Trump-Appointed Judge: IBM Must Prove White Man Wasn’t Fired For Diversity Reasons
The ruling represents yet another turn in the legal landscape after the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling declaring affirmative action unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Hala Jarbou, an appointee of Donald Trump in 2020, ruled on March 26 that IBM will be required to defend itself against a racial discrimination claim from Randall Dill, a white man who claims that the company forced him out to further its efforts to build a more diverse workplace.
According to Reuters, Jarbou ruled that Dill’s claims, if true, require IBM to defend itself from the allegations that the company set specific targets for its racial and gender makeup and also offered financial incentives to Dill’s supervisors.
“Taken as true, Dill’s allegations plausibly support an inference that IBM improperly considers race or gender as a factor in employment-related decisions,” Jarbou wrote in her ruling.
Dill is represented by America First Legal, founded by Stephen Miller, a top advisor to Trump who has promoted white nationalist views.
The firm tends to focus on cases that contain arguments that DEI initiatives discriminate against white people.
Dill alleges that despite positive feedback previously, he was placed on a performance improvement plan. He alleges that the plan was impossible to complete, resulting in his firing in 2023.
He also claimed that IBM had race and sex quotas that guided hiring and promotion bonuses for executives based on those goals, which he argues gave them an incentive to push out white men.
IBM, however, countered Dill’s claims, saying that they do not use hiring quotas of any kind and maintained that Dill’s claims are baseless and exaggerated, noting that he had failed to identify any female or non-white coworkers who received the alleged preferential treatment.
According to Jarbou’s ruling, there is a plausible connection between the alleged incentive plan and Dill’s firing.
“At this stage, Dill has provided enough facts to state viable race and gender discrimination claims against IBM,” Jarbou wrote.
Although Jarbou acknowledged in her ruling that legal precedent sets forth that plaintiffs in employment discrimination litigation must show that they are members of a protected class, that they suffered adverse employment action, that they were qualified for the position, and were replaced by someone outside of the protected class, nonetheless, she ruled that Dill has presented enough facts to go forward with his case.
According to David Glasgow, the executive director of New York University’s Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, “The goal of these organizations (like America First Legal) is to file as many lawsuits as possible, get as many cases pushed through the courts…to try to get the Supreme Court to review it and reach a decision,” Glasgow told The Guardian in 2024. “They realize it’s a 6-3 conservative supermajority Supreme Court right now, but they don’t know how long they are going to have this really friendly conservative court.”
TikTok Ban Delayed Again As Trump Scrambles To Seal Last-Minute Deal
Donald Trump signed a new executive order to "Save TikTok."
TikTok will live to see another day — at least for now. On April 4, President Donald Trump signed a new executive order delaying the ban on the popular social media app for another 75 days. The app was to go dark in the U.S. on April 5.
The app, owned by China-based company ByteDance, is now on its second extension in the year’s first quarter. In 2024, President Biden signed bipartisan legislation to ban TikTok, citing national security concerns. Congress voted overwhelmingly in favor of the measure. Though Trump signed an executive order to “save” the app, many questioned the move’s legality. Like many of the president’s actions at the beginning of his term, some complain he appears to be overstepping the authority of the executive office.
Trump announced his move to pause the ban on Truth Social, saying his administration is still working toward a deal.
“My administration has been working very hard on a deal to SAVE TIKTOK, and we have made tremendous progress,” Trump wrote on April 4. “The deal requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed, which is why I am signing an executive order to keep TikTok up and running for an additional 75 days.”
Trump cited his newly imposed tariffs on China as a key reason for the stalled negotiations for a buyer.
“We hope to continue working in good faith with China, who I understand are not very happy about our reciprocal tariffs — necessary for fair and balanced trade between China and the U.S.A.,” Trump wrote. “This proves that tariffs are the most powerful economic tool, and very important to our national security. We do not want TikTok to go dark. We look forward to working with TikTok and China to close the deal.”
