Please Baby Please: A Celebration of Black-Ass Love
Welcome to the 61st installment of This Black-Ass Life. Jumoke and I went on a very romantic date to watch The Photograph and now we want to celebrate all things Black love. Also, we are so excited for Zaya’s reintroduction to the world!
Don’t forget: We've managed to grow this list thanks to y'all forwarding to friends so please keep it up! Forward this link to subscribe to five friends. And send us topics you'd like to see covered, texts from your Black-ass people, and any Black-ass anything from around the world and web.
l. The Facts
Here are a few of our favorite Black Love moments from media:
Remember when Dwayne interrupted Whitley’s wedding on A Different World?
And Monica and Quincy played for heart in Love & Basketball.
When Noah and Wade finally got together on Noah’s Arc.
Watching Lisa walk down the aisle in Coming to America was IT.
Take a stroll down memory lane to Darius and Nina’s first date.
Read this wonderful oral history of Living Single, which was filled with Black love: Synclaire & Overton, Max & Kyle and we guess also Scooter & Khadijah though it took him way too long to notice the prize in front of him.
The Best Man and The Best Man Holiday are both beautiful; look at this performance!
Nate Parker ruined this movie for us, but Beyond the Lights is the best romance movie of the past decade.
My (Mitu’s) heart explodes every time I watch the scene where Kevin cooks for Chiron in Moonlight.
A moment for SELF love, too! Waiting to Exhale is a study in learning to love and stand up for YOU.
A non-exhaustive list of more love stories: Deliver Us From Eva, Two Can Play That Game, House Party (really), Brown Sugar, Boomerang, Mahogany, How Stella Got Her Groove Back (please rewatch for Taye’s accent, y’all), Poetic Justice and Jumoke specifically requested we put in Carmen: A Hip Hopera.
Why does it matter?
Because Black-ass love is the reason we are all here.
What can my Black-Ass do?
Watch all the Black-ass movie/television moments your heart desires.
Love you, love your people, love Black-ass love.
ll. Other Things
Hiiiii Zaya!
In case you haven’t already, meet Zaya, wise beyond her years and a legend-in-the-making.
We’re getting Bring It On flashbacks too, Gab.
You go sir! Sue everybody and get your whole check.
Watch the cast of The Photograph debate Black Love moments.
A case for Brown Sugar.
Here’s Luke James’ love letter to Black women.
Read these radical self love quotes from Black women.
Our Black-Ass song(s) of the week (Mitu):
Thank you Meg Thee Stallion for powering my workouts with B.I.T.C.H. (special shout out to Momma Dee doing it first with “bicth” and In That Order).
Things we are looking forward to / things we are not looking forward to:
I (Jumoke) do not look forward to whatever is happening in this primary.
I (Mitu) look forward to more Black love stories and Issa’s next movie The Lovebirds.
lll. Text from a Black-Ass Mama
My (Jumoke’s) mama bought a new wig and needs feedback.
Stay Black, thrive and show some Black-ass love to yourself! We’ll hit your inbox next on March 2.