Black culture – Urban City Podcast Group

Part 3 Wicked: Ways A Makeover Becomes A Metaphor For Assimilation And The Quiet Reshaping Of Identity.

Felicia Kelly-Brookins — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 15:00:44 +0000

Major Takeaways

• Makeovers can symbolize deeper societal pressures toward assimilation rather than simple transformation.
• Beauty standards often operate as gatekeepers to belonging, especially for Black women navigating professional and social spaces.
• Cultural identity is not something to refine away but something to protect, honor, and carry forward.

The Politics of OZ: An Editorial Analysis of the Film Wicked Part One from the View of a Black Woman

By Felicia Brookins• 7 min read

A Casual Editorial on Colorism and Beauty Politics: Beauty Makeovers and Cultural Erasure

“I Want to Make You My Project”

When I watched the film Wicked Part One and heard the character Glinda tell Elphaba, “I want to make you my project,” it landed in my gut with a hard thump. On the surface, it is packaged as a playful promise of transformation. A little sparkle here, a little polish there. Movie magic.

But beneath that shimmer sits a familiar truth for Black women about beauty politics, colorism, and the relentless pressure to erase parts of ourselves just to be considered acceptable.

Let’s be honest for a moment. Black women have been someone’s “project” for centuries.

As a Black woman, I could not help but recognize the cultural echo in that scene. Society has long tried to fix, soften, refine, and improve women whose beauty does not fit the preferred mold. The makeover in Wicked is meant to feel enchanting, but in real life it often reads as cultural erasure. That realization creates a tension inside my beautiful Black body. And tension, as we know, is where truth lives.

That is exactly where this editorial begins.

The Makeover That Was Never Just a Makeover

Glinda’s makeover scene may be one of the most politically charged moments in the film, whether audiences realize it or not.

She promises to fix Elphaba’s hair, teach her how to talk, show her what shoes to wear, help her become popular, improve her voice, adjust her posture, and refine her mannerisms until she becomes socially acceptable.

Sounds helpful, right?

Not so fast.

Let’s start with the hair.

In the film, Elphaba wears braids, a style that represents history, resistance, and identity for Black women. Braids are never just a fashion choice. They are a language. A lineage.

Long before modern beauty standards existed, African tribes used braiding patterns to signal status, community ties, skill, and heritage. During slavery, braids became maps. Enslaved Africans braided escape routes into each other’s hair. Seeds, shells, and tools were hidden within the strands, small acts of genius preparing the way toward freedom.

Symbolism like that does not fade. It evolves.

Our braids carry ingenuity, memory, and culture. They are artistry formed by hands that refused to forget where they came from.

So when Glinda metaphorically swoops in with her wand, ready to correct what she perceives as a flaw, it mirrors an experience many Black women know intimately. The pressure to abandon hairstyles rich with meaning simply to satisfy someone else’s definition of professionalism.

What the world labels messy or unpolished is often the very thread connecting us to one another.

Hair is never just hair for a Black woman.

Help or Erasure?

Glinda’s intervention is not merely aesthetic. It is ideological.

What is disguised as help feels more like an invitation for Elphaba to shrink. To trade what is culturally hers for something more digestible.

But here is the thing about assimilation. It rarely announces itself as oppression. It shows up smiling.

Once the hair is handled, Glinda moves on to teaching Elphaba how to talk. Now we are stepping onto territory Black women and Black people navigate daily.

Code switching.

Switch the tone.
Flatten the dialect.
Round the edges.
Sound less threatening.

These are not optional adjustments. They are survival strategies.

Authenticity becomes negotiable when acceptance is on the line.

The Politics of Presentation

Then come the shoes.

At first glance, it seems trivial. Shoes are just shoes, right?

Wrong.

Presentation has always been political for Black women. Fashion choices are scrutinized, policed, and interpreted as character statements. Too bold? Tone it down. Too colorful? Try neutral. Too expressive? You might intimidate someone.

Translation: be smaller.

But Glinda is not finished yet. She sets her sights on popularity.

And now we reach the heart of it.

Popularity in this context is not social. It is conditional belonging. A membership card society suggests Black women must earn through performance.

Smile through microaggressions.
Mute your brilliance.
Do not be difficult.
Definitely do not be angry.

