The SistaGurl Blog

Me. With Cool Kid. Hebru Brantley #flex  The other day I was watching The TERRELL Show on YouTube. Amber Riley was singing a cover of Jazmine Sullivan's song "Masterpiece". I was transported into a ponderance of what has typically been deemed a masterpiece. Nine times out of ten it's going to be something European, and will undoubtedly not represent people of color in any way that we find "majestic".  While the world has progressed, some communities haven't progressed as fast as we would like. The art community is one of them.  Thankfully, over the years, I've been blessed to have met and interviewed several talented visual artists; from photographers, sculptors, and painters. So I'd like to help you out and ensure that if you're deciding to treat yourself to some art check out these dope individuals first!  Let's get shopping shall we?  1. Jeff Beckham - Art by Jeff Beckham. If you follow me on social media, you know I've interviewe

By Laura Miller Most publications run a holiday gift guide, I love them, we all do. But rarely is there a gift guide for your MVP. You. What are you getting yourself this holiday season?  Have you ever considered how completely insane it is for us to spend thousands of dollars every season without a few personal treats?  Don't be the moms in the SNL skit, stuck with a pandora charm, while everyone else is getting ALL THE GOOD STUFF. Let's make sure, that we're ending the year, caring about ourselves, and enjoying a bit of retail therapy. Each post for the next few days will be featuring brands I've partnered with this year or brands I love. I would never steer you, wrong ladies and gentlemen, these brands are the truth! Make sure you subscribe to get these posts to your email box!  PS. If you missed the first one on Body Shapers, here it is !

By Laura Miller The body shaper industry annually grosses approximately  1.9 Billion Dollars in 2020. It’s clear that we are purchasing them, but what is not clear is if we forget to put them on for Instagram posts? I have seen many of photos on Zuckerberg's internet, that just leave me baffled, on both the male and female side, where I'm left with asking the question, if humans forget that latex, spandex, and polyester blends, flatter NO ONE. Y’all…shapewear is vital for any sized human. There are some dresses that absolutely need to be smoothed out.  As passionate as Monique is about those bonnets, I am right there on these bodyshapers.  Confidence is wonderful, but how you wear what you wear determines how you are perceived publicly. Nobody wants to be accused of being pregnant when they're not, no one wants to feel cute at an event, and then see the tagged photos on social media and be like "whaaaaa"??? Wear whatever dress, wear whatever high waist pants you

By Laura Miller There is more than one way to tell a story.  As parents, educators, and mentors, it’s my belief that we owe them a certain level of the audacity of courage. There are several conversations while parenting that we never want to have. Namely, because there is hurt that we would never want them to receive. One of those incredibly uncomfortable conversations is related to body safety and sexual abuse.  Let’s be honest as much as we can about this subject. No adult wants their family to pass down this type of trauma. No parent who is a survivor of abuse wants to even consider that the world is still plagued by sexual abuse, human trafficking, or undue bodily harm to the next generation.  Unfortunately, studies are showing that this curse of intended pain has not unwaivered in affecting our children.  When we asked the Chicago native, and “ Body Safety for Children: No Secrets” author, Israeio Holloway, why she felt it was important to ask such an important question, here’s w

For men and women of the diaspora,  we know how charmed and protected our lives have been if we were gifted with a praying mother and a praying grandmother. But few ask the question, how do we pray?  How does one cope when our circumstances seem too insurmountable to handle on our own? When the bills are piling up, and our anxieties are high, and no one seems to answer the phone?  According to Ora Holloway, you must pray. Holloway, who is an ordained preacher, teacher, evangelist, author, psalmist, and prophetic intercessor, has experienced immeasurable loss, and prayed through every moment of it.  Prayer is especially paramount for those struggling with fertility and the loss of a child. Trying to conceive can be an impossible burden. Holloway gives us a look inside her years-long struggle with miscarriages and stillbirths, her thoughts of doubt,  and how normal it was to question GOD’s favor. While being faithful enough to keep trying and praying through it. She has lived a life wher

