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Black Girl Magic
The hashtag Black Girl Magic was created by CaShawn Thompson in June of 2013, Black Girl Magic celebrates the beauty, power and resilience of black women. According to Thompson “Black Girl Magic is a term used to illustrate the universal awesomeness of black women. It’s about celebrating anything we deem particularly dope, inspiring, or mind-blowing about ourselves ”. Black Girl Magic urges women of color to embrace their Afrocentric heritage, features, and everything that comes with it. In February of 2016 Essence magazine released an article that celebrated the beauty of black women and encouraged black women to broadcast their talents. Black Girl Magic is a form of celebrating the strengths that have contributed to the survival of black women. Black Girl Magic is the foundation of sisterhood, a way of acknowledgment and appreciation. Essence magazine now has created a section that is dedicated to Black Girl Magic, the section is intended to promote the evolution of race, the creation of history and spark change. On February 15, 2016, Essence launched "Essence Black Girl Magic", presented by Walmart. This original six-part docuseries captures the poignant stories and diverse lifestyles of six young that epitomize Black excellence. Black Girl Magic has become the representation of accomplishments, it is a term that women of color everywhere have adopted to describe their indescribable characteristics. The hashtag Black Girl Magic has been used more than hundreds of thousands of times on Twitter and Instagram. The social media site Twitter has enabled the hashtag to go viral and was ultimately the main source for its ongoing success. Black Girl Magic has started as a hashtag, then became a slogan and a brand and is now embraced as a form of resisting Eurocentric ideologies in the 21st century. The hashtag has become a verb and another form of reshaping stereotypes and resisting oppression, it screams liberation, acceptance and independence. As emphasized by CaShawn Thompson “Black Girl Magic is who we are, this is how special and diverse we are and we are defining who we are ourselves”. Black Girl Magic has put a stamp and spotlight to the efforts of black women all over the world.On June 26, 2016 actor and activist Jesse Williams held an inspiring and courageous speech at the BET Awards 2016, in his speech Williams showed his appreciation for black women, by emphasizing the importance of acknowledging their accomplishments. Williams ended his speech by stating the following "just because we're magic, does not mean we're not real ". William's objective was to make the audience as well as viewers understand that Black Girl Magic is not just a hashtag but it is a slogan that is connected to deeply rooted pain and unspoken historical events of oppression, discrimination and dehumanization.

Celebrities and Black Girl Magic
Black Girl Magic is about the empowerment of women; it inspires the woman of color to take a stand for what she believes in and to show the world that no amount of oppression and discrimination has the ability to stop a determined woman. Black Girl Magic is therefore a remarkable and potentially radical, progressive or emancipatory feminist praxis. Superstar and Self-proclaimed feminist Beyoncé supports Black Girl Magic and it is reflected in her lyrics and music videos. Beyoncé’s hit single formation is a song intended to uplift the black woman. According to the article “Black Feminism in America” by Charlotte Theys, “Beyoncé opposes the general misconception of American patriarchy and tries to reconstruct the stereotypical image of the black woman" . Formation promotes the emancipation of African American women. On October 30, 2016 Beyoncé’s sister and musician Solange Knowles and public scholar Melissa Harris-Perry took the stage at CEMEX Auditorium for an intimate conversation about the Black Girl Magic, in the discussion Knowles and Harris-Perry touched on the merits of formal education, issues of geopolitical racism, family dynamics and more, all in the context of race and what it means to be an African American woman. Solange, who pushes the agenda of black excellence and has been very vocal about the issues of intersectionality in America, shared her thoughts on Black Girl Magic with Harris. As mentioned by Knowles, “we are told everyday what’s for us and not for us. But I’m very clear on what we’ve built, and we built this, Black Girl Magic is ours and this is who we are ”. On June 6, 2016, talk show host and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey and first lady Michelle Obama came together for a conversation at the United State of women summit to discuss issues pertaining women. In the discussion Winfrey argued that “the root of every dysfunction has been a lacking of self-value or self-worth ". We live in a world where we are constantly being bombarded by images that force us to be liked but Black Girl Magic works against these ideologies and reminds the woman of color that it is certainly okay to be different. First lady Michelle Obama states the following, “as women of color, we have to get to know ourselves. For women of color there is a limited box in which we are put in and we have to learn how to crawl out of this box and find out who we are ”. In the article Black Feminist Thought by Particia Hill Collins, Hill emphasizes “the black woman’s participation in crafting a constantly changing African-American culture fostered distinctively black and women centered worldviews. Their ideas and actions suggest that not only does a self-defined, group derived Black women’s standpoint exist, but that its presence has been essential to U.S. black women’s survival ". Beyonce, Solange, Melissa Harris-Perry, Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama and other public figures believe that Black Girl Magic is creating a historical moment for African American women. Black women appear to have a new found voice and this voice is echoing all over social media, radio stations, award shows and multiple music videos.

