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Halle Berry and the Resurgence of the Tragic Mulatto
Halle Berry’s recent comments in Ebony magazine have brought up the complex subject of racial identity, which still seems to confuse many Americans. Asked if her daughter, Nahla, is African American, the Oscar-winning actress answered, “I feel like she’s black. I’m black and I’m her mother, and I believe in the one-drop theory.” Blogs raged,…
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Jamaica's Violent Homophobia
The country of Jamaica is almost as well-known for violent homophobia as it is for dreadlocks, reggae and Bob Marley. In 2006, Time magazine named Jamaica the most homophobic place on earth. The country is certainly living up to that title. On Monday, Feb. 28, a man believed to be gay was found raped and…
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A Fond Farewell to Liz Taylor
The term “movie star” is easily tossed around these days. Anyone who is a consistent cover girl on Us Weekly can be deemed a movie star, but very few of the starlets of 2011 can compete with the true divas of yesteryear: Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Marilyn Monroe and, one of the originals, Dame Elizabeth…
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Tyler Perry: Why Cry Over Criticism?
Tyler Perry sounded like he was channeling Madea herself last week when the usually reserved filmmaker told reporters that his fellow director — and critic — Spike Lee “can go right to hell, and all y’all can print that!” He got his wish — the quote has been printed worldwide. No stranger to feuds, Spike…
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Blacks: Having the Most Homophobic Month Ever
This time of the year should be celebratory for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community. It’s LGBT Pride Month, which was made official by President Barack Obama in 2010. New York City’s Pride events kick off this week, and in a matter of days, New York may become the most populous state in…
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Amy Winehouse and the Spell of the Blues
We are all singing the blues today. Earlier today, the singer-songwriter Amy Jade Winehouse, 27, was found dead in her London home. Eerily, the “Rehab” songstress goes down in rock-and-roll history as another casualty of the 27 Club, which includes Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin and several others — blues and rock…
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Phyllis Hyman: Ode to a Sophisticated Lady
If you’ve ever listened to a Phyllis Hyman song and not been rocked to your core, then clearly you have never endured the pain of a broken heart. With the exception of some blues singers, Hyman is arguably the most gut-wrenching, ferocious and powerful lady of heartbreak in song. Her voice channels the deepest of…
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Remembering Whitney Houston
Twenty-six years ago this month, Whitney Houston won her first Grammy for best female pop vocal performance for the classic “Saving All My Love for You.” The newcomer at the time beat out other divas like Madonna, Tina Turner and Pat Benatar. This 1986 Grammy win would begin a streak of 415 career awards, from…
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For Colored Boys: The End of an Invisible Life
At the Huffington Post, Clay Cane muses about how much has changed for gay men of color between 1995’s and 2012’s artistic depictions of their experiences. The voices in For Colored Boys represent empowerment, which isn’t always beautiful and sometimes laced with grit. We colored boys are slapping flesh onto a monolithic image of black…
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Race and 'The Real World'
(The Root) — This weekend, thanks to MTV’s marathons of retro seasons of The Real World, I accidentally time-warped back to 1992. Remember that year? George H.W. Bush lost the presidency to Bill Clinton, “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston set musical records and the City of Angels burned with the riots over…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
