alice walker

Spielberg admits to softening the lesbian relationship in Alice Walker's acclaimed novel for his 1985 film adaptation of The Color Purple.

Acting veteran and The View cohost Whoopi Goldberg has been tapped for a multi-episode guest arc on Fox’s wildly LGBT-inclusive Glee. An Oscar winner for Ghost, Goldberg was also nominated for her turn as Celie in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Alice Walker’s beloved novel The Color Purple, in which Celie falls in love with another woman.

Flamboyant, bold and outrageous were Zora Neale Hurston’s writings, as was her life. As the diva of the Harlem Renaissance, Hurston was the most prolific black woman writer of her times and a brilliant chronicler of African American life. The article “In Search of Zora Neale Hurston” written by  Alice Walker and published in Ms. Magazine in 1975 brought  Hurston’s  books back from obscurity. And, consequently,  the novel  Their Eyes Were Watching God was the best selling university press book of the 1980’s, bringing Hurston, in death, the fame and admiration that had eluded her in life.

Black History Month is that time of year when the achievements and courage of people of African descent are acknowledged and celebrated. However, for decades now, Black History Month has not once acknowledged or celebrated the contributions of its lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities. Along with the pantheon of noted black heterosexual leaders who will lauded this month, I want to personally celebrate one of my queer and crossover sheroes, renown writer and poet Alice Walker for giving black women everywhere on the globe a new name we all can embrace - "womanist."

You may not know her name, but you have seen her paintings everywhere from gift bags in Macy’s Department Store to a 2'8"x150 foot tile mural for Ontario International Airport. Synthia Saint James is an internationally known artist whose illustrations are on over 60 book covers including the literary works of African American women authors like Alice Walker, Terry McMillan, Iyanla Vanzant and Julia Boyd. With her paintings running in the thousands of dollars Saint James most noted work costs no more than 37 cents when the United States Postal Service commissioned her to create the first Kwanzaa Stamp in 1997.

Grab your popcorn and Swedish Fish. It's time to hit the theater or the couch and catch up on these movies!

Gabrielle Christina Victoria "Gabby" Douglas is one of this year's Olympic darlings. As a member of the U.S. Women's Gymnastics team, Gabby is the first African American gymnast and woman of color, in Olympic history, to win gold medals in the individual all-around and team competitions at the same Olympics.

The military was out of line with its new restrictions on hair, and this history of oppression goes way back.

Outfest here I come!

You're about to have some new favorite quotes.