Glinda’s version of popularity rewards conformity.

History tells us that acceptance offered at the price of identity is not acceptance at all. It is negotiation.

Shrink to Fit

Next comes the trifecta: voice, posture, and mannerisms.

Black women have long been told our laughter is too loud, our presence too big, our expressions too animated. Sit smaller. Speak softer. Be grateful you were invited into the room at all.

All of these so called improvements point toward the same destination. Social acceptability.

And let’s tell the truth plainly. Social acceptability often means proximity to whiteness.

This is not about helping Elphaba.

It is about controlling how she is seen.

Friendship or Colonization?

Let’s call this what it is.

This is not friendship. It is the colonization of identity.

It reflects a historical pattern in which Black women were pressured, sometimes subtly and sometimes aggressively, to change their hair textures, speech patterns, clothing, and physical expressions to blend into white spaces.

The film quietly pulls back the curtain on another truth: approval becomes synonymous with beauty.

There is a telling moment when Elphaba attempts to toss her hair the way Glinda taught her. When Prince Feldspur notices, he remarks that she has been “Glinda fied.”

That comment reaches far beyond cosmetics.

It gestures toward what happens when assimilation reshapes communities. When white approval becomes the measuring stick, everything starts to look the same.

Culture fades.
Originality disappears.
Erasure becomes normalized.

And suddenly, difference is treated like a flaw instead of a strength.

Why This Still Matters

Fantasy has always been a safe container for difficult conversations. Stories allow us to examine power without immediately raising our defenses.

What Wicked Part One reveals, intentionally or not, is that the pressure to transform is rarely about beauty alone. It is about who gets to belong without changing and who must reinvent themselves just to be tolerated.

For Black women, the message has been repeated across generations: you are impressive, but you would be even better if you were just a little less… you.

Yet history also tells another story. One of resistance. One of women who refused to shrink.

The tension remains, but so does the defiance.

And perhaps that is why this narrative resonates so deeply. Because every attempt to reshape identity is eventually met with the same quiet rebellion:

No.

I will not disappear to make you comfortable.

#DefyingGravity

Explosive Snowfall Spinoff 2020s: Rap Ambition, Gang War & Redemption in ’90s L.A.

Urban City Podcast Group — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 22:15:38 +0000

Major Takeaways:

The spinoff officially ordered by FX brings back original cast members Gail Bean (Wanda) and Isaiah John (Leon) to lead the story.
Set in early‑1990s Los Angeles, the narrative pivots from the crack epidemic to the rise of West Coast rap, with Wanda striving for mainstream success amid gang turmoil.
With seasoned producers and writers from the original series onboard (including Malcolm Spellman), expectations are high but the series still faces the challenge of living up to its predecessor’s gritty legacy.

Snowfall Spinoff 2020s: Rap Ambition, Gang War & Redemption in ’90s L.A.

When Snowfall signed off, fans didn’t just lose a show they lost a world. The finale hit like a gut punch: Franklin Saint broke under the weight of his own ambition, South Central was forever scarred, and those who survived were left standing in the ashes. Yet, through that devastation, two faces lingered in our minds Leon Simmons and Wanda Bell-Simmons.

FX is officially bringing them back. The network has greenlit a Snowfall spin-off centered on Leon and Wanda, with Isaiah John and Gail Bean reprising their original roles. Executive producer Malcolm Spellman is joining returning creatives from the original series to push the story forward. The new series is already in early production, slated to premiere in 2026 on FX and Hulu.

So, what’s the vibe this time? Redemption. Reflection. Reconstruction. This is not another street saga about the rise and fall of a kingpin. It is about what comes after the empire burns down.

The World After Franklin Saint

Snowfall chronicled the birth of the crack epidemic in 1980s Los Angeles, showing how power, policy, and poverty intertwined to destroy a generation. It was brutal and beautiful, equal parts street war and social commentary. By the end, every character was changed beyond recognition.

For Leon and Wanda, that transformation was especially deep. Leon started as Franklin’s muscle, a street soldier who knew the rules but questioned the system. Wanda was the girl who got caught up chasing love, chasing highs, then clawing her way back to reality. Their relationship, a mix of pain and loyalty, became the emotional heart of the show’s later seasons.

