The National Center for Health Statistics says that although there remains a difference of four years between the life spans of white Americans and black Americans, overall, life expectancy for black Americans is improving, according to the New York Times. With a 17 percent increase in life expectancy at birth and an 11-year increase in…

Including hip-hip in the curriculum is not a new thing at universities, but Harvard University is taking its collaboration with the art form a step further. MTV is reporting that the prestigious Ivy League school has partnered with the organization Hiphop Archive to create the Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellowship in honor of legendary rapper Nas. …

A day after juror B37 from the George Zimmerman trial appeared on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 for an interview, four of her fellow jurors from the trial released a public statement, reports the Associated Press. Though the jurors came to the same verdict in deciding that Zimmerman was not guilty on counts of second-degree murder…

Lumbar lordosis is the technical term for a curve in the lower spine, which can cause a protrusion of the buttocks. But when Terry Ragland of Jackson, Tenn., was diagnosed with the condition, Dr. Timothy Sweo chose to phrase it differently. “He said, ‘I know what the problem is. It’s ghetto booty,’ ” Ragland told…

When 73-year-old soul singer Lester Chambers took time out of his performance to dedicate his rendition of Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready” to the life of Trayvon Martin, there was a chance some people would walk out in protest. What he didn’t expect was one audience member to charge the stage instead, but that’s exactly…

On Sunday, fashion heads were finally able to get their hands on the highly anticipated collaboration between Kanye West and French fashion brand A.P.C. in stores around the country and online, causing the label’s U.S. website to crash. Considering one of the prized items in the collection was a short-sleeve, heather-gray hoodie (pictured above), the…

Fruitvale Station will not be one of the top 10 titles listed in this past weekend’s box office, but when looked at on its own, the independent film, which debuted in seven theaters nationwide, had a remarkable opening. Deadline reports that the film, about the 2009 killing of 22-year-old Oscar Grant III by a transit…

In Queens, N.Y., Minerva Zanca, principal of Pan American International High School, has been accused of calling several black teachers “gorillas” and talking about their “nappy hair” and “big lips,” according to the Huffington Post. The teachers have filed complaints with the Department of Education Office of Equal Opportunity. Members of the New York City…

A recent study determined that the performance of white students, not black students, moves the needle on education reform, according to the Huffington Post. The report, titled “The Political Foundation of the Black-White Education Gap,” shows how low a priority it is for politicians to pass legislation that would close the achievement gap between white…

Ava DuVernay, the independent film director known for her two critically acclaimed dramas, 2011’s I Will Follow and 2012’s Middle of Nowhere, has been chosen to direct the Martin Luther King Jr. feature drama Selma, according to Deadline.  DuVernay was chosen by Brad Pitt’s Plan B production company to take over after the film’s original director, Lee…