This marks the second time Trump has stepped in to delay the ban. On Jan. 2, just days after returning to office, he signed the first extension to keep TikTok, used by more than 170 million Americans, available to users.
The app is central to ongoing political and economic negotiations between the United States and China. With pressure mounting and deadlines looming, the possibility of a sale has opened the door to some of the biggest names in tech and finance.
The potential sale of TikTok is drawing serious attention from major business players. According to The Hill, several blue-chip private equity firms, venture capital groups, and top tech investors have entered bids for the popular app.
Among the companies reportedly in the mix are Blackstone, Oracle, Amazon — led by Jeff Bezos — and OnlyFans founder Tim Stokely. Interest in acquiring TikTok has surged as uncertainty around its future in the U.S. continues to grow.
Haitian Gang Releases Over 500 Inmates After Storming Prison And Engulfing Police Station
A gang attack in Haiti freed over 500 inmates, set a police station ablaze, and sent the town of Mirebalais into total panic.
Members of the powerful Haitian gang coalition Viv Ansanm stormed a prison in central Haiti on March 31, releasing over 500 inmates and setting fire to a nearby police substation.
The gangs attacked Mirebalais, a rural town near Haiti’s border with the Dominican Republic that has served as a haven for those escaping violence in Port-au-Prince, AP reports. Haiti National Police spokesman Lionel Lazarre confirmed the assault that sent residents fleeing through the streets with belongings balanced on their heads and hospital staff going into hiding.
“They burned part of the police station and several disabled cars in the police station yard,” Lazerre told The Miami Herald. “All of the prisoners left.”
La @pnh_officiel annonce le déploiement d’Unités spécialisées à Mirebalais pour rétablir l’ordre dans la ville suite à l’attaque menée ce lundi 31 mars par les gangs https://t.co/IRgROe05YH PNH précise qu’elle est mobilisée pour donner une réponse proportionnelle aux actions… pic.twitter.com/34i1Nkq6go
Frédérique Occéan, the presidential appointee for the region, attributed the attack to ongoing efforts to curb illegal arms trafficking across the border. He noted that tensions escalated following a March 30 police operation in the border town of Belladère, which resulted in several arrests.
“After those arrests, after the weapons were seized, after the vehicles that were confiscated…the threats grew,” Occéan said. “The guys today went to the prison and broke the prison and freed everyone.”
Occéan said local leaders had been requesting armored vehicles for weeks to bolster security forces in the city.
“Up until now, we have not yet received any armored vehicles,” he said. “ We have a lot of political will to fight, but we need the means to fight.”
Mirebalais is one of several cities in Haiti’s Central Plateau that has become a refuge for people escaping the violence in Port-au-Prince, where over 1 million have been displaced—60,000 in the last month alone. Located near the Haiti-Dominican border, the city sits along a key route for illegal arms trafficking, serving as a pipeline for gangs to obtain high-powered weapons and ammunition.
The attack on the Mirebalais prison echoes last year’s assaults on two of Haiti’s largest facilities—the National Penitentiary in the capital and the nearby Croix-des-Bouquets Civil Prison—where criminal groups stormed the compounds and freed more than 4,000 inmates, including gang members.
Kenan Thompson Thought It Was Just Heartburn—Then Spent Two Years Silently Battling A Hidden Illness
Kenan Thompson reveals he struggled with severe heartburn and did not know if he should seek help.
“Saturday Night Live” star Kenan Thompson is sharing his experience with a health battle that took him by surprise. In an interview with People, the longtime comedian revealed he spent two years suffering from what he thought was simple heartburn, only to be later diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease, better known as GERD.
At first, Thompson wasn’t sure if his symptoms were serious enough to warrant medical attention. Like many, he turned to over-the-counter remedies to manage his pain.
