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Soundtrack for Survival: 10 Songs to Help You Through a Trump Presidency
I was in the fourth grade when my white best friend told me a racist joke. “Why are black people so dark?” he asked a group of us at lunch, with a mischievous grin. I looked at him dumbfounded. I put down my milk box, wiped what had dribbled down from the corners of my…
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Why I'm Comfortable Being an Angry Black Man
I was first called an angry black man while a student in college. We were in African-American History, and our professor, a white member of Omega Psi Phi (I say this only because in all my years of Greekdom, I have never come across another old-head Omega who was white; I can only imagine what…
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50 Years Later: A Look Back at the Black Panther Party
Fifty years ago, in October of 1966, Huey P. Newton and Bobbly Seale had a brilliant idea. Initially conceived as a way to protect the black community against the oppressive presence and indiscriminate violence of the police in Oakland, Calif., the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense evolved into a organization that advocated for revolutionary black…
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Review: The Birth of a Nation Isn't Strong Enough to Shake Director's Past
Editor’s note: This review contains spoilers. The Birth of a Nation reminded me of Old Man Harris. He was a bluesman in the Mississippi Delta before he became the director of the men’s chorus at my childhood church. He claimed that he’d played with the likes of B.B. King, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf before…
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Luke Cage: A Bulletproof Black Man in the Black Lives Matter Era
To deal with my anger over the seemingly unending number of black men and women killed at the hands of those tasked with the duty to serve and protect, I often play N.W.A’s “F—k tha Police” to cope—except I don’t play it loud. I’m afraid the boys in blue (not the Crips; I’m cool with…
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What Do You Really Know About the Dirty South? Atlanta Shows Ranked
FX’s Atlanta is the rare black comedy that is beloved by both critics and audiences. The premiere drew in over 3 million views, and the show has a 100 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. While it evokes the surrealism of Twin Peaks, the stoner humor of Dazed and Confused, and the ethos and sound…
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We Need a New National Anthem; Here Are 10 Folks Who Could Do It
Despite going to graduate school in the discipline, my greatest education in philosophy happened at the barbershop. Old Man James, my barber since I was in elementary school, once hipped me to some game about the tension between blackness and patriotism in America. “Y’all still singing the national anthem in school, young blood?” he once…
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4 Reasons Why Greenleaf Is the Show the Black Church Needs
Editor’s note: The following article contains spoilers. Having worked in a black church for over 10 years, I think I can say without concern of successful contradiction that church folks can be petty. From disagreements over who will sing lead in the mass-choir musical to bickering about what color the toothpicks will be at the…
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Michael Phelps' Gold Medals Can't Outshine Usain Bolt's Black Brilliance
Michael Phelps is an amazing athlete. The most-awarded Olympian of all time, he has collected an incredible amount of hardware for his display case: 23 gold medals, three silver medals and two bronze medals are nothing to scoff at. He’s an icon, an ambassador for his sport and, to quote Jay Z, not just a…
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How My Story on Black Students Surviving PWIs Led to Death Threats
I was finishing an essay when I got the death threat. I usually ignore calls that are blocked or from unlisted numbers, but for some reason, I was feeling adventurous that day. “You’re trying to start a race war with your articles, Larry,” said the voice on the other end of the line. “You won’t…
