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Which Will Be the Bigger Disaster? The Rio Olympics or the RNC?
Three of the largest media events in the world are about to kick off over the next three weeks and two of them have all the earmarks of an explosive epic failure: The Republican National Convention in Cleveland, OH, headed by presumptive nominee Donald Trump (happening July 18th to 22nd) and the Olympics in Rio…
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Donald Trump Picks Mike Pence as His VP and It Probably Won’t Matter
To paraphrase a musical icon gone all too soon, unlike books, black lives and albums, the vice presidential pick really doesn’t matter. However, like a sullen 12-year-old forced to go to his uncle’s wedding, America had to wait with bated breath to see exactly who Donald Trump picked to be his vice presidential nominee. And…
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5 Things That Show America Has Gotten Worse Since Dallas Shootings
It has been less than a week since the “newsplosion” of the police-shooting deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile and the ambush of five Dallas police officers, and America is still in recovery mode. There have been the obligatory calls for healing, ubiquitous photos of black people hugging white police officers and a few…
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Remember Health Care? No One Else Does
I am feeling really nostalgic for the good old days of 2009. Remember when Ashton Kutcher and Snooki were the biggest names on Twitter? Before Kanye was Yeezy and LeBron was a pre-“decision” Cavalier? In those good old days of yore, the United States was engulfed in a serious conversation about the future of health…
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What The Secret Life of Pets Gets Wrong About Black Power and White Privilege
There is no such thing as a kids movie anymore. Those days ended around the time that Aladdin and his genie were bopping around a fake Agrabah on a magic carpet. In the last 25 years or so, exclusively children-targeted programs have moved to Netflix, Cartoon Network or direct-to-video. Somebody in Hollywood wisely realized that…
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Star-Spangled Bigotry: The Hidden Racist History of the National Anthem
Americans generally get a failing grade when it comes to knowing our “patriotic songs.” I know more people who can recite “America, F—k Yeah” from Team America than “America the Beautiful.” “Yankee Doodle”? No one older than a fifth-grader in chorus class remembers the full song. “God Bless America”? More people know the Rev. Jeremiah…
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Burp on the 4th of July: Meet Gideon Oji, Champion of Competitive Hot Dog Eating
Fourth of July weekend is officially the end of the major-sports season and the high point of summer fun. LeBron already has his championship, Wimbledon is almost over, and everyone is barbecuing and taking road trips. That is, unless, your name is Gideon Oji. Oji’s biggest game of the season is on July 4 at…
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Explainer: How a Racist, Anti-Immigrant Campaign Caused ‘Brexit’
The last 72 hours have been a whirlwind of news in the United States—Supreme Court rulings, the Freddie Gray case and the Democrats’ House of Representatives sit-in for starters. Across the pond, however, there was a vote that not only is horribly instructive for what could happen in America this fall but, worse, could also…
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Review: Free State of Jones, White Savior or Nah?
When I saw the first trailer for Free State of Jones, I knew I was not going to like it. White guy leads rebellion of poor whites and runaway blacks in the Civil War? I expected another white-savior movie where the hero gets the post-racial bonus prize of the black girlfriend or wife for his…
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5 Ways the Game of Thrones Pre-Finale Was More Satisfying Than the NBA Finals
Sunday night was a tough decision for me. Two major television events, overlapping each other; each with huge consequences that would drive social media conversation for days. Would I go to a bar with friends and yell at the TV for two-and-a-half hours watching the NBA Finals Game 7 between the Cleveland LeBrons and the…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
