Shout-out to the WNBA
The WNBA’s 30th season was magical for several reasons. The level of straight ballin’ won the league hundreds of thousands of new fans. Superstars emerged from each team and represented. Game-changing role players often stole the spotlight on any given night. The race to the playoffs was almost as exciting as the playoffs themselves, which is saying something. This year’s playoffs were insane, with the emergence of “sleeper” teams taking out the favored “Goliaths” and a 7-game WNBA Finals for the ages. Shout-out to the champions, the Golden State Valkyries. Shout-out to the Atlanta Dream (Angel Reese, Jordin Canada, Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Naz Hillmon, etc., including their Black woman team owner and former WNBA star, Rachel DeMita). And WNBA players, unlike professional athletes from other pro leagues, didn’t shy away from the racist smoke. They confronted the Indiana Fever’s fanbase for adopting Caitlyn Clarke and her teammate Sophie Cunningham as MAGA mascots. Several WNBA players called out the state of Indiana, the team (the Fever), and players for quietly accepting their roles as avatars for Aryan so-called supremacy. Republican Congressmen even pushed for legislation to criminalize fouls committed against Clark. One of those soul sisters who called out the racist BS was the best player on the Fever, Clark’s backcourt mate Kelsey Mitchell, who said, “Showing up every day to compete for fans that may or may not like you is hard.” Damn sis. And still Mitchell was “ballin’ outta control” all season, as was the entire WNBA. Still, the icing on the cake may have been the announcement that the Houston Comets are back! Go ‘head WNBA.
Be more like Burkina Faso
The West African nation of Burkina Faso has suspended beauty pageants and launched a competition where young women are rewarded for their intelligence and scientific abilities. And the winners aren’t just receiving trophies. They’re getting money, scholarships, laptops, and even motorcycles. In June 2026, Burkina Faso’s government temporarily suspended beauty competitions while developing new regulations intended to reflect its cultural values and standards of human dignity. Two months later, President Ibrahim Traoré’s administration announced HAKILI Mousso, a national competition designed to celebrate talented young women in science. By September, 84 finalists from across Burkina Faso had gathered in Ouagadougou to compete in mathematics, physics, and chemistry. On Sept. 19, the country’s top young female scientific talents were celebrated at an awards ceremony. The three first-place winners each received two million CFA francs, a laptop, and a motorcycle. Additionally, all 84 finalists were promised educational support, including university scholarships, as well as assistance with accommodation, meals, and healthcare. The government’s aim is to encourage more girls to pursue careers in science and challenge the belief that subjects such as physics and mathematics are mainly for boys. Trump called African nations like Burkina Faso backward, “sh*thole” countries. But Burkina Faso is investing in its girls and women, while Trump and crew are moving to strip women of the right to vote (it’s in Project 2025), like they took away their agency over their own bodies regarding healthcare decisions. So, which nation is pro-humanity, and which is backward?
Now what?
Now that the November 2026 midterm elections are over, now what? Now that the insane, lyin’-ass commercials no longer beat us upside the head every 10 seconds, now what? Now that these politicians no longer need our votes immediately, now what? The what is, we’ve got even more work to do. This year’s voter turnout, both locally and nationally, showed the level of concern Blackfolk have about the direction this country is headed. But if we’re going to right the ship, voting is just step one. Being civically engaged means voting, yes. But it also means holding elected officials accountable, meeting with them on the regular, and attending those boring meetings where decisions are made about how the money and resources are allocated. Win or lose, GOP voters regularly show up at their elected officials’ offices, events, and more with a list of demands and non-negotiables. And because they show up, even though their candidate lost the election, they get what they want out of the winner because they stay engaged. We’ve got to do the same. This political fight isn’t over. It’s 24/7/365.
