Prince, Michael Jackson and Madonna. One last name, three big birthdays. The big 5-0. Mike crossed the threshold on August 29. Madonna hit it on August 16, and Prince is the elder of the bunch, having turned 50 on June 7. Fifty? How did that happen? To some, 50 is a marvelous milestone; to some…

Dad was a revolutionary. A prolific artist and intellectual, a driving force in the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s, founder of the artists’ collective AfriCobra (African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists) and retired dean of the Howard University College of Fine Arts, Jeff R. Donaldson created works that are world-renowned, brilliant and timeless. But…

The close of the writer’s strike-shortened television season – the endless season finales and salacious sweeps week programming – has made me think about how far television has evolved. But as I thought, specifically about how African Americans are represented on television, I realized that I could still count the notable and inspiring black characters…