The Black Umbrella

Happy #TBUthursday! Frenchie’s FTB segment talks all about the drama between AKAs and Trick Daddy, Deontay Wilder’s less-than-smart comments, and Kristi Noem’s hot air balloon! Having trouble sleeping? Nika has some tips for you to help enhance your quality of sleep. We give our thoughts on them and share what we do that helps us sleep.  WOTD:  Device - a piece of equipment or a mechanism designed...

Happy #TBUthursday! Life has its ups and downs, and sometimes it can be hard to press on when you’re in low spirits or feel like you are hitting a wall at every turn. Wes leads this week’s under our umbrella with a little encouragement in letting us all know life is still what we make it as long as we put in the necessary work and hold ourselves accountable. Don’t give up :). WOTD: Urge- a continu...

Happy #TBUthursday! Sometimes you just need to have faith and step into your purpose. Frenchie talks to us about our growth in the year and how sometimes we can get in our own way in order to stay surrounded by what’s familiar. However, what’s familiar won’t help you grow.  WOTD: Pretend- to give a false appearance of being, possessing, or performing. Question: What would you do if you saw someone...

Happy #TBUthursday! Mercury is in retrograde, and the technology is on the fritz! Join us as Frenchie gives us the dos and don'ts of decorating the bathroom & her thoughts on Jack Harlow’s identity crisis. Nika challenges us to create our own 2026 Bingo Card in this week's under our umbrella segment.  WOTD: Remember- to bring to mind or think of again Question: What’s the first movie you remem...

Happy #TBUthursday! Have you ever had to hold a friend's hand and tell them they are wrong? That’s the question Wes asks us in this week's Under Our Umbrella Segment. Also, Frenchie highlights the danger in the ongoing erasure of older forms of multimedia (DVDs, VCRs, CDs. etc.)  WOTD: Pet- a domesticated animal kept for pleasure rather than utility  Question: Are there animals that you’d...

Happy #TBUthursday! Frenchie opens up this week's Under Our Umbrella on the topic of forgiveness. What do you consider to be an efficient apology? We’ve all been hurt at some point in our lives and have had to be on the receiving end of an apology. We highlight what things attribute to an efficient apology.  WOTD: Wedding- a marriage ceremony, usually with its accompanying festivities: Nuptial...

Happy Black History Month! This week, we highlight Fredrick McKinley Jones, a prolific African American inventor who patented over sixty devices, most notably the first successful mobile refrigeration system for trucks.  Nika educates us on angel numbers in this week’s Under Our Umbrella. WOTD: Fortuitous- a formal word that usually describes something that comes or happens by a lucky chance. Ques...

Happy Black History Month! This week, we highlight Brenda Lee Banks, one of the first African American women to work as a professional animator. She worked on shows like The Simpsons, Looney Tunes, and King of the Hill. We watched the Netflix documentary Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model, and we all shared our thoughts on it.  WOTD: Crime- an illegal act of which someone can be punish...

Happy Black History Month! This week, we highlight Ms. Shirley Raines, founder of Beauty 2 The Streetz. Her organization focuses on providing services such as hair, makeup, hygiene, and food to those who need them most. Check out b2tz.org to learn more about the organization and how you can donate your time or money towards the cause.  Rest in peace Ms. Shirley. Frenchie welcomes us aboard the lov...

Happy Black History Month! This week, we highlight the father of Black History Month, Carter G. Woodson.  Nika has us reflect on past mistakes we’ve made as children that have helped us grow into the adults we are now in this week's Under Our Umbrella.  WOTD: Client- One that is under the protection of another. Question: Who is your number one client in Traitors right now? FOR THE BIRDS:  -Wha...

Happy #tbuthursday! In this week's Under Our Umbrella, we reflect on what motivated us in the past, how it differs from what motivates us now, and the journey that led us there.  WOTD: Rage- A violent and uncontrolled anger Question: Who is an artist you’d rage to? FOR THE BIRDS:  -Does it matter how you are approached for a date? Do you have a certain protocol you would like to be followed? ...

Happy #TBUthursday! Welcome back, TBU family. We are thrilled to bring you season 8 of The Black Umbrella and have a lot in store for you this season.  WOTD: Interject- to throw in between or among other things.  Question: If you overheard someone talking about you, what could they say that would make you interject?  FOR THE BIRDS:  -Dating Profile Faux Pas  -N-C-L-E-C-T-A GUST OF WIND:  Throwback...

