Tracy Hopkins

Ten cultural institutions with meaningful stories to tell.
Every February in the U.S., Black History Month shines a light on the trailblazing talents and significant contributions of generations of African Americans. Their legacy, however, is an inextricable part of history – stories that showcase Black excellence and remind us of Black resilience should be acknowledged and celebrated year-round. Museums and cultural institutions across the country offer travelers perennial opportunities to e...

Our love song quiz recalls the musical moments that took us from sensual slow dances to flirtatious first dates, from candlelight and champagne to satin sheets.
Do you love a good love song? You know, the kind of song that brings you joy, makes you weep or weak in the knees and prompts you to sing along (albeit a little off-key) and play on repeat. The kind of song that celebrates the complexities of love — the highs and lows of falling in and out of romantic love, the beauty of finding self-...

Ready to manifest the mate you deserve? This music can help open your heart, eyes and mind. Couples will love our passionate playlist, too.
Are you looking for a new love? Healing from a breakup or loss? Longing to reconnect with an old flame? Seeking someone to watch over you? Attracting what you desire starts with a vision. What you can conceive and believe, you can achieve.
So, think of this playlist as a musical version of your vision board. The 25 dream-catching, uplifting and sentimenta...

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the Black community in Los Angeles is resilient. It’s hard to discuss Black history in the city without acknowledging the Watts riots in 1965 and the LA riots in 1992. However, African Americans continue to march forward, making significant contributions to LA’s economic, social, and cultural landscape. Walk in their shoes and take a tour of landmarks, museums, and neighborhoods that showcase the pride and achievements of African American Angelenos.*
Begi...

Black culture is alive and well in Atlanta. You can see, hear, feel, and taste it. Atlanta-based label LaFace Records cranked out chart-topping hit after hit in the ‘90s, helping put the city on the map in the music world. Do the names Toni Braxton, TLC, Usher and Outkast ring a bell? There’s a good chance you’ve listened to all of these artists.
Thanks to the city’s prestigious consortium of historically black colleges and universities, there’s also a tradition of Black excellence in higher ...

Chicago has unparalleled music, food and art scenes in its own right. But here’s something you may not know about the Windy City—it was settled by Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable, a Black man from Haiti. As the story goes, the immigrant of African and French descent established a trading post by the Chicago River around 1779 and became the city’s first permanent citizen. In his honor, the Michigan Avenue Bridge was renamed the DuSable Bridge. You’ll find a stately bronze bust of DuSable near the...

Philadelphia is a pedestrian-friendly town that stays sweet on our minds like block parties and penny candy, as neo-soul star and Philly native Jill Scott has mused in song. Soul music has deep roots here—it’s where Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff created the “sound of Philadelphia” via R&B legends like Patti LaBelle, Teddy Pendergrass, Phyllis Hyman, and the O’Jays.

Philly is also bursting with Black art, hidden Black history gems and flourishing Black-owned businesses. Ready to take a long walk?...

The African American experience is part of the cultural tapestry that makes Washington DC such a dynamic city.
Despite the harsh reality of segregation, from the end of the 19th century through the early 20th century, Black folks thrived in the U Street corridor—known as Black Broadway. The Northwest DC neighborhood was a haven for African American performers like hometown hero Duke Ellington and Black businesses like the famed greasy spoon, Ben’s Chili Bowl (still serving up chili slathered ...

Whitney ruled the charts, we never missed an episode of Living Single and moviegoers wondered, ‘What’s love got to do with it?’ Rewind good times and test your 90s knowledge.
Remember the time back in the day when you crushed hard on Larenz Tate after catching a matinee of Love Jones at the multiplex? Care to reminisce about sittin’ up in your room watching Moesha and listening to Toni Braxton sing another sad love long? And can you recall daydreaming about being the around-the-way-girl LL Co...

Baby, it’s cold outside and COVID-19 cases continue to rise. But here’s some good news — you can still enjoy a box-office hit without leaving the comfort of your couch.
Although home is where the heart is, the coronavirus has us hunkering down and hibernating in our humble abodes. And as much as we enjoy making embarrassing Tik Tok dance videos with our kids, head-nodding to DJ sets on the Gram and practicing our goddess pose in online yoga sessions, the novelty of virtual entertainment is we...

Somatic therapy uses movement to balance mind and body. It may alleviate areas of stress or emotional pain. Put on some music to explore healing moves at home.
Movement has always been a natural and pure form of expression for me, from taking modern dance as an adolescent to working up a sweat grooving to house music with my girlfriends in college. In my grown and sexy years, I continue to move and shake in Zumba or African dance classes or prancing around the apartment, catching major side-e...

Ready to welcome the New Year with happiness and positive energy? We’ve chosen 27 songs featuring female artists that instantly lift the spirit.
Time is precious, and 2020 showed us what really matters — spending cherished moments with our families, significant others, children, fur babies and dearest friends. So let’s step into the new year with a renewed spirit, hope, optimism and determination. Despite the ongoing chaos in our nation politically, socially and economically, we can commit to...

We miss the neon lights on Broadway, where shows have been dark since spring 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For generations, musical theater and films featuring mainly Black casts have entertained and offered a euphoric mini-escape from reality. Through song and dance they have given us hope for Black love via Porgy and Bess, uplifted the spirit of African American sisterhood in The Color Purple and transported us to the motherland and imbued us with ancestral regal pride in The Lion King...

A wooden bench located across the street from the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum is painted in bold white letters proclaiming that Baltimore is “The Greatest City in America.” Twenty-five years ago, I moved from Baltimore—a working class city steeped in Black history—to New York City. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, a family emergency beckoned me home for an extended stay.
Despite being “a hard town by the sea,” as Nina Simone sings in “Baltimore,” the bench’s positive message is how I...

Jamia Ramsey’s nearly three-year-old business was sparked by her own experience as a dancer. Now she’s filling a niche for other dancers of color like herself.

In recent years, dancewear makers like Gaynor Minden, Freed of London and Só Dança have made strides to diversify their dance apparel. But this past summer, when a bright light was shone on systemic racism, the dance community took to social media to put other brands, like Capezio and Bloch, on blast for not offering a more inclusive r...