Media Controversy
For Black History month, women's magazine Essence published a special edition highlighting "Black Girl Magic, actresses Teyonah Parris and Yara Shahidi, and Black Lives Matter movement leader Johnetta Netta were featured in the edition. Although the edition has received a lot of positive feedback, it was also accompanied by a lot of backlash from various media outlets. According to BBC Trending, Elle magazine ran an article by Linda Chavers entitled, "here's my problem with Black Girl Magic. Black girls aren't magical, we are human ”. Chavers argued that the phrase holds black women to unfeasibly high standards, celebrating them when they achieve it, but criticising them when they do not. Jenn M. Jackson, managing editor of the Black Youth Project also voiced her opinion about the movement by stating the following, "I think CaShawn Thompson's point would be valid if the term came from outside the black community, but if it comes from within the community, we are setting that standard ourselves. We are choosing to see something magical in black womanhood, and we are not comparing it to anything else” . People of European descent felt that the hashtag was offensive and created a White Girl Magic hashtag, the objective was to demonstrate that women in general possess magical strengths, abilities, and attributes.

Resisting Stereotypes
Negative stereotypes of African American women exist until today. In the article “The eye of the beholder: Contemporary European Images of Black Women” by Barabara Bush, Bush emphasizes “the pure African woman does not fit the Graeco-Roman ideal of beauty, the European concept of feminine beauty are bound up with notions of purity, delicacy, modesty and physical frailty. The black woman is often times viewed as physically string, exuding a warm animal sensuality, an inferior subspecies of the female sex ”. This is the exact reason why Black Girl Magic has been created, to celebrate the heroism and accomplishments of women that has often times gone unnoticed throughout history and onward. New York Times released an article with the headline “Obama says African-American Museum will tell of suffering and delight”, according to president Obama “the museum would document the stories of Americans who are often overlooked in history books ”. In the article, president Obama refers to African Americans as “America”, as stated by the president “we are not a burden on America or a stain on America or an object of pity or charity for America, we are America ”. African American women have contributed to the social and economic growth of the United States, they have helped built one of the greatest nations in the world and although they were constantly mistreated and have become victims of prejudice they have found a way to overcome those obstacles. The emancipation of African American women in the Americas is something that is often times overlooked and rarely discussed or celebrated. Black Girl Magic challenges these biases by showcasing African American women who have and are still fighting against negative stereotypes. Race for the oppressed has also come to mean an identity of survival, victimization and opposition to those racial groups or elites which exercise power and privilege. The rise of social media was accompanied by other forms of resistance, black women are now able to take measures into their own hands and redefine what it means to be an African American woman in America.

