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When Whites Gawk at Black Performance
In a piece at Slate, Aisha Harris describes how white people are often peculiarly fascinated by black performance, and how their praise and gawking can often be demonstrative of a “fetishization” of black people and black culture. I get it — most white people rarely ever have to consider their whiteness in social settings, so they…
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Black Actresses in Hollywood: Still in the Shadows
“It’s not just that black actresses are auditioning and not getting cast in larger roles — it seems that they are frequently absent from the casting process entirely,” Aisha Harris writes in a piece at Slate that challenges a claim that this has been a great year in film and television for black women. ……
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The Story Behind 'Fruitvale Station'
Slate‘s Aisha Harris predicts that the film about the last day in the life of Oscar Grant — who was fatally shot by a police officer in Oakland, Calif. — will be both powerful and unsettling. Shot on location in Oakland, Fruitvale Station, the feature debut of director Ryan Coogler, takes place on the last…
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Will Lauryn Hill's New Album Be Any Good?
The press attention about Lauryn Hill’s tax troubles has revealed one bright spot: She’s preparing new music. But Aisha Harris wonders on Slate if 15 years after her debut album, will Hill be able to recreate the magic? Referring to the “old conflict between art and commerce,” she wrote: This is about inequity, and the…
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Mary J Blige's Burger King Ad Isn't Racist
In a piece for Slate‘s culture blog, Aisha Harris argues that the controversial pulled spot in which Mary J. Blige sings about fried chicken wraps is embarrassing, but for reasons that have nothing to do with racial stereotypes. It is short-sighted — and frankly, insulting to Blige — to attribute the Burger King spot to…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
