This is a word, a podcast from Slate. I'm your host, Jason Johnson. The conversation about

pop culture is often dominated by white male critics, and that means that black people,

particularly black women, are relegated to stereotypes. But culture critic Zeba Blay,

since it's time to rewrite the script. We're not saying do not have depictions or representations

of strong black women, but also recognize that strengths and weakness can exist in the same body.

The author of Carefree Black Girls coming up on a word with me, Jason Johnson. Stay with us.

This episode is brought to you by Slac. With Slac, you can bring all your people and tools together

in one place. It's your digital HQ where you can increase productivity, enable flexibility,

and automate workflows. Plus, Slac is full of game-changing features, like huddles for quick check-ins,

or Slac Connect, which helps you connect with partners inside and outside of your company.

Slac, where the future works. Get started at slac.com slash DHQ.

Welcome to a word, a podcast about race, impolitics, and everything else. I'm your host, Jason Johnson.

Black artists shape so much of American popular culture from music to television to filmmaking,

but for too long, the people who write about it have been disproportionately white, male,

and pretty much clueless about race. That means a lot of the cultural discussion about everything

from the rising Cardi B to the legacy of the Cosby Show, the controversy of Dave Chappelle,

has left out important context. Black context. One person who's been working to get it right is

Zeba Blay. She's a culture and film critic who was written for Jezebel, Essence, and The New York Times.

Zeba Blay was one of the first to popularize the hashtag Carefree Black Girls, and that helped

inspire her new book Carefree Black Girls, a celebration of Black women in popular culture.

And Zeba Blay joins us now. Welcome to a word. Thank you for having me, and I'm so delighted to

be talking to you. What was the idea behind Carefree Black Girls? Where did that hashtag come from?

...