Black Dance Magazine Content Focus: How to handle when dancers (any age) transition and become ancestors

by Norma Porter

As I work with the community to shape the content direction of Black Dance Magazine, I am taking back to my newspaper days in 2001-2011. I found myself “pigeonhole” in Black Media, and perpetually broke. It didn’t matter how many mixers I tried to attend at the National Press Club or the Washington Association of Blacks in Journalism events I went to. It felt like I’d be working for a small, weekly African American newspaper forever.

Of course I always try to “See the good in all things” as my throw pillow from Target stares back at me as I write this, and I imagine it saying “Message”.I learned a great deal sitting in the first of many editorial meeting at the small, Black-owned weekly I worked for: The Washington Informer.

The Informer’s mission was to publish positive news as well as timely, DC news in a weekly format.

As I work to define our content focus, I must admit I’ve been slow to publish death announcements, “controversial” op-eds  and/or stories that unpack the experience that keep Black folks [and Black Dancers] in perpetual bondage. Yes, we all know the “what happens in this house, stays in this house”.

I want to help break that generational curse of pushing things under the rug, in the closet and/or just ignoring the elephant in the room, so buckle your seatbelts because it may be a bumpy ride.

I look forward to any responses to this Op-ed: blackdancemag@gmail.com.