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Mahogany Browne Spotify playlist

Source: @mobrown / Instagram

Kudos to Spotify for recognizing the fact that Black History can be celebrated far beyond the paltry 28 days allotted each year. Extra props to the staff for putting the spotlight on Black women—the main inspiration behind a lot of these superstars, including your fave in the red cap currently  declaring his love for hos.

There’s got to be a balance, guys.

The streaming service has passed the reins on to three up-and-coming artists, allowing them express themselves on Spotify’s Black Girl Magic playlist by way of film, poetry and visual art.

The overall series is titled Black History Is Happening Now and it features podcasts, videos and music curated by creatives and organizations hoping to imaginatively reveal our stories through art.

For this particular installment, The women of BLK @ Spotify, the company’s employee resource group for black employees, joined forces with Spotify’s creative team in choosing the three artists, Theresa Chromati, Sadé Clacken Joseph and Mahogany L. Browne. The women worked together on a theme celebrating the resilience of Black women and the creativity each of us apply daily in order to get through less-than-desirable situations — a Black woman’s “armor,” so to speak.

Mahogany L. Browne wrote an original audio poem, “Rainbow of Armor,” Sadé Joseph created a short film, “Knight” and Theresa Chromati has created two paintings, “Ins and Outs of Armor I” and “Ins and Outs of Armor II,” that are used as the playlist header and cover to Black Girl Magic.

With this iteration of the campaign, Spotify continues to intentionally use their platform to elevate underrepresented voices, with the purpose of spreading and celebrating the message that Black history is happening now.

“Thinking about what it means to be a black woman, to be the protector of so many and nothing for yourself. Myself and the other contributors thought about how armor could be beautiful too. How it served as a tool of self care; how it shines in war; how it carries our stories, resiliently. How it didn’t have to be a thing of war but of love. How it didn’t have to be a shredded and heavy thing but a beaming bright light. How it becomes an heirloom, from one black woman to her children.” — Mahogany L. Browne

We need more of this type of representation for sure. As technology progresses, companies like Spotify are learning how to separate themselves from the pack more and more with offerings like this one. After all, playlists don’t always have to be about the turnup. Listen right here.

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