-
Debbie Wasserman Schultz Shoots Herself in the Foot Right Before the DNC
The Wikileaks drop on Friday has brought up the dreaded words “email,” “rigged” and “Debbie Wasserman Schultz” again right before a week that was supposed to eliminate all of those words from the minds of Democratic National Convention-goers and viewers. Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz will resign from her position at the end…
-
Donald Trump, America’s Savior: 3 Takeaways From His RNC Speech
On Thursday night, I sat in a booth with several other journalists and watched Donald Trump tell America he was going to save us. He was going to save us from the undocumented immigrant criminals, the lazy politicians, the bad trade deals, the violence in our streets and the terrorism abroad. His speech was more…
-
Ted Cruz Defies GOP, Won’t Endorse Trump, Is Gangsta
The Republican convention has been hard to watch this week, and not just because of the loud, gaudy, Hunger Games-like banners floating across the stage. The convention, which is supposed to highlight what the Republican Party has to offer the American people (and demonstrate unity), has failed at almost every level. First you had the…
-
Keep America Safe Again: A Black Person’s Guide to Safety, Space and Activism at the RNC
“Be safe.” “Stay safe, brother.” “Be safe, praying for you.” These are the paraphrases of just about every text, Facebook post and social media DM I’ve received since spreading the word that I was headed to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this week. The absolute palpable fear on the part of black people I…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