Happy #TBUthursday! Today is a bittersweet moment as we close out our season 7. Thank you all so much for riding with us throughout this season and tuning in every #TBUThursday to get your dose of what we have to talk about. Comment on your favorite moments from Season 7; we would love to hear them. Until then, see you all next year for a very special Season 8 ;).     WOTD: Scare- to frighten, esp...

Happy #TBUthursday! We are in the throes of the last quarter, and burnout has officially made its presence known. Wes asks Frenchies and Nika about the tools they use to help with burnout.     WOTD: Fantasize- to create or develop—imaginative and often fantastic views or ideas. Question: What is something you used to fantasize about as a child? Join our Discord and chat with us!:  https://discord....

Happy #TBUthursday! Frenchie keeps it chill in this week's under our umbrella and checks in with us just to see how we are doing on the personal goals we set for the year.    WOTD: Date- an appointment to meet at a specified time Question: Would you let your parents set you up on a blind date?  Join our Discord and chat with us!:  https://discord.com/invite/rX9yCksxaJ Click the link below to c...

Happy #TBUthursday! Nika tells us all about what it means to root for an underdog on the heels of Ashley Hollis winning Big Brother 27.   WOTD: Bodyguard- a person or group of people hired to escort and protect another person, especially a dignitary.  Question: What is a silly way you would protect people if you were a bodyguard?  Join our Discord and chat with us!:  https://discord.com/invite/rX9...

Happy #TBUthursday! We are now living in a nation where this government's administration views exercising our First Amendment as a privilege and not our constitutional right. We should all be concerned about access to reliable information channels that are not controlled by the government.  Today we air out our grievances and brainstorm how we can continue to fight for rights while living unde...

Happy #TBUthursday! Frenchie leads us in this week's under our umbrella segment, where we discuss the importance of our friends' opinions on who we date.  WOTD: Sport- an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. Question: What would you be MVP of if it were a sport? Join our Discord and chat with us!...

Happy #TBUthursday! Nika leads us in this week's under our umbrella, where she asks us questions surrounding our favorite moments in cinema.  WOTD: Stardom- the status of being famous exceptionally talented perfromer in the world of entertainment or sports.  Question: Who do you think is on track to stardom in the music industry  Join our Discord and chat with us!:  https://discord.com/invite/...

Happy #TBUthursday! Wes recently went to see The Roses , a movie that chronicles a couple falling in love with each other to the point where they lose sight of the reason why they fell in love in the first place. That movie inspired him to open up a conversation on the three driving factors that led to their downfall: money, communication, and their social circle.   WOTD: Snap- to make a snapping...

Happy #TBUthursday!  We spent three months following these islanders on their journey to find love, and after one month out of the villa, the time has come for them to reunite and address everything that’s happened both in and outside of the villa. We get together and share our thoughts on this juicy reunion, discussing what we wanted versus what we got.   WOTD: Plead- make an emotional appeal Que...

Happy #TBUthursday! What would you do with half a million dollars this summer? Nika had some fun with us this week, asking us if we had half a million dollars to spend and another half to hide somewhere secluded, where we would hide, and what we would spend the other half on. We only have three months, so it’s time to lock in and ball out.    WOTD: glitch- a sudden, usually temporary malfunction o...

Happy #TBUthursday! Want to get away? We discuss the benefits of carving out time to take short trips away from home and simply unplug and relax.   WOTD: propaganda- information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view Question: What propaganda are you not falling for? Join our Discord and chat with us!:  https://disco...

Happy #TBUthursday! Do you have any heirlooms that have been passed down through generations in your family? Frenchie leads a discussion on traditions and the passing down of “Recipes” within each of our family units and how these things have helped to keep us connected to our roots.   WOTD: doppelgänger- an apparition or double of a living person Question: Have you ever seen a doppelgänger of som...

Happy #TBUthursday! This week, we discuss one of our favorite shows, Big Brother! There is a quirky bunch in the house this season, and we are here to catch you all up on it.   WOTD: Household- a house and its occupants regarded as a unity Question: In Big Brother as HOH, you can pick an album to listen to. What album would you choose? Join our Discord and chat with us!:  https://discord.com/invit...