The Rebirth of Thandiwe Newton, 'Beloved' in Shona, for British Vogue May 2021

Westworld star Thandiwe Newton covers the May 2021 issue of British Vogue, lensed by Mikael Jansson. EIC Edward Enninful styles Thandiwe — who is now going by her birth name and not Thandie — in a fashion story that explores her Zimbabwean and British heritages.

In the purple hues cover below, Newton is wearing Fendi Haute Couture and a ring by Tiffany & Co. For the red hues cover above, the 90s star Black actor wears Isabel Marant with Tom Ford sandals, and jewelry by David Morris.

In her interview with Diana Evans, Thandiwe Newton speaks of almost giving up her fight for an ‘authentic’ acting career. She has made her way back to original herself with a new purpose — “to tell the stories that matter.” Reclaiming her original name with the ‘W’ is part of that emotionally and invigorating process.

Edward Enninful claims the word ‘legacy’ to articulate the thread running through the May 2021 issue of British Vogue.

The first paragraph of the Diana Evans begins with old-school journalism brilliance. We’re so inspired by its vitality that a history lesson required. We will take readers to Shona people shortly.

The story begins with the thundering mist of Victoria Falls, 1972. A Zimbabwean princess and a lab technician from Cornwall were driving along a bumpy road about to enjoy a sardine snack. When the sardine can was opened, the oil spilled all over the woman’s dress and she laughed her head off. The man thought, “I need to be with this woman,” and there were rainbows criss-crossing the sky from the magic of the mist and the sun above the crashing water. On that trip, contained in this magic, a child was conceived. They named her Thandiwe, meaning beloved in Shona. She grew up to be one of the most successful Black-British actresses of her time.

AOC previews Thandiwe Newton by Mikael Jansson for British Vogue May 2021

How New Voters and Black Women Transformed Georgia's Politics

How New Voters and Black Women Transformed Georgia's Politics AOC Blackness

On Jan. 5, Georgians chose a Black pastor and a 33-year-old son of Jewish immigrants – Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff – to represent them in the Senate. They also elected Democrat Joe Biden for president in November.

Georgia’s turn from blood red to deep purple gave Democrats their slender majority in the Senate, surprising Americans on both sides of the aisle. This historic moment was a long time coming.

The elections of Biden, Warnock and Ossoff are the culmination of a years long tug of war among the members of Georgia’s racially, ethnically and ideologically diverse electorate.

Georgia’s demographics are changing fast. In 2019, it was ranked fifth among U.S. states experiencing an influx of newcomers. According to census data, 284,541 residents arrived from out of state that year.

Many of Georgia’s newest voters come from groups that lean Democratic: minorities, young people, unmarried women. Between 2000 and 2019, Georgia’s Black population increased by 48%, mostly because people moved there from out of state. African Americans now make up 30% of Georgia’s population. The Latino population increased by 14% since 2000, and Latinos now comprise 9% of Georgians.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s white population declined slightly, from 57% in 2010 to 54% in 2019. Non-Latino whites are projected to be a numerical minority in Georgia within the next decade.

Just 30% of white Georgia voters chose Warnock and Ossoff on Jan. 5. But the pair, who often campaigned together, both won about 90% of the Black vote and about half of Latinos. Two-thirds of Asian Americans – a small but fast-growing electoral force in Georgia – voted for Ossoff, Warnock and Biden, exit data shows.

The New South

The elections of Biden, Warnock and Ossoff are the culmination of a years long tug of war among the members of Georgia’s racially, ethnically and ideologically diverse electorate. Five decades ago, the state of Georgia was a very different atmosphere for people of color.

In July 1964, Georgia restaurateur Lester Maddox violated the newly passed Civil Rights Act by refusing to serve three Black Georgia Tech students at his Pickrick Restaurant in Atlanta. Although this new federal law banned discrimination in public places, Maddox was determined to maintain a whites-only dining room, arming white customers with pick handles – which he called “Pickrick drumsticks” – to threaten Black customers who tried to dine there.

Endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan in his successful 1974 bid for the governorship, Maddox was once called “the South’s most racist governor.” But hostile treatment of minorities has often been Georgia’s chosen style of politics.

Read on in AOC Blackness: How New Voters and Black Women Transformed Georgia's Politics