Black Ballad's Most Read Stories of 2021
#BBBestOf21
Black Ballad's Most Read Stories of 2021
In 2021, Black Ballad published 267 articles, in the process, putting over £115,000 in the hands of black women freelance writers, interviewers, creators and editors.
But which stories were most read, shared and engaged with by Black Ballad Members and our readers?
Introducing #BBBestOf21 - the 25 best performing articles from Black Ballad in 2021. These stories cover a wide range of topics, from dating and health, to beauty and escaping Britain, plus everything in between.
We are proud to highlight these stories and the amazing writers that worked on them. In 2022 and beyond, we're looking forward to continuing doing what we do best - providing a platform for the stories and people that put black women first.
Get unlimited access to the top 25 stories from 2021, plus 1,000+ more stories, discounts to Black Ballad events & a community that puts black women first with a Black Ballad Membership!
Use code BESTOF21 at checkout before 18th January @ 23:59 & get 60% off any BB membership for the next 12 months!
Dealing With Dating
Harmony Knight
Clueless: What I Learned From Dating (A Lot) Of White Boys
Friday 24 September 2021 9:00 AM
Keturah Kendrick
Unmarried & Unbothered: Black Women Who Prefer Autonomy Over Marriage
Monday 6 September 2021 10:30 AM
Tali Ramsey
Understanding The Rise Of YouTube's Black Femininity Coaches
Thursday 8 April 2021 7:00 AM
In that moment, I saw that any future children I had would not be safe around his family... it was clear to me I could never marry into a family that would be so enamoured by their ignorance.
- "I Was A Thing Of Beauty!" – The Wedding, Weave & Wakeup Call
Escaping Britain
Tomiwa Folorunso
The Black Women Who've Left The UK For The Rest Of Europe
Thursday 22 April 2021 7:00 AM
“In the UK you have all this talk of BAME and being a minority. You’re really not a minority! It’s nice here to be amongst people who look like you do and to escape from the Babylonian nonsense”
- Escaping Babylon: The Millennial Black Women Who Left The UK For New Lives In The Caribbean
The Impact of Covid on Black Women
Kelechi Okafor
Lessons, Reflections And Revelations After One Year Of Lockdown
Tuesday 9 March 2021 10:00 AM
Vanessa Ayo
Putting On A Brave Face: The Realities Of Dating Post-Covid
Thursday 11 March 2021 7:00 AM
Tolani McQueen
What I Learned From Losing All My Close Relationships During Lockdown
Wednesday 8 September 2021 10:30 AM
Black in White Spaces
Real or fake hair, European in texture or African in volume, it seems as though black women can never escape toxic stereotypes no matter the hairstyle.
- Why Can't I Wear My 30-Inch Wig To Work? The Other Side Of Corporate Hair Discrimination
Black Womanhood in British Society
Black Ballad
Remembering The Black Women Victims Who Are So Easily Forgotten
Monday 15 March 2021 8:00 AM
When the stories are covered, the coverage of missing Black women tends to be focused on their problems such as troubled past or an abusive partner. In contrast, missing white women are covered as mothers or daughters. The media depicts Black women and girls as the ‘runaways’, never the missing person
- Remembering The Black Women Victims Who Are So Easily Forgotten
Founder's Letters
Tobi Oredein
Founder's Letter: Living In UK Is The Ghetto - Why Haven't I Moved?
Sunday 26 September 2021 10:52 PM
Tobi Oredein
Founder's Letter: Meghan Markle, Sarah Everard & British Racism
Sunday 14 March 2021 11:29 PM
Tobi Oredein
Founder's Letter: Kaz Exposes How The World Really Sees BW's Beauty
Sunday 15 August 2021 10:00 PM
Beauty
Ata-owaji Victor
Is Fake Tan The Beauty Secret Black Women Are Missing Out On?
