Jimmie’s Recap
Hot takes on the moments that shaped 2023
One of the Defender’s most popular regular series of articles is our Top 5 and Top 10 lists, or “listicles” as they’re known in the business. And because you demanded more, we delivered. Our editorial team covered nearly every aspect of life in choosing topics to rank. From barbershops to burger joints; from houses of worship to get-your-financial-house-in-order strategies, we generously shared our opinions on what we thought were the best of the best.
So, it only makes sense that with the year coming to a close, we’d share with you our “Top 10 ‘Top’ Lists of 2023.” And it goes without saying, these are in no certain order. Hell, it was hard enough narrowing our gazillion lists down to 10. Enjoy; and as you always do, please share your feedback with us at news@defendernetwork.com.
Top 10 of the Blackest Biblical moments
Even if you missed this one when it was posted back in March, you probably guessed Jesus turning water into wine made the list. How could it not? BYOB is literally our 11th Commandment.
The Dirty Dozen: Top 12 made-up Black words
When I was “fidnah” put this list together so we’d all be “skrate,” I “pacifically” told myself, I said, “Self, ‘irregardless’ of what words come ‘outcho’ ‘mowf’ ‘ontheregala,’ you need to put this list out there for the people to see.” And so I did.
Top 10 Black History events in…
The Defender Network is a member of Word in Black, a national collaboration of Black-owned media companies. So, we get to kick it with sisters and brothers from across the country, sharing articles and ideas with brilliant and talented people from sea to shining sea. And on top of that Word in Black has its own crazy talented cadre of journalists who are doing amazing work. So, it’s quite humbling and very affirming when these brilliant folk say they really like something we at the Defender produce. And they say they love our monthly “Top 10 Black History events in (fill in the month)” and those extra knowledge nuggets we sprinkle in on the regular. So, we’ll keep’em coming because we can never celebrate our story enough!
Top 5 best old-school public school lunch items
Though we have some Millennials and Gen Zers on the Defender staff, we definitely have our share of Gen Xers (the greatest generation) and Baby Boomers. So, we will often take that stroll back down memory lane, as we did with this list right here – revisiting those K-12 lunches that were horrible most days, but did have their moments. Did someone say rectangle pizza?
Top 5 reasons Blackfolk should celebrate Thanksgiving
Recognizing that Christopher Columbus (not even the dude’s real name) could not have discovered a land that 1) was already inhabited, 2) he never stepped foot on, and 3) was visited by African people eons before he was born, we know of the genocide of the indigenous people that followed… and that the Thanksgiving myth was used to justify all that brutality. So, how could the Defender, who loves us some Blackfolk, find reasons why we SHOULD celebrate Thanksgiving? Read the article and find out.
Top 10 Gen-Z slang Boomers wouldn’t understand
As stated, the Defender has some of them young’uns in the building; those “still wet behind the ears” Gen-Zers who can’t leave home without two water bottles and who think it’s mandatory to broadcast every second of their lives via social media. So, it stands to reason that this lovable group of young crazies would develop a language all their own. This includes those “Top 5 social media acronyms that confuse most Americans.”
Top foods…
The Defender staff “don’t” play when it comes to eating. If we post anything food-related, our committed tens of thousands of web visitors eat it up, metaphorically speaking. Hence, we’ve produced “listicles” on African restaurants, food trucks, BBQ restaurants, Soul Food spots, Best Vibes Restaurants, top burger spots, and too many more to count. We even offered a “Top 5 Thanksgiving recipes to savor beyond the feast.” And for those folk who want to make sure they can “make it do what it do,” we gave y’all the “Top 10 foods for that extra bang-zoom energy.” And if you have to ask somebody, “What’s that bang-zoom energy,” just don’t. Just. Don’t.
Top Music
The Defender Network family loves music. Just check out these lists we shared in 2023: Top 5 U.S.-Afrobeats crossover moments; Houston’s 10 best rap albums; Top 5 Afrobeats, American music collaborations; Top 10 jazz albums for beginners; Top 10 ways music heals mind, body and spirit; and Top 5 famous Black musicians from Houston. And this doesn’t even include our lists of Houston-area artists you need to know.
Top Leisure
Say what you want about Houston (most of it being positive, of course), but you can never call Houston boring. There’s always, always something to do, something to get into. So much so, that we did “Top” lists on Black-owned clubs, hookah spots, happy hours, cigar lounges, sports bars, Black Houston landmarks, festivals, Black plays, Black museums and exhibits, and more. If you’re bored in Houston, you’re not even trying.
Top Health & Lifestyle
Mind, body and spirit health are big deals to Black Houston and they’re big deals to the Defender. We pride ourselves on informative (news you can use) articles on any and all health-and lifestyle-related topics impacting our people. So, of course, we have listicles-a-plenty on the topic. Here are just a few: Top 7 HIV/AIDS myths we need to stop believing; Top 7 prostate cancer warning signs & symptoms; Top 5 local mental health awareness events; Summer Heat: Top 10 ways student-athletes can stay safe; Top 5 parental must-knows about suicide prevention; and Top 10 habits to change your life. We want you to be safe, healthy and live well. So, we’ll keep bringing these lists to help you on your holistic health journey.
