-
Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and the Hypocritical Screams of White America After the Dallas Cop Shootings
There was a moment when white Americans felt the dread black Americans live with daily. It happened Dec. 14, 2012, when a shooter entered a Newtown, Conn., elementary school and fatally shot 20 children between the ages of 6 and 7. The notion of safety was shown to be a fraud. The unfairness and vulnerability…
-
Oklahoma City Fans Need to Check Their History Before They Try to Check Kevin Durant
It’s a thin line between love and hate. If you don’t believe me, ask Kevin Durant. On the morning of July 4, KD declared his independence from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Explaining his decision in the Players Tribune, Durant said: The primary mandate I had for myself in making this decision was to have it…
-
Chance the Rapper Is Making Avant-Garde Gospel Music Under the Guise of Rap, and It's Divine
There is a Dorothy Norwood song I first heard in 1994 that deeply impacted me. The song, “Somebody Prayed for Me,” goes as follows: Somebody prayed for me, had me on their mind.Took the time to pray for me. The song speaks to the selfless nature of communing with a divine being on behalf of another.…
-
First Phife Dawg and Then Prince; It's Time to Have a Frank Talk About Black Men's Health
I’m done with 2016. We’ve lost Phife Dawg and Prince—just to name two this year. Many of my musical heroes, whose sounds were the ambient noise of my childhood, are gone. We now live in a world where Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross and Prince are dead. No matter how hard I try, I seem unable…
-
How 2 Players Are Controlling Their NBA Draft Future
Professional-sports selection is a dehumanizing process, especially in the NBA, where you have young, athletic black men inspected like cattle by mostly white, wealthy owners and general managers. Their health is checked; their athletic prowess is tested; they are asked asinine questions that sometimes take things too far and become invasive. Then, once this is…
-
When It Comes to What’s Best for Black Folks, It’s Time for White People to Mind Their Business
I was an inquisitive child. My grandmother called me nosy, but I like to think I had an insatiable thirst for knowledge. I would often ask questions that were answered with, “It’s none of your business.” “Why did he never marry?” “It’s none of your business.” “Why does she have so many friends?” “It’s none…
-
Cedric Robinson, Author of Black Marxism, Died This Month to Little Fanfare, but Not Before He Changed My Life
I know that many are given to hyperbole upon learning that a person they revere has gone to be with the ancestors, but it is not an overstatement to say that Cedric Robinson, who passed away on June 5, truly changed my life. I was a graduate student in 2006 when I came across a…
-
3 Reasons Why Folks Tried to Take Away My Black Card and 1 Reason They’ll Never Get It
It’s usually threatened whenever there is a cultural milestone that you’ve failed to accomplish. Perhaps you’ve never seen the original Roots or have not fully memorized the entire catalog of Luther Vandross. When those around you discover this lapse in your black cultural conditioning, the threat is issued: “We’re going to revoke your black card.”…