“I was able to take something and patch it up for the moment, but I got to a point where that didn’t work anymore. That’s when it got serious,” Thompson said. “It was a suffering-in-silence situation. I don’t know if I was necessarily embarrassed to talk to a doctor — I just didn’t know if I needed to.”
The 46-year-old began to notice persistent pain after eating certain foods. He tried cutting items from his diet and relied on a steady stream of over-the-counter medications. But the symptoms only worsened, making powering through long days on the SNL set difficult.
“I noticed that I would get hoarse a lot easier when I’m doing the show. Losing my voice quicker, but also uncomfortable sleepless nights because I’m burping up acid, just kind of hiccupping all night,” Thompson told People. “And that can definitely add more stress to an already stressful kind of environment doing a live show like that. So all of those factors, I was like whatever, I’ll get over it. But it just started to pile up.”
GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease, is one of the most common gastrointestinal conditions affecting 20% of Americans, according to the Surgical Clinic. Because heartburn and acid reflux are often seen as routine discomforts, especially as people age, symptoms can easily be brushed off. However, certain triggers can worsen GERD, and some may be hiding in your medicine cabinet.
According to the Mayo Clinic, several medications can aggravate GERD symptoms or make the condition harder to manage. A few of these include:
Antibiotics such as tetracycline and clindamycin
Iron supplements
Quinidine
Pain relievers like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) and aspirin
Potassium supplements
Medications for heart conditions
Narcotics or sedatives such as codeine and hydrocodone
Acetaminophen
Progesterone
If you have GERD or are experiencing frequent reflux, it may be worth reviewing your medications with your doctor. Effectively managing GERD can lead to better sleep, less discomfort, and more energy throughout the day.
Billionaires Lose $208B In Wealth Following Trump’s Tariff Announcement
Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos were among the top American billionaires hit hardest.
The combined wealth of the world’s 500 richest people dropped by $208 billion following President Donald Trump’s announcement of sweeping tariffs targeting dozens of countries.
Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos were among the top American billionaires hit hardest on April 3, with their fortunes falling by an average of 3.3%, Bloomberg reports. The drop marks the fourth-largest single-day decline in the 13-year history of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index—and the most significant since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Zuckerberg took the biggest hit, losing $17.9 billion—or roughly 9% of his net worth—after a 9% drop in Meta’s stock. Bezos wasn’t far behind, shedding $15.9 billion as Amazon shares tumbled 9%, marking its steepest decline since April 2022.
Elon Musk, who has already seen his net worth shrink by $110 billion this year, lost another $11 billion on April 4 as Tesla’s stock continued to slide, driven by weak delivery numbers and mounting controversy over his role leading Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Markets were sent into disarray after Trump announced sweeping global tariffs, heightening fears of a potential trade war and looming recession. The S&P 500 tumbled 4.84% to close at 5,396.52, pushing it back into correction territory and marking its worst single-day drop since June 2020. The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 1,679.39 points, or 3.98%, to finish at 40,545.93—also its steepest decline since June 2020.
Meanwhile, the NASDAQ Composite plunged 5.97% to 16,550.61, suffering its biggest one-day loss since March 2020. The sell-off was widespread, with over 400 S&P 500 companies ending the day in the red.
Some turned a profit, including Mexico’s richest man, Carlos Slim, one of the few billionaires outside the U.S., to avoid the fallout from the tariffs. His fortune rose by roughly 4% to $85.5 billion after Mexico was left off the White House’s list of reciprocal tariff targets. The Middle East was the only region where individuals on Bloomberg’s wealth index managed to post net gains for the day.
Kid Capri Claims Martin Lawrence Used His Voice On ‘Martin’ Without Permission Or Pay
'They took my voice from Def Comedy Jam, sampled it, put it on the Martin show. Never got no permission from me, never asked for my rights-- nothing.'
Kid Capri has an issue with Martin Lawrence for allegedly using his voice on Lawrence’s iconic ’90s sitcom, “Martin,” while not compensating the legendary DJ.