The new series takes their story beyond survival. It explores how Leon and Wanda attempt to rebuild their lives and community in the wreckage of the crack era. The drama stays grounded in South Central L.A. but moves into the 1990s, as the city grapples with new social and political realities.

Malcolm Spellman aims to keep the gritty authenticity that Snowfall was praised for while shifting focus toward personal growth and redemption. Do not expect fast cars, jewelry, and club scenes. Expect corner stores, church basements, broken trust, and tough love.

Leon and Wanda From Addiction to Accountability

In the original series, Wanda’s arc was one of the most heartbreaking. She went from bright-eyed and in love to homeless and strung out, serving as one of the show’s most powerful depictions of addiction’s toll. Yet she found redemption through recovery, faith, and community.

Leon’s path was just as heavy. He spent most of Snowfall torn between loyalty and conscience, struggling with the guilt of violence and loss. His decision to stand by Wanda and step away from Franklin’s crumbling empire gave the show its one glimmer of hope.

The spin-off explores themes of healing, family, and reparation within a community still haunted by the ghosts of the drug trade. Think of it as Snowfall’s spiritual sequel, less about dealing, more about dealing with the aftermath.

FX’s Next Power Move

FX knows they have something special. Snowfall was not just a hit it was a cultural movement. It told stories the mainstream networks were too afraid to touch, and it did so without caricature or compromise. The show’s finale drew millions of viewers, proving the audience appetite for intelligent Black-led drama is strong and overdue.

This spin-off deepens that legacy. By choosing Leon and Wanda, two characters rooted in struggle and rebirth, the network signals it is not chasing the flashy drug-lord formula. It is chasing truth.

And the timing could not be better. As audiences grow tired of recycled gangster tropes, Leon and Wanda could stand out as something more emotionally grounded, socially aware, and honest about the real costs of the streets.

The Challenges Ahead

Spin-offs are tricky. For every success there is a failure that fizzles under the weight of expectation.

This show’s biggest hurdle will be tone. Snowfall was operatic wide-angle storytelling about systemic rot and ambition. Leon and Wanda has to be more intimate, personal, and emotionally precise. If it leans too soft, the audience who loved Snowfall’s grit might bail. If it goes too hard, it risks feeling repetitive.

Another challenge is pacing. Leon and Wanda’s emotional recovery will not sell if it is rushed. The writing has to breathe, to show the slow, painful process of healing in a community where trauma runs deep.

With Spellman and FX’s creative team behind the wheel, the odds look good. Both actors John and Bean have already proven they can carry scenes heavy enough to make viewers stop and pay attention. With them leading, the story’s emotional authenticity is in safe hands.

Why This Story Matters Especially to Urban City Readers

Urban America does not just need stories about survival it needs stories about what comes after. Too often, Black characters are written to die, to break, to fall victim to their own mistakes or their environment. Leon and Wanda’s journey is the rare one that asks what if they got up, what if they tried again.

This is bigger than television. It is narrative repair. It is reclaiming the dignity of characters we have watched suffer and giving them a second act. That second act could mean a lot to real people who see their own pain mirrored in the story.

This series is not designed to glamorize the past. It is designed to process it. It is about rebuilding. It is about love that lasts after chaos. It is about accountability, forgiveness, and what it takes to hold on to yourself when the world around you collapses.

The Road Ahead

Production is expected to begin in early 2025 with location shoots in Los Angeles. FX is planning a 10-episode first season with creative input from several Snowfall veterans. Early episodes will touch on the 1992 L.A. riots and their aftermath, placing Leon and Wanda right in the middle of a city still bleeding from old wounds.

Teasers are expected to drop by summer 2025, leading into a full-blown premiere campaign the following year.

Urban City Takeaway

Leon and Wanda is not just another spin-off. It is a cultural continuation. It is Snowfall without the drugs, Power without the glitz, and The Wire without the cops. It is a love story between two people and between a community and its own survival.

FX seems to understand what Urban City audiences already know: redemption is just as cinematic as destruction. The real story is not how you fall, it is how you rebuild.

When the credits roll in 2026, do not expect nostalgia. Expect honesty. Expect struggle. Expect something real. Because in Leon and Wanda’s world, the empire may be gone but the fight to live never stopped.

