-
Friends and Family Remember Malcolm Shabazz in New York
(The Root) — Family and friends gathered to remember Malcolm Shabazz at a memorial service at First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem on Thursday morning. Shabazz, the grandson of Malcolm X, died in Mexico on May 9 at the age of 28. Unconfirmed reports say that he was killed during a bar fight-cum-robbery. “We are…
-
AfroPunk: The Other Black Experience
(The Root) — There’s something about Brooklyn in summer. The Fort Greene neighborhood was the first place in the Big Apple that I, a 22-year-old budding journalist from Northern California, really called home. There were artists, hipsters, hippies, hip-hoppers, neo-soulers and punks, and everyone was black. I’d never seen anything like that all rolled up…
-
Obama: Oklahoma Will Bounce Back With Our Help
On Sunday, President Obama toured the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, an area hardest hit by the tornadoes last week, before delivering remarks and asking Americans to donate recovery funds, reports CNN. Funeral homes and churches were busy with services nearly a week after the devastating storm, which killed 24 people, injured more than 375 others…
-
Man Dies After Being Beaten by Sacramento Cops
A Sacramento, Calif., man died in custody earlier this week after he was repeatedly struck by police. Local CBS News station CBS 13 reports that the man stopped breathing in custody and was taken to a local hospital, where he expired. The suspect’s name has yet to be released by authorities. Video … shows a…
-
Kanye West's 'New Slaves' Screenings Shut Down in Houston
On Friday, Kanye West’s Houston screenings for the visual companion to the new single from his upcoming album, Yeezus, “New Slaves,” were a bust, according to the Houston Chronicle. It’s unclear why the screenings didn’t proceed as planned. Houston police shut down the Yeezus revival at Rothko. Despite an upbeat, respectful crowd, they pulled several…
-
Brazil to 'Write Off' $900M in African Debt
At the recent African Union summit in Ethiopia, Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff announced that she would write off or restructure $900 million in African debt to her country. BBC News reports that Rousseff hopes this move will further open business deals between Brazil and the resource-rich continent. Congo-Brazzaville owes the most to Brazil – $352m…
-
Tavis Smiley: White House Pressured Sponsors to Pull Support
On Friday, television and radio host Tavis Smiley celebrated the 10th anniversary of his Tavis Smiley show on PBS and defended his right to critique President Obama, reports Lynn Elber of the Associated Press (via the Huffington Post). According to Elber, Smiley says freedom of speech hasn’t come without its price and that sponsors have been…
-
Black Churches Struggle as Harlem Gentrifies
As Harlem’s racial makeup changes, membership at some of the historical churches has fallen and so have the tithe amounts, reports the New York Times. The tourists often put offerings in the collection basket. But then they are gone. And so despite the draw, churches like Canaan are struggling. And at the heart of the struggle…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
