World AIDS Day occurs annually on December 1. It is a worldwide opportunity to unite all of us in the fight to eliminate HIV, honor those we've lost, and show support for people living with HIV. For me, this day represents a time for reflection and action. This year I'm reflecting on how much the music of my childhood continues to impact me.

Darian Aaron reviews Janet Jackson, the two-night Lifetime/A&E documentary. From the radical self-ownership of Control to the boundary-shattering queer advocacy of The Velvet Rope, Aaron traces how Jackson built a blueprint that shaped an entire generation of Black artists while an industry machine tried its best to bury her, all without her saying a word.