The disappointing results of last month’s Golden Globes, with so few honors going to black actors and filmmakers—with the notable exception of 12 Years a Slave for best dramatic picture—begs a perennial question. How much should blacks expect of mainstream America to validate their arts, letters, films and other creative works? This is an old…

I recently taught history to a group of Harlem’s best and brightest teens. They are kids from all walks of life. Some are outgoing and energetic. Others are shy and reserved. All of them are leaning forward, toward a brighter future, leaving the past behind. These young people are very much like you. Their optimism…

Rodney King’s death just as protesters were demonstrating against abusive police practices in New York City cemented his spot in history, Khalil Gibran Muhammad writes in a piece for the Guardian. With the exception of what was televised during the riots, police violence had remained covert and invisible outside poor black communities. The crisis of…

In an op-ed for the New York Times, Khalil Gibran Muhammad takes on those who deflect complaints about racism against black people by playing “the violence card”: suggesting that “black people should worry more about the harm they do to themselves and less about how victimized they are by others.” Some have used this tactic…