Wednesday 17 March 2021 7:00 AM
"Whilst the Black Church fashioned and equipped me in ways that I will forever cherish, it too left me with deep scars and associations. In no arena has this been more pronounced than in my relationship with my own body, sex and sexuality."
- Purity Culture, Feminist Theology & The Sex Our Foremothers Never Got To Have
Sex & Spirituality
Rasheeda Page-Muir
Purity Culture, Feminist Theology & The Sex Our Foremothers Never Had
Tuesday 2 February 2021 7:00 AM
Family Dynamics
Ibianga Evans
Confronting My Childhood And Righting My Parents' Wrongs
Friday 26 February 2021 7:00 AM
Jamila Pereira
Let’s Talk About Toxic Aunties & Their Role As Enablers Of Abuse
Monday 23 August 2021 7:00 AM
Tobi Oredein
Founder's Letter: Living In UK Is The Ghetto - Why Haven't I Moved?
Sunday 26 September 2021 10:52 PM
Health
Isaura Barbé-Brown
I Decided To Freeze My Eggs: Here's What Happened Step-By-Step
Wednesday 20 January 2021 7:00 AM
Stephanie Ozuo
What An ADHD Diagnosis Means For My Concept Of Black Womanhood
Monday 11 January 2021 7:00 AM
Get unlimited access to the top 25 stories from 2021, plus 1,000+ more stories, discounts to Black Ballad events & a community that puts black women first with a Black Ballad Membership!
Use code BESTOF21 at checkout before 18th January @ 23:59 & get 60% off any BB membership for the next 12 months!
The Top 25 List
Harmony Knight
Clueless: What I Learned From Dating (A Lot) Of White Boys
Friday 24 September 2021 9:00 AM
Tobi Oredein
Founder's Letter: Kaz Exposes How The World Really Sees BW's Beauty
Sunday 15 August 2021 10:00 PM
Tolani McQueen
What I Learned From Losing All My Close Relationships During Lockdown
Wednesday 8 September 2021 10:30 AM
Keturah Kendrick
Unmarried & Unbothered: Black Women Who Prefer Autonomy Over Marriage
Monday 6 September 2021 10:30 AM
Tobi Oredein
Founder's Letter: Meghan Markle, Sarah Everard & British Racism
Sunday 14 March 2021 11:29 PM
Ata-owaji Victor
Is Fake Tan The Beauty Secret Black Women Are Missing Out On?
Wednesday 17 March 2021 7:00 AM
Stephanie Ozuo
What An ADHD Diagnosis Means For My Concept Of Black Womanhood
Monday 11 January 2021 7:00 AM
Isaura Barbé-Brown
I Decided To Freeze My Eggs: Here's What Happened Step-By-Step
Wednesday 20 January 2021 7:00 AM
Vanessa Ayo
Putting On A Brave Face: The Realities Of Dating Post-Covid
Thursday 11 March 2021 7:00 AM
Rasheeda Page-Muir
Purity Culture, Feminist Theology & The Sex Our Foremothers Never Had
Tuesday 2 February 2021 7:00 AM
Black Ballad
Remembering The Black Women Victims Who Are So Easily Forgotten
Monday 15 March 2021 8:00 AM
Kelechi Okafor
Lessons, Reflections And Revelations After One Year Of Lockdown
Tuesday 9 March 2021 10:00 AM
Tali Ramsey
Understanding The Rise Of YouTube's Black Femininity Coaches
Thursday 8 April 2021 7:00 AM
Tobi Oredein
Founder's Letter: Living In UK Is The Ghetto - Why Haven't I Moved?
Sunday 26 September 2021 10:52 PM
Jamila Pereira
Let’s Talk About Toxic Aunties & Their Role As Enablers Of Abuse
Monday 23 August 2021 7:00 AM
Ibianga Evans
Confronting My Childhood And Righting My Parents' Wrongs
Friday 26 February 2021 7:00 AM
Tomiwa Folorunso
The Black Women Who've Left The UK For The Rest Of Europe
Thursday 22 April 2021 7:00 AM