Going Beyond The Shade Room: 5 Black Owned Media Outlets You Should Be Reading

I still remember calling my grandmother every February to see when she would be bringing me the Ebony Magazine Black Love Issue. Somewhere around my ninth birthday my grandmother started bringing me her old Jet and Ebony Magazines, Ebony's Black Love Issue was my absolute favorite. I would sit with my dolls in meetings discussing the models, the layout, the topics,and try to predict the stories that would take over the next year's issue. When I was a little older, my cousins introduced me to Word Up, Right On, Sister-2-Sister and The Source. I was in love! The images in all of these magazines taught me one thing: being Black was cool and the people who got to write about Black events, Black culture, Black art and being Black in general were even cooler.  Even then I knew I wanted a career in Black media more than I wanted anything.

These days, my life is filled with an abundance of Black media. There are your ultra Black sites like The Root, your Black business outlets like Black Enterprise, MizCEO, Black Women blogs like Everything Girls Love and XONecole, and of course the popular Black entertainment news site The Shade Room. But Black culture is made up of more than what you get from these sites, and the Black media sphere is much larger than even the internet would have you to believe. Here are some Black owned media outlets that every Pretti Beast should be reading.

Taji Magazine

Taji Magazine, a quarterly publication is the epitome of the positive Black experience. While reclaiming our narratives and imagery, Taji offers readers advice to assist them economically, healthy options to maintain a happy lifestyle, think pieces, #BlackLoveConvo, and fashion inspiration to sustain the legacy of Black artistry.They also run kick ass contest and throw a pretti dope event giving Black entrepreneurs and creatives a platform to market and connect through.

Urban Magazine 

 Urban Magazine is definitely one of my favorite magazine subscriptions - giving me the same energy I got from my grandmother's Ebony and Jet Magazines. The digital urban lifestyle publication covering culture, music, fashion, and sports. Founded by Ben' Original, Urban's diverse writing pool offers a broad range of perspectives and gives voice to some of the dopest creatives on the rise.

Bitches Love To Eat

Date night, girls night...honey cha every night "Bitches Love To Eat." Launched in 2018,  B💜TE was founded to create a community where food lovers could share stories, recipes, restaurant recommendations, and for founder LBanks to show off her dope ass culinary skills. While the site itself is new you can check out their Instagram account and see why we love B💜TE so much.

Eating Fabulously

What happens when a classically trained chef decides to step out of the kitchen? She creates a food and lifestyle blog designed to encourage readers to eat and live fabulously! Through her blog Eating Fabulously, Christopher Stewart introduces foodies to some of the hidden gems in NYC, reviews beauty products, and gives readers restaurant quality dishes they can make at home. Christopher also has a shop filled with fab goodies like stationary, the "Fabulous" sweatshirt and even some dope ass lashes.

The Blog Abroad-Chronicles of A Travel Junkie

Travel blogger Gloria Atanmo's strives to inspire her readers through her journey as a solo traveler who is creating the life she wants to live. This isn't your auntie's travel blog. Gloria leaves the travel tips and tricks behind and gives you a personal perspective on traveling. The Blog Abroad is definitely one of my guilty pleasure and I totally live vicariously through Gloria- my one regret from life before children was not taking any solo trips.