While appearing on a recent episode of the podcast Bag Fuel, featuring Esso World and Hynaken, the former “Def Comedy Jam” deejay expressed his disappointment at Lawrence for not only using his voice without permission but also denying that it is Capri’s actual voice.
Capri stated that a sample of his voice was used for the sitcom’s intro. At the start of every “Def Comedy Jam” episode, Capri’s voice became synonymous with the show for the way he yelled out Lawrence’s first name. The popularity of the voice seemingly was used, as most people who regularly watched the show knew where it stemmed from.
“They took my voice from ‘Def Comedy Jam,’ sampled it, put it on the ‘Martin’ show,” he told the co-hosts. “Never got no permission from me, never asked for my rights–nothing. This show been on eight different networks for 30 years. Now, if it was a money thing for me, I would been like, ‘Yo, where’s my bread?’ I ain’t never did that.”
However, Capri claims it wasn’t about making money from the show, but he became incensed when he discovered that Tisha Campbell, who played Lawrence’s love interest on the sitcom, stated on a television show that the voice wasn’t the Bronx deejay’s. Even Lawrence made the same claim in public.
“First of all, that was the dumbest s-t to say. Everybody know it’s me,” Capri said. “Number two, I got videos of this. Number three, all you had to say was, ‘Yo Kid, we used your s-t, is it, aight? Here’s a bag.’ Or not.”
Check out the video clip below:
As an up-and-coming comedian, Lawrence was the featured host of Russell Simmons‘ “Def Comedy Jam” series, which premiered in 1992. Kid Capri, already a highly sought-after entertainer, was the featured deejay on the fledgling comedy show, which showcased many comics who later became household names in future years, including Bill Bellamy, Bernie Mac, Chris Tucker, Michael Blackson, and Joe Torry, to name a few.
The global superstar is on a winning streak. After releasing her first country album in 2024, the Spaghetti singer made personal and professional history. For the eclectic project, she earned her first Album of the Year Grammy and her first Country Grammy.
Following the album’s success, Beyoncé launched several ventures. Her whiskey brand, Sir Davis, gained praise and won multiple blind taste tests. She also debuted a haircare line, Cécred, featuring a full range of products.
Her devoted fanbase is following her lead. The announcement of the nine-city Cowboy Carter Chitlin’ Circuit tour has inspired Beyoncé’s fans to channel their creativity. As is the tradition, fans are crafting show-stopping looks based on the album’s country-western aesthetic. Many are turning that energy into businesses, designing apparel and accessories for fellow BeyHive members looking to embrace the Cowgirl and Cowboy vibe. For inspiration, get into some Black-owned cowboy core sellers.
Cowboy Carter Customized Sashes
Queen B first wore the now-iconic sash on the cover of her chart-topping Cowboy Carter album, so it’s only fitting that fans follow suit. While not every member of the BeyHive is a DIY enthusiast, many are more than willing to pay to complete the look.
Entrepreneurs on TikTok, including @ninalemsparty and @septchouettes, are stepping in to meet the demand. Both creators are offering custom sashes in a variety of textures and colors—all for $40 or less.
As the Blackbird singer’s Chitlin’ Circuit tour winds through its traditional Southern route, many fans already have easy access to cowboy headdresses and Western wear. However, with Beyoncé bypassing several major markets, plenty of Northerners or “Yankees” fans are expected to fly in for the shows.
For those needing headwear, TikTok creators @fmp and @kinapparel_ have it covered.
Western apparel is a foundational theme of the Cowboy Carter tour, and fans are leaning into the look from head to toe, including boots. As excitement builds, several online retailers and content creators are spotlighting Black-owned cowboy boot companies and Western-style shops.
For those looking to put “boots on the ground” at their local stadium, TikTok creator @diedralatrice1 is sharing shopping tips and brand suggestions. Other creators like @mars.0rbit and @chunkyarmadillo1 are promoting Black-owned Western wear labels, ensuring fans can rep the look while supporting the culture.
