11 Things We Must Protect in 2017

Black Girl Magic

There is a phenomenon that pops up frequently on the internet but exists all around us, infinitely, even when we are not paying attention (which is most of the time because we’re monsters but MORE ON THAT LATER) called “Black Girl Magic.” Black Girl Magic is essentially exactly what it sounds like. It’s an all-encompassing term that immediately and viscerally reminds us of the permeating magic that emanates from black girls whenever they create. It’s also, like black lives matter, a necessary statement to make and a vital phrase to scream about in today’s tumultuous and undeniably bigoted culture, despite the way gross trolls try to paint it as “reverse racism,” which is also nothing.

The best part of Black Girl Magic, at least online, is that it’s utterly unavoidable, and if you try to avoid it, you will be called out. And we need to be called out. Especially now, the frequent checking of privilege must become as second-nature as brushing our teeth. We wake up, we think about what we can do with whatever amount of privilege we have, we ruminate and get to work on promoting and practicing inclusivity, and then we hop into the shower. Black Girl Magic is power. It is strength. It is art, culture, intelligence, ferocity, grace. It’s what we get to witness when we listen to everyone with a voice, and it’s what should be at the forefront of the revolution. And it’s what we’ll get to bask in if we do 2017 right.