Black Snob Is, Black Snob Ain't

Well, that flew by!

It's been a month since I returned to where I originally started—THE BLACK SNOB—and after experimenting with different kinds of content, various concepts and ideas, and figuring out what works and what doesn't, I'm starting to settle on what I want THE BLACK SNOB 2.0 to be.

And it's going to be a reflection of the woman I am today, as opposed to twenty years ago.

Older. Wiser. Snobbier.

THE BLACK SNOB will be a funny and frank journal that touches on mental health and wellness, food and fashion, the intersection of politics, media, and culture, alongside what it means to be a Black woman today, informed by the woman I used to be.

Of Pride and Privilege

When I first started this blog in November 2007, I was 30-years-old. I was fresh off walking away from a soul-crushing gig with a well-meaning company where I primarily did opposition research around charter schools. I'm pretty sure AI could do this job in two seconds today since it mostly consisted of scouring online education forums and chat rooms. But I lasted all of three months because the role was so misaligned with what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be.

So, I quit without a plan (not the first time I've done this!) and started a blog.

I told myself after college that I would not, and could not, do work I found unethical. But this came from a place of privilege, as most people don't get to be this picky about how they pay their bills. I was fortunate. I had a family willing to support me and my morals. Meaning, I could always move back home, and they would sometimes help me with rent when I was out of work. (Which, in media, happens a lot. I've been laid off multiple times or had jobs simply disappear.)

But I acknowledge that for most people, especially Black people, it's not that simple.

Hell, it wasn't even that simple for me.

I've written and spoken a bit about how the Cold War underwrote my entire life, as my father worked in the aerospace industry for a major defense contractor. Everything from the Barbies I played with to the house we lived in was funded by the military-industrial complex. Since age 10, I've been personally conflicted about it, living in a morally gray area. But from my father's perspective, it was a career—a good, lucrative career—that he earned. And every dollar he made was for a debt this country owed him, because his family had been disenfranchised for generations. Under Jim Crow, his parents and grandparents suffered, working twice as hard for what would amount to pocket change today. Watching this radicalized him to become a one-man reparations machine.

I couldn't do what he did, but to his credit, he didn't expect me to. He chose the life he had to provide for his family and our futures. And he's the reason I'm a journalist and not a failed engineer. Both my parents always supported my dreams, even when they made little to no money, and they always believed in my talents as a creative.

Besides, they raised two responsible, stable adults in my sisters. Having one artsy, writerly child running around the world, literally going from the nut house to cover then-President Obama in White House, was fine.

He only had one request—please make more money.

The Five Promises

I did make good on my father's request for nearly a decade, leading digital-first newsrooms at HuffPost and The Root from 2016 until 2025. At both newsrooms, I supported a kind of fearlessness where I believed access was nice, but the truth was better. I never sacrificed telling the truth for access.

And I won't do that now. In fact, there are a few promises I want to make to you, my readers, about THE BLACK SNOB.

Promise #1: First, do no harm. THE BLACK SNOB will operate ethically and fairly, and I will not write things that could incite harm or violence. I also won't publish mug shots of people who were arrested or use "dead names" for individuals who have transitioned. And I won't use generative AI for images or writing. (I'm too proud to do it anyway. These are artisanal blogs, made the old-fashioned way! Through humiliation and suffering!)

Promise #2: I will always be transparent about relationships, possible biases, errors, and mistakes I make, and I will take accountability, publicly, when I make mistakes because your belief and trust in me matter more than my ego.

Promise #3: I won't promote anything I don't believe in. If I write about a brand or product, it will be one I actually like and use. And if something is an advertisement, I will make it clear that it is one.

Promise #4: I believe criticism and debate can be healthy if it is fair. I'm not going to "crash out" on issues without being thoughtful and deliberate. But I'm not going to hold back either! I'm beholden to you, my readers, and the truth. Nothing else.

Promise #5: I believe there's a way to promote and write about things without resorting to clickbait. So if something has a teasing headline on THE BLACK SNOB, it will pay off. I don't believe in misleading or misdirecting readers, and I will do my best to avoid this.

Lastly, THE BLACK SNOB needs you!

I'm grateful that so many of my readers have returned and have been overwhelmingly positive about my work. Your kind words mean more to me than you could ever know, because let's be real. I left you for more than a decade! That's a long time to wait for an update from ya girl!

But now I need something from you.

I'm getting ready to launch my first video podcast on YouTube—THE BLACK SNOB POD—and my producer and I need your support! (Click here to subscribe to THE BLACK SNOB POD on YouTube)

Right now, my producer, Moses, is developing THE BLACK SNOB POD for free, but I would love to properly compensate him. Like many people who work in media or the TV/film industry, he is currently unemployed.

Any tips or gifts would go directly to him and to the production of this site and podcast. Please consider giving today!

Also, if you like the content, please share it and encourage others to subscribe! At one point, THE BLACK SNOB reached more than a million people a year, and I want folks to know I'm back! So please share, like, and follow me on Threads, TikTok, Instagram, and BlueSky to stay up to date on content, news, and updates!

Lastly, thank you for just being you. I promise I'll keep being me, and we'll all get through this the only way we know how—together!