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour is set to captivate audiences with its Western-inspired themes.Entrepreneurs are ready to help fans bring their Cowboy Carter vision boards to life. Refer to the official vendors for a complete list of tour dates and locations.
Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation Sets The Standard For Philanthropy
The singer's foundation donated more than $33 million in COVID relief in 2020
Rihanna is known worldwide for her chart-topping music and Fenty business empire, valued at an estimated $1.4 billion. However, the world may soon be buzzing about her philanthropic efforts. Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) is set to raise its profile.
The organization, named after the star’s grandparents, plans to allocate additional funds for climate solutions and women’s entrepreneurship in East Africa, the Caribbean, and the U.S. South.
With a newly revamped team of Black and Brown women, the organization has expanded its reach to support a broader range of causes. Dr. Rosanna Saladin-Subero leads the Women’s Entrepreneurship team, while Amina Doherty heads Programs and Impact. The other components of its five new pillars include Climate Solutions, Arts and Culture, Health Access and Equity, and Future Generations.
The Clara Lionel Foundation’s Executive Director, Jessie Schutt-Aine, discussed the foundation’s future, which she describes as an extension of Rihanna’s personality.
“Our founder is a woman from a small island nation who’s got global reach. She’s an entrepreneur. She’s a mom. She’s a creative,” Schutt-Aine told the Associated Press. “So, we want an organization that reflects that spirit and that energy.”
Rihanna established the organization in 2012 following her grandmother’s passing due to cancer. The singer donated modern radiotherapy equipment to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Bridgetown, Barbados, the facility that cared for her grandmother.
The CLF recently partnered with The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, announcing they will fund “artist-led initiatives.” One of the grantees is Operation Triple Threat, a developmental performance arts program providing free social services to students. The funding allowed Operation Triple Threat to acquire a warehouse outfitted with sound equipment and a dance floor.
Rihanna told the Associated Press that she hopes CLF will continue to be a worldwide leader in philanthropy.
“Today, we have global reach, but that notion of love for community and for our roots runs deep in the DNA of the foundation,” the mogul said.
Kamala Harris Emerges With A Message To Black Women: ‘What Has Not Changed Is Our Sisterhood’
Kamala Harris sends a message to Black women about sisterhood amid uncertain times
Kamala Harris stepped out in support of Black women and spoke to “sisterhood” in what seemed like a glimpse into her political future after losing the 2024 presidential election to Donald Trump.
The former vice president made a surprise appearance at the Leading Women Defined Summit on April 3 in California, where she delivered an impassioned eight-minute speech that urged Black women to utilize their collective power. While Harris emphasized the importance of courage in the current political climate, she continued to reaffirm her central focus on empowering Black women.
“This is a moment in time where we all need to be in rooms like this. No one can take our identity or existence from us — because we won’t let them,” Harris said, according to BET.
“What has not changed is our sisterhood. What has not changed is our understanding of the great shoulders upon which we stand — and the great shoulders we possess.”
Harris also spoke about the state of the country, expressing concern over the rollback of policies she helped put in place and warning against a growing culture of fear under the current administration.
“We are seeing people stay quiet. We are seeing organizations stay quiet. We are seeing capitulation to clearly unconstitutional threats,” she told the crowd. “Fear is contagious… but courage is contagious too.”
The former California senator, who is rumored to be eyeing a 2026 run for governor, playfully called out those who dismissed her 2024 campaign trail warnings — many of which have since come to pass.
“There were many things that we knew would happen, many things,” Harris said. “I’m not here to say, ‘I told you so’……..I swore I wasn’t going to say that.”
“There’s great power in this room. And yes, the world is watching. But more importantly, there are people counting on us — to be kind, to be fierce, and to be together,” she said.
