Category Archive: Lifestyle

Mari Malek: Modeling, Motherhood & Making a Difference

Modeling is an industry that often reflects the epitome of Western ideals; the “traditional” supermodels are often white, skinny, not disabled, and cisgender. Even if models outside of the traditional scope are used (every now and then), problems such as colorism, ableism, fatphobia persist. However, as time goes on, new faces emerge on the modeling scene, like Mari Malek Mbaye.

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The Wayans’ Laughing Empire

The 10-member Wayans family have show business in their blood. While many aspiring actors and comedians find it difficult to break into the industry, the Wayans have made a family empire from their talent.

This family has come a long way since their days living in the Robert Fulton Houses projects in Manhattan, New York. It was never easy for parents Howell and Elvira Wayans to raise such a large family on a small income. Instead of pushing their dreams to the side for more “practical” pursuits, the Wayans children turned the bittersweet memories of their childhood into comedic gold. Now, the Wayans family has a combined domestic box office growth of over $1 billion.

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Emily Lazar: Mixing It Up

In a traditionally male-run industry, Emily Lazar officially made her mark at the 2017 Grammy awards. The mastering engineer was the first female to ever win a Grammy award for the “Best Engineered Album.” She received the award in the Non-Classical genre for Beck’s album Colors. 

Lazar joined the Grammy stage with the other Colors engineers (all male) and excitedly stated this thrilling milestone. Even her colleagues were shocked that this was the first time a woman had won in this category.

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Jasmine Crowe: Community Hero

Since her college years at North Carolina Central University where community service was emphasized to the students, Jasmine Crowe has been serving her community by helping those who need it most: the homeless. She started feeding homeless people out of her apartment in Atlanta in 2013. Crowe named her mission “Sunday Soul,” which later turned into a non-profit company called Goodr that repurposes surplus food from other companies to feed those who are in need.

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Steve Chen: The First YouTube Sensation

Do you remember what the internet was like in the early 2000s? Social media hadn’t taken off yet, not everyone had computers in their house. Having to go to the library to type your papers, and there was a time limit for how long you could be on it. Back then, chat room usage was almost forbidden for many of us, I know my mother wasn’t having it. Over the next few years, home computers would become close to a necessity. Even if it meant just having a laptop, there was no getting around not having a computer in the house for various reasons. It sounds prehistoric now, but we lived through the boom in the internet era. One company that’s greatly responsible for technological advances is YouTube. 

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