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So Funny It Hurts? Comedians Who Go Too Far
As comedian-actor Tracy Morgan continues the apology tour he embarked on after the public uproar over his homophobic comedy routine, there is something he said in the media that stands out for me. “I don’t believe that anyone should be bullied or just made to feel bad about who they are,” he said. Some comedians…
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Thank You, Don Lemon
When Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts took off her wig on the air, I cried. I’ve never had breast cancer, and there’s no history of it in my family, but seeing a fellow black female journalist — on such a high-profile morning show — bravely sharing her story filled me with admiration and respect.…
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Why I Speak Up for Black and Missing
The autopsy report came in last week. Sixteen-year-old Phylicia Barnes was murdered. Not that there was much doubt. But now it’s official. Police aren’t saying how or why, because it might hinder their investigation into who did this. As a journalist, I was hit especially hard when Barnes went missing the end of last year,…
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Domestic Violence Can Happen on a First Date
When I read the recent Rolling Stone cover story on Rihanna, I couldn’t help wondering how she is coping since breaking off her highly publicized abusive relationship with fellow singer Chris Brown two years ago. I know that recovering from a domestic attack is never easy. It happened to me almost 10 years ago. While…
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Good Sports: Encouraging Black Female Athletes
Many folks probably missed Wednesday’s headlines proclaiming the Texas A&M Lady Aggies the 2011 NCAA women’s basketball champions. It’s nothing new, but I am still amazed that girls’ and women’s sports don’t receive the recognition they deserve. It’s time the black community rallied to change that. More important than championship trophies, there is a long-lasting,…
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The Real Women of Hip-Hop Tackle Its Negative Images
Tom Joyner bills his annual Fantastic Voyage cruise as having just as much purpose as it does party. In between the water-gun fights, back-to-back concerts and late-night parties on this week’s cruise (full disclosure: I host a regular segment on the Tom Joyner Morning Show), I had the privilege of moderating a panel of amazing…
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Millennials and the 'American Idol' Syndrome
I had an assistant once who got an attitude with me because I made her stay in the office and work instead of accompanying me to a fun appearance with the morning radio show that I was co-hosting. Another time, she was frustrated because she had to make me tea every morning. She felt that…
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Fight Night: Black Women on Reality TV
It’s happened again. A video of teens fighting has gone viral. This time, police officials say the two girls met online and arranged to fight. The video, which one girl posted on Facebook, shows their meeting blow by blow, including one girl banging the other’s head against the ground. What may be more disturbing are…
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Charlie Wilson: El DeBarge Has His 'Full Support'
Charlie Wilson is traveling this week to visit U.S. soldiers in Iraq, where the R&B legend is in high demand. The first time he went, he says, soldiers stood in line for up to three hours to talk to him and get his autograph. Now, as he prepares for his third visit, he is among…
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Safe Havens: Saving Teen Moms
The baby didn’t have a chance. Monday evening, police found a newborn infant, lifeless, in a plastic bag near his 14-year-old mother’s bed after the teen, bleeding from having given birth, was rushed to the emergency room Monday morning. Her parents say that they didn’t know she was pregnant. Pending an investigation, this mother could…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