Education
According to the article posted by the daily Reveille on November 2016, English Professor Fahima Ife is planning on creating a university course that focuses on Black Girl Magic. Fahima states the following, “sometimes when we are in a moment, we do not even realize how powerful it is. But there has never ever been a movement that centers on black girls, ever in the history of the United States ”. In addition to providing women of color with a university course that focuses on the achievements and talents of young African American women, Orlando Watson, CEO of Rock House Entertainment CEO and Dr. Dwaun Warmack, President of Harris-Stowe State University have decided to organize a Black Girl Magic Concert. The Black Girl Magic concert series was designed to spotlight influential & successful African-American female entertainers as well as to empower, uplift & encourage young women of color. According to the news broadcast Fox2 News St.Louis “a portion of the proceeds will fund the Black Girl Magic scholarship, which will be presented to a female student at Harris-Stowe State University ”. Black Girl Magic is not only a hashtag but also another form of educating the woman of color about her history, struggles, accomplishments, and uniqueness. The movement is now spreading all over the United States and Universities are encouraged to educate the African American youth on the subject matter. On October 17, 2016, the white house hosted a literacy party for 115 African-American Girls. The objective of the event was the empowerment of young black women and the celebration of excellence of African-Americans. According to the article posted by the online magazine "Hello Beautiful", “the event consisted of wearing tiaras, reading together and repeating positive affirmations about their beauty, intelligence and strength ”. America’s first African American first lady Michelle Obama has motivated and inspired a lot of women of color, she is the definition of intelligence, beauty and grace. From the very beginning, President Obama and his wife Michelle Obama have championed the importance of education and have hosted multiple events that were intended to educate, motivate and inspire young African American women and men. Black Girl Magic represents strength, love and most of all self-love and education. The British online newspaper Independent has published an article with the headline “black women have now become the most educated group in the United States”. According to the article written by Samuel Osborne “between 2009 and 2010, black women earned 68 per cent of associate's degrees, 66 per cent of bachelor's degrees, 71 per cent of master's degrees and 65 per cent of all doctorate degrees awarded to black students. The percentage of black students attending college has increased from 10 per cent to 15 per cent from 1976 to 2012, while the percentage of white students fell from 84 to 60 per cent. By both race and gender, a higher percentage of black women (9.7 per cent) are enrolled in college than any other group, including Asian women (8.7 per cent), white women (7.1 per cent) and white men (6.1 per cent) ”. Black Girl Magic stands for excellence, for beating the odds and striving for greatness. Black Girl Magic is more than just a hashtag; it is a way of life and the representation of beauty that lives within the woman of color.

Black Girl Magic Internationally
Black Girl Magic is a glorious hashtag used to celebrate black women’s excellence. The hashtag has not had the same effect as the Black Lives Matter hashtag and merely focuses on sisterhood and community building. Black Girl Magic is currently trending U.S wide and is not known internationally. Although the goal is to have black women worldwide participate in the movement, black girl magic has been receiving mixed reviews. It is a movement that solely focuses on one particular gender and race, and excludes all others.

Why Magic?
Magic is power, the use of art, the ability to produce desired effects without owning the adequate resources. Throughout history the black woman had to learn to make something out of nothing, turn a house into a home, left overs into dinner and scars into beautiful memories. In the article “the fact of blackness” by Frantz Fanon, Fanon who has become aware of his strength and regained spiritual and intellectual consciousness states the following “nevertheless with all of my strength I refuse to accept that amputation. I feel in myself a soul as immense as the world, truly a soul as deep as the deepest rivers, my chest has the power to expand without limit ”. The act of resistance often times occurs after one discovers the possession of undiscovered strengths and abilities. In the article “Gender convention, ideals, and identity among Antebellum Virginia Slave women” by Brenda Stevenson it states “despite everything, black women did not lose their female principle or moral purpose under oppression. Rather, they defined and redefined both in order to sustain domestic life and domesticity, often quiet successful ”. Black girl magic signifies a metaphorical rebirth, the acceptance of Afrocentrism and the willingness to embrace ones culture, roots and identity. Black Girl Magic has enabled black women to regain ownership of their mind, body and soul.

Examples of Black Girl Magic
American abolitionist Harriet Tubman’s will replace president Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill

Rosa Parks fought equality and is the reason why people of color are now able to sit anywhere on a bus.

Michelle Obama is the first African American first lady and successfully obtained a graduate degree.

Katherine Johnson became the first African American woman to join the NASA

In 1992, Mae Carol Jemison became the first African-American woman to travel to space.

Wangari Maathai was the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 2003 television host Oprah Winfrey became the first black female billionaire.

Actress Viola Davis made history when she won the Emmy Award for Lead Actress in a Drama in 2015