Author Talk: A Conversation with Elondra Birchfield author of Purple Hearts: Maya’s Journey With BTS We all have an origin story of how we started our journey as fans of K-pop and Korean culture. For some, it was a way to connect to a culture and community that we were already familiar with. The journey … More A Journey into Becoming ARMY and Beyond
Starting in the United States in 1999 and adapted globally over time, every year June is recognized in most parts of the world as Pride Month. For those of you not familiar, Pride is a global celebration and recognition of the LGBTQ+ community. However, Pride is not as widely celebrated in some countries. If it … More Korea and Pride: Queer Culture in the Background
아니요! 만지지 마세요! No! Please Don’t Touch!” This may be one of the first phases in Korean that some Black foreigners learn while spending any type of time in South Korea. Whether you are there for a week or two as a tourist, there for a few months as a foreign exchange student or have … More The Unicorn in a Foreign Land: The Black Experience in South Korea
Back in January, I was scrolling through my Instagram, and I see a post by one of my favorite Black American comics Kevin Fredericks (KevOnStage) and to my surprise there was a clip of the recent Korean pop group Got7’s fan-meet concert Nestfest. The caption on the clip says, “He’s not a Delta.” Confused, I … More Here We Go Again: Korean Entertainment Lack of Awareness
Recently I had a friend ask me about the name of this blog, The Melanin Ajumma, and why I had chosen such a name. Being Black American, she understood the melanin part of the name, but not being familiar with Korean Culture, she had no idea the reasoning behind Ajumma. It then hit me, that … More Why do I call myself the Melanin Ajumma?
In the United States, the entire month of February is observed as Black History Month. Stating in 1926 as “Negro History Week”, Black History Month evolved into an entire month celebration and achievements of African Americans in the U.S in 1976. This Black History Month, I wanted to shine a light on some Black creatives … More Black Creatives in the Korean Music Industry
As I revisited my favorite Korean Pop albums of 2021, I found myself listening to “Magic Carpet Ride” by NCT 127 on repeat. I grew up in the 90’s where R&B was king and you would sit anticipating when you could here your favorite songs on the radio. “Magic Carpet Ride” give me the same … More Harvey Mason Jr: A potential ally for K-Pop inclusivity into The Recording Academy-Grammy’s
On May 26th 2021, McDonald’s launched the BTS meal in select countries. The meal consist of 10 piece nuggets, medium fries and medium drink. Over all, nothing special about this meal and it’s usually a part of McD’s combo meals in the U.S. However what made this meal truly special are the Sweet Chili and … More BTSxMcDonald’s: What a mess!!! I’m Not Lovin’ It!
It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything. Not for lack of trying, there are so many things I want to talk about. I actually have about 4 articles that are partially written. However, after contracting Covid in January my focus and energy is just not the the same. It’s been hard keeping focused to … More Site Update and A new series
The success of Dynamite, charting the number one and two spots off and on since it’s release, has made buzz throughout the industry. This now has people talking, including ARMY, about BTS being eligible for a Grammy nomination. Grammy nominations will be announced November 24th with the awards tentative date for January 31, 2021. Although … More BTS and the Grammy’s: An Unpopular Opinion
The Melanin Ajumma 