FOR YOU?: In my first-ever LinkedIn article, I retell the story of when a Fox News anchor came for The Root’s advertisers. It happened when I was editor-in-chief, and I share how I handled it alongside my head of multicultural sales. This story shows how often media leaders make the best crisis comms people because we’ve seen it all. I’ve handled everything from crazy lawsuits to attacks by right-wing hate groups. Fox News was light work. (“Fox News Once Came For Our Advertiser, Here’s How I Handled It”)
THE GOP’S ‘MANIC PANIC’: I wrote a lot for URL Media’s We The Many newsletter last week, chronicling the midterm elections, but my favorite piece of the week was about the panicky moves Republicans are making, trying to bully, brag, and buy their way to votes this midterm. Apartheid Clyde’s massive political spending isn’t a sign of strength for the GOP, especially when all signs point to a massive early-voting surge. But Democrats shouldn’t get too cocky. They’ve seen this all before in 2016 and in 2024, when blue wave predictions fizzled into a blue illusion. To quote a now-ruined phrase: “Stay woke.” No matter what the polls say, make a plan to vote in the midterms. (“Don’t trust the ‘blue wave’ polls. Make your voting plan today”)