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What a Trump Presidency Would Mean for Black America, Explained
Who is Ted Cruz? Well, I feel the same way with Donald Trump. Not that he’s going to come out the closet as a Bornean orangutan. (Although that’s still on the table.) Just that I’m not at all surprised that someone like him could receive such support and advance so far. As ugly as the…
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How The Reaction To Larry Wilmore's "Nigga" Drop At The WHCD Was Peak White Tears, Explained
Who is Barack Obama? From 2008 to 2015, Barack Obama was the President of the United States. Now, however, he is the Grand Supreme Wizard of Nofucksistan. He presides over a land encompassed of fields and fields and fields of no fucks as far as thine eyes can see; cities with names like “Nah” and “ILeftMyLastFuckin2014”;…
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11 Thoughts That Ran Through My Mind While Watching the Roots Remake With a Random White Woman Sitting Next to Me
Last week I was invited to a screening at the Tribeca Film Festival of the first episode of the Roots remake, set to premiere on the History Channel on Memorial Day. During the screening, which took place at the School of Visual Arts Theatre in New York City, a random white woman sat in the seat right…
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Akiba Solomon Is A Writing Ass Chick We Love
Akiba Solomon is the shit. This goes without saying, of course. You don’t become an editor at The Source and the person behind the political humor column “What the F@#k” while there…and co-edit Naked: Black Women Bare All About Their Skin, Hair, Hips, Lips, and Other Parts…and work for Jane, Essence, and Vibe Vixen…and currently…
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Where "Becky" Comes From, And Why It's Not Racist, Explained
Who is Beyonce? Beyonce is a Creole surfborting maven who, if she was an athlete, would be tested for PEDs (performance enhancing drugs) right now. Why’s that? Because the difference between 2005 Beyonce and Beyonce today is like the difference between pre-steroid Barry Bonds and post-steroid, head the size of a Toyota Prius on 26-inch…
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The Easiest And Quickest Way To Make A Bunch Of White People Mad At You (Hint: Just Say "No")
Last week, when walking through the door at one of the four coffee shops/cafes in my “this is where I’m working today” rotation — a placement determined by an algorithm that includes a free and strong wifi signal, food, available parking, lukewarm toilet seats, nice people working there, and an average room temperature conducive to Black…
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Why Black Women Should Have the 1st Glass of Beyoncé’s Lemonade, Explained
What is Lemonade? Lemonade is my favorite fruit-related beverage. It’s great with everything—raspberries, artificial raspberry flavor, oranges, iced tea, gin, vodka, post-fellatio conversations about groceries, etc.—which makes it both versatile and delicious. It’s also both the title of Beyoncé’s new album and the hourlong film accompanying it. Wait … Beyoncé has a new album? How…
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Dear White People Who Write Things: Here's How To Write About Beyonce's Lemonade
Yesterday, to culminate one of the two or three Blackest weeks of my lifetime, Beyonce debuted Lemonade, a beautiful, haunting, brilliant, and Black as all the fucks hour-long visual rendering of her new album. The album, also titled Lemonade, was made available on Tidal (sigh) when the film concluded. Naturally, this film and the album dominated pop culture last…
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Prince Was Unapologetically Black Before It Was Cool To Be So
Thursday night, I attended a screening of the Roots reboot at the Tribeca Film Festival. While in the van on the way to the post-screening reception, I met Alondra Nelson — Dean of Social Sciences at Columbia University — and a conversation about Roots segued into a conversation about her work in genealogy, which then…
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Harriet Tubman On The $20 Is, Officially, The Blackest Thing That Will Ever Happen
I was going to create of a list of things Blacker than the face of Harriet Tubman — perhaps the fiercest and baddest person to ever plant a foot on American soil — replacing Andrew Jackson’s on the 20. This list would have included things like a spades game between Nat Turner, Shirley Chisholm, Nikki Giovanni, and…