Get A Load Of These Black Women Artists–And Their Artwork
19 Black women visual artists to recognize for International Black Women's History Month
As we enter International Black Women’s History Month, Black art has always been a means of documenting and creating history, putting out powerful stories that depict Black women’s experiences, struggles, and triumphs. BLACK ENTERPRISE has chosen 19 Black women visual artists to honor and recognize their transformative work and re-echo the need for their artistic voices in the broader cultural landscape.
Betye Saar
Betye Saar (b. 1926) is an African American artist who works in assemblage. Saar’s work is dedicated to undoing racial stereotypes and creating new representations of Black identity, spirituality, and feminism. The artist was born in Los Angeles and has worked since the 1960s, making powerful, mixed-media works like “The Liberation of Aunt Jemima (1972),” which takes back racist imagery. Saar uses found objects to relate forgotten stories and to deal with social themes. A key member of the Black Arts Movement and a presence in contemporary art, her artwork has been exhibited in institutions like MoMA.
Faith Ringgold is an African American artist, author, and activist who worked on narrative quilts, paintings, and children’s books about race, gender, and social justice. A Harlem-born artist, Ringgold started making art in the 1960s and was actively involved in the civil rights and feminist movements. Her story quilts, including “Tar Beach (1988),” show how fabric can be used in storytelling. Ringgold’s books celebrate Black culture. Ringgold’s work has been exhibited in major institutions like the Guggenheim and Smithsonian.
Born in Philadelphia and based in Paris for most of her life, African American artist, sculptor, and writer Barbara Chase-Riboud sold her first piece, “Reba,” to the MoMA in 1955. Chase-Riboud is best known for her bronze and fiber sculptures, especially her Malcolm X series. From history, identity, and power, her work strikes a chord. As a celebrated author, Chase-Riboud is best known for “Sally Hemings (1977),” a fictionalized account of the life of the enslaved girl who bore children for Thomas Jefferson.
Howardena Pindell is an African American artist who works in mixed media, and her pieces are always political in some way, dealing with race, feminism, and social justice. Employing means as diverse as hole-punched paper, glitter, and fabric, Pindell makes abstract paintings that raise particular political points. Her 1980 video, “Free, White and 21,” targets racism and sexism. A Philadelphia native, she attended Boston University and Yale and eventually served as a curator at MoMA in New York. Her work has been shown internationally, contributing new perspectives to the field and giving a voice to the marginalized.
A central figure of the Harlem Renaissance was Augusta Savage (1892-1962), an African American sculptor. “The Harp” was inspired by “Lift Every Voice and Sing” but was later destroyed after its exhibition. Savage trained artists like Jacob Lawrence at the Savage Studio of Arts and Crafts she set up in Harlem, making the artist the first person to open a gallery for African American art. Savage was born in Florida but worked primarily in New York, using her stature to fight racism and champion Black artists. Her legacy lives on in her art.
Kara Walker uses black cut-paper silhouettes and installations to explore race, gender, and power. She was born in Stockton, California, and started to get recognition in the 1990s. Her work includes pieces like “A Subtlety,” a sphinx sculpture made of sugar that addresses slavery and oppression in America. Walker’s art, which has been shown in big institutions like MoMA and the Tate Modern, tells uncomfortable truths about the brutality and contradictions of race and power in the U.S.
Lorna Simpson (born 1960) is a Brooklyn-based artist who works in photography, video, and other forms of installation to address issues of race, gender, and identity. Coming up in the 1980s, she combined photographs of black women with text to challenge stereotypes. Her work, which has been shown at MoMA, the Whitney, and Tate Modern, has moved into painting and film. Simpson uses mixed media and fractured narratives to discuss identity and representation.
Simone Leigh’s art consists mainly of sculptures and installations. Her works always concern Black women, their history, and their experience and strength. She is from Chicago and based in New York. Leigh uses ceramics and bronze and has already been recognized internationally. She represented the USA at the 2022 Venice Biennale and won the Golden Lion. Leigh’s practice consists of reclaiming traditional craft practices.
