A Quick Note About the New Banner

As you are all aware, February is National Black History Month, so I thought I'd do my part and honor some strong black women with a new banner. These four women have fought adversity, racism and the critics to pave the way for other strong black women. The beautiful women, starting from the left, are:

• Oprah: Everyone on the planet knows her (and they'd better love her!). Her career started with a bang after a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for The Color Purple in 1985, which led to her talk show going into syndication in 1986 and quickly becoming the number-one rated talk show in America. The rest is history.
• Hattie McDaniel: The ever-dependable character actress became the first African-American to win an Oscar (for her spectacular performance as Mammy in Gone With the Wind) and was a hero to many young black women. Her win paved the way for many actresses in the decades to come, including the infamous Halle Berry win and that amazing acceptance speech.
• Aretha Franklin: She's the Queen of Soul, bitch, as Beyonce just found out.
• Whoopi Goldberg: Sure, Whoopi's made some questionable choices with her acting work, but you can't deny the talent she has. I loved her quickly canceled sitcom Whoopi from a couple of years ago and her performance in The Color Purple was one for the ages (and should have earned her that Oscar). What I will love her best for, though, is her Oda Mae Brown in Ghost- only her hilarious performance as a crackpot psychic would make me want to sit through that pile of crap again.