They Said ‘Assimilate’—We Say, ‘Thrive Without Losing Ourselves’

Urban City Podcast Group — Sat, 22 Feb 2025 21:41:49 +0000

Key Takeaways:

Embrace your cultural heritage to maintain a strong foundation.
Integrate cultural values into all aspects of life, including business and politics.
Strive for growth without compromising your identity.

Cultivating Cultural Identity in a Diverse World

As you live and grow in Western society, have you ever been told to assimilate?

Imagine a tree, deeply rooted yet stretching its branches towards the sun—this is how you thrive while holding onto your cultural identity in a world that often insists on assimilation. Your roots, rich with history and stories, ground you even as you reach for new heights.

So, how do you guarantee these roots remain nourished? By weaving your unique cultural threads into the fabric of business, politics, and lifestyle.

Let’s explore the art of thriving without losing yourself.

Embracing Cultural Identity in a New World

When moving through a rapidly changing world, it’s crucial to accept and celebrate your cultural identity.

Welcoming cultural resilience empowers you to withstand the pressures of globalization while proudly expressing your unique identity.

As an African American entrepreneur or professional, honoring your roots becomes a powerful act of defiance against cultural displacement. Engage with cultural education to deepen your understanding and nurture pride in your heritage.

By actively participating in community initiatives, you contribute to sustainable preservation and empower those around you.

Thriving requires cooperation with the external environment, ensuring that your cultural expression aligns with broader societal dynamics.

Remember, your identity expression is a vital part of the tapestry that makes up the global community. Stand bold and unyielding in your commitment to thriving—without losing yourself—in this ever-evolving world. Your cultural legacy matters.

Navigating the Complexities of Dual Heritage

Celebrating your cultural identity in a rapidly changing world lays the groundwork for maneuvering the intricacies of dual heritage.

You might encounter identity challenges and cultural intersections as you traverse this complex terrain.

Dual Heritage youth face unique obstacles, such as overrepresentation in referrals to mental health services. They often experience systemic involvement, yet find a more positive support system compared to their Black peers.

Education and employment disparities also loom large, with higher risks of not being in education, employment, or training.

Aspect	Challenge/Observation
Overrepresentation	Increased referrals to mental health services
Education & Employment	Higher NEET risk compared to Asian youth
Identity Formation	Barriers to exploring cultural identities

Understanding these layers empowers you to thrive without losing yourself.

Strategies for Maintaining Cultural Roots

In a world that often tries to dilute cultural identities, it’s crucial to hold tight to your roots with intentionality and pride. Engage in cultural storytelling by sharing family stories and memories, ensuring younger generations appreciate their heritage.

Attend heritage celebrations and cultural festivals to connect with others who share your cultural background, enriching your understanding through traditional foods, music, and art. Create family trees to explore your ancestry and deepen your connection to your cultural history.

Cook traditional foods, passing these culinary traditions to younger generations. Immerse yourself in cultural media, literature, and poetry to grasp the values and historical context of your heritage.

The Role of Community in Cultural Preservation

Connecting with your community is like planting seeds that will grow into a vibrant tapestry of culture and heritage, essential for preserving your identity.

Community engagement plays a pivotal role in heritage preservation by actively involving you in safeguarding both tangible and intangible cultural aspects. By participating in local events, you’re not just preserving traditions but also nurturing a sense of belonging and continuity.

Community organizations, like cultural centers and museums, are instrumental in maintaining identity by hosting festivals and educational programs. Your involvement guarantees that indigenous knowledge and traditions are respected and integrated into conservation efforts.

Through these collective actions, you’re helping to maintain your community’s unique essence and assuring that it thrives for future generations. Accept your role in this cultural journey.

Live Your Cultural Roots and Flourish

Think of your cultural identity like a robust tree with roots firmly planted in fertile soil and branches reaching out to the cosmos.

Instead of cutting it down to blend into your surroundings, let it flourish by nurturing both your heritage and modern influences.

This approach doesn’t just keep you afloat—it helps you thrive, seamlessly stitching your unique story into the global tapestry. As you grow, remember: your community is the forest, with each tree lending its strength and wisdom to ensure your legacy remains lively and unwavering. So, take pride in your roots and actively contribute to this shared ecosystem.

Your vibrant narrative is essential, and your journey is a testament to resilience and cultural richness.