Zeituni Onyango, the aunt of President Obama, became ill in January and passed away on Tuesday at the age of 61. According to NPR, Onyango had been receiving treatment for respiratory problems and cancer within recent months. She died at a Boston rehabilitation center in her sleep. Onyango moved to the United States in 2000.…

Canadian twins Nia and Imani Lindsay will join one of the world’s leading ballet training programs this summer. The sisters, 10, were awarded scholarships to attend the American Ballet Theatre’s “Young Dancer Summer Workshop” in New York. The twins, who began walking at just 8 months old, are also skilled in acrobatics, tap, jazz, hip-hop…

A new study shows that the school-to-prison pipeline starts earlier than we thought. According to data released this week by the Education Department’s civil rights arm, black children accounted for about 18 percent of preschool enrollment but for half of the students suspended more than once, the Associated Press reports. The data show that overall,…

A growing collective of young black feminists is helping to give voice to communities that have long gone unheard and underrepresented. Social media platforms such as Twitter have given this new generation of activists a place to build community, to debate gender and sexual politics, and to use as a springboard for a career. Here’s…

On March 8 and 9, SXSW, also known as South by Southwest—the popular interactive, music and film conference held every year in Austin, Texas—featured a pitch competition for tech start-ups. The prestigious competition allows the burgeoning firms to gain further exposure. We’ve highlighted four start-ups with co-founders who are of African descent. 1. Ricardo Rodriguez, Qlovi…

I’ve often thought of doing what Sylvia Plath described so poetically: “I thought it would be easy, lying in the tub and seeing the redness flower from my wrists … till I sank to sleep under a surface gaudy as poppies.” Ever the poet, even my suicidal ideations are perfectly crafted for greatest artistic impact.…

What would you write if you knew those words might be your last? Ray Jasper is a death row inmate in Texas. His execution is scheduled for March 19. According to Gawker, at the age of 19 Jasper was convicted of the 1998 robbery and murder of recording studio owner David Alejandro. He wrote a…

A pastor in Kenya has reportedly banned women from wearing underwear to church in order to receive Christ “free in body and spirit”. Ok, sir. While the rest of us must have missed that order in Sunday School, Reverend Njohi of the Lord’s Propeller Redemption Church in Nairobi, is adamant that his parishioners follow the new rules.…

This isn’t a Hollywood rags-to-riches story, yet. Despite being Oscar-nominated for his role in the movie Captain Phillips, actor Barkhad Abdi is allegedly broke. According to the New Yorker, the actor was paid only $65,000 for his role as Muse, a Somali pirate. Captain Phillips went on to earn $210 million worldwide. The New Yorker…