By Capt SistaGurl  On the very worst days of our lives, we tend to revert to the lower versions of ourselves. “This is happening to me because I must’ve done something to deserve this. “ I’m being mistreated because I forgot to xyz. “ Fun fact: every action does have an equal reaction. However, all wrongdoing doesn’t necessarily stem from your poor deeds. It can often occur based on your poor mindset.  Picture me saying this loud and reverently like Eric Thomas. Bad things happen to good people all the time, it’s not about what happened to you, it’s about YOUR behavior afterwards. (Y’all can hear him right?)  Let’s proceed still in that voice, you get to choose how and if you will survive something.  You are granted the right to look at yourself in the mirror and say, man this sucks but I GOT ME, and I got this. I can and will overcome this.  Back to my voice, you can also say nothing to yourself in that mirror, forgo it and showers, and wallow. I want to be clear every now and again a

Throwback - Pre-pandemic and pandemic weight gain😩 Jimmy Kimmel did a segment on June 1st poking fun of the many reporters and news anchors who said verbatim, “I can’t believe it’s June already.” But the statement is true, some of us are having a hard time believing that we are already six months into 2021.  It was around this time last year when Dr. Fauci painfully stated that it could be over a year before the world would be back to normal. I remember hearing him saying this and thinking, “I cannot spend another year like this!”  Here we are, at the apex of the US. being completely re-open, nearly half of Americans fully vaccinated, and things like the Chicago Auto Show and Lollapalooza back in business.  My grandma used to say, “Time sholl does bring about a change.” I never  knew what she meant until now. Time does bring change. And over the past 18 months, we’ve all seen our fair share.  Today, I went to the mall. For the first time since January 2020, and the change that politic

A Snack Sized Resource Guide for Black-Owned Businesses By Nikia Webster Black-owned businesses undoubtedly face several challenges. To help combat the stressors associated with entrepreneurship and systematic oppression we’ve compiled a list of resources targeted towards promotion, financial support, and more.  The turn of a new decade has produced a number of unprecedented surprises. From the passing of NBA legend Kobe Bryant to the introduction of a global pandemic encompassed with immense civil unrest, and who could ever forget Tiger King?  Amid the various twists and turns the tale of Black business ownership is one of the exponential highs and unmatched lows curated by ongoing societal barricades. COVID-19 has adversely impacted businesses across the country, but the economic fallout has disproportionately devastated Black-owned businesses to a staggering degree.  In a recent study led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce , Black entrepreneurs were deemed 3 times more likely to be u

By Capt SistaGurl Laura Miller DMX has always been a friend to the youth, specifically young black men growing up in the age of Hip Hop who needed someone to help explain the daily pain that they were experiencing. They had X in his edgy brilliance. He didn't walk around pretending to be someone he wasn't. He was someone who we’ve watched soar to the highest of heights and fall just as fast and hard.  Before DMX I don't think there was any rapper who had explained the pains of feeling abandoned better. He resonated with a generation of black males who were born in the '80s, '90s , and 00's UNLOVED. Our community often grazes over young black men in this way. Supported by no one but themselves. He touched them, and he also touched the women and men who understood this type of pain. His lyrics were true to who he was and who he would always be. A real ass dude trying to figure it out. Trying to understand the pressures of his celebrity. Navigating through The agon

By Rapmusiq  This past weekend was a Fkboi holiday. Derrick Jaxn, emperor of telling ladies to value themselves and leave the Fkboi collective was caught cheating on his wife. The celebration was rife throughout social media. Memes and posts ensued from men and women alike who orgasmed off the shire hypocrisy of it all. The thing about Derrick Jaxn is that he did much more than encourage women to value themselves and not settle for less than they deserve in a relationship. He demonized black men in a way that felt deep and personal. He didn’t provide the space for nuisance, context, or the fact that life is messy and sometimes people (including and especially black men) are allowed to make mistakes and have second chances. He provided an extremely narrow and nearly impossible view of what it took to be a “good” black man worthy of YOU, a Black queen. It is for this reason, that so many were turned off by what we now know is his false internet persona. Nevertheless, the celebration of h