Mickalene Thomas was born in New Jersey and is a contemporary artist who paints, collages, and photographs of Black women, beauty, and identity in vibrant rhinestone-adorned works. Thomas is based in Brooklyn and has been active since the early 2000s, with work exhibited at MoMA, the Whitney, and the Smithsonian, among others. Thomas reimagines Black femininity through the lens of 1970s aesthetics, classical painting, and personal history, challenging beauty standards and societal narratives. Thomas created the first individual portrait of first lady Michelle Obama in 2008. Her art reflects power, sexuality, and representation in the representation of Black women in art and culture.
LaToya Ruby Frazier is a photographer and visual artist who focuses on racial and economic inequality. In her photography, video, and performance, she documents environmental racism and healthcare disparities in working-class Black communities. Her well-known work, “The Notion of Family,” shows the challenges of her hometown and her own family. Frazier’s artwork has graced the spaces of institutions like MoMA and the Whitney Museum.
Nina Chanel Abney’s paintings are bold and graphic. The artist paints themes on race, politics, gender, and pop culture. She makes large-scale, bright-colored paintings with collage, flattened figuration, and abstraction. When consuming Abney’s work, viewers are forced to engage with issues of racial injustice and media influence. She has shown at the Whitney Museum and the Brooklyn Museum.
Tschabalala Self is a Harlem-born artist. Her work is marked by the vibrant, mixed-media pieces she paints and the Black femininity she celebrates and disrupts. A relatively new artist from the 2010s, Self has exhibited in major institutions like the Studio Museum in Harlem. Self paints Black womanhood as multifaceted and complex.
Julie Mehretu is an Ethiopian-American painter. She was born in Addis Ababa and raised in the U.S. Her large-scale abstract paintings are layered with architectural elements, maps, and expressive marks. Her work addresses themes of history and power, and she uses dynamic compositions to think through questions of globalization and social movements.
Njideka Akunyili Crosby is a Nigerian-born artist based in Los Angeles. She is known for her painting techniques that combine Nigerian and Western aesthetics. She creates intimate, domestic scenes filled with themes of identity, migration, and cultural blending. Crosby was brought up in Nigeria and has studied in the U.S. and has made her appearance in museums such as the Whitney Museum and Tate Modern. Her work is a testimony to the challenge of African stereotypes, the immigrant experience, globalization, memory, and cultural exchange.
Jordan Casteel is best known for her large-scale portraits of everyday Black life. Born in Denver and based in New York City, she paints street vendors, family members, and community members with rich color and expressive brushwork. Active since the early 2010s, her work has been exhibited at museums like the MoMA, the New Museum, and the Met. Casteel’s work is about Black identity and the connection between people.
Brittney Leeanne Williams is an artist from Pasadena, California, best known for painting women contorting. Williams is more than just a painter; she uses her art to tell stories about Black womanhood, trauma, love, and resilience by using the body as an emotional and physical landscape. Major galleries across the U.S. and internationally have displayed her work.
Deborah Roberts is a collagist. Her art features mixed-media collages concerned with race, identity, beauty, and Black youth. Roberts’ work interrogates beauty standards and the pressures on Black bodies, using Black children’s images combined with abstraction. From Austin, Texas, Roberts is recognized for her surreal collage practice, and her art is in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Jennifer Packer paints about love, loss, and vulnerability. She combines the traditional techniques of painting people’s portraits and using abstract forms and shapes while painting people’s close moments with their families and friends. She is famous for using color and texture to create emotional pieces. Packer’s art centers the Black body.
Jadé Fadojutimi is a British-Nigerian artist, who paints large-scale, colourful abstract art. Her work addresses identity, emotion, and the complexities of self. Her paintings are a blend of Western and African influences. Fadojutimi’s art touches on personal histories and global influence.
