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T.I., Tracy Morgan and the PC Police
Rapper T.I. doesn’t always exercise the best judgment. Shocking, I know. Though that’s usually his issue, this time that flaw affects others. A reasonable point that he tried to make about the way many of us react to controversial comedy was lost over the flawed premise with which he chose to introduce it. In an…
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The High Cost of Mrs. Obama's Popularity
President Obama should use whatever tool he has to help his re-election bid — including his very nonpolitical wife. But there’s something mildly irritating about the fact that Michelle Obama is perceived as his best political asset, yet in order to remain that way, she has to be seen as almost apolitical. Katherine Jellison, a…
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It's Not Beyoncé, It's You
Neither Beyoncé, her fans nor members of the press believe that she is preparing to give birth to R&B’s answer to Jesus. That’s why I’m a bit befuddled when her critics, particularly Francie Latour, who wrote this recent piece on The Root, suggest such a thing. That premise is as silly as it is mean-spirited.…
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Some Onscreen Faves Shouldn't Be Remade
Michael Arceneaux hails from Houston, lives in Harlem and praises Beyoncé’s name wherever he goes. Follow him on Twitter. For every well-made remake of a classic film (think 2010 Oscar bait True Grit), there’s a clunker (2005’s Guess Who springs to mind). With a spate of movie redos in the works, including Steel Magnolias, Annie and Sparkle,…
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Moving Back Home: A Gift and a Curse
If you had told me in college that I would end up back under my parents’ roof a few months after graduation, I probably would have quipped in response, “Until you do right by me, everything you even think about gonna fail.” I had plans, and none of them included me being back in the…
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Breaking Up With Boyfriend Barack
It’s not surprising that so many people get defensive over President Barack Obama. In many cases, it’s completely understandable. When you hear that a Republican congressman referred to the nation’s first black president as a “tar baby,” you’re rightfully infuriated. The same can be said when condescending Wall Street Journal writers question his intelligence. Worse…
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Eddie Long Can't Cash in on Creflo Dollar's Support
Atlanta mega-church pastor Eddie Long has privately resolved a lawsuit that he had previously sworn to fight like David fought Goliath, so he is free to move forward with plans to expand his once profitable ministry. Should he be let off the hook? Despite rumblings that his New Birth church is falling fast, Long, who…
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Did Don Lemon Throw Blacks Under the Bus?
Rachel Maddow’s wish has been granted. Less than a month after the MSNBC anchor’s much-talked-about interview with the Guardian, in which she encouraged her closeted on-air peers to reveal their true gay selves, someone answered that call. It might not be the cable-news anchor people expected, but CNN’s Don Lemon has managed to snatch up…
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Yes, There Are Positive Images of Black Women on Reality TV
I knew what was coming the minute after reading that NeNe Leakes and Star Jones would be joining the fourth season of Celebrity Apprentice. It was pretty clear that with Leakes’ hot head and Jones’ slick mouth, the two were destined for on-screen conflict. So it is not shocking to see the Real Housewives of…
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Coming Out: Not as Simple as Black and White
Before I decided to come out about my sexuality, I reached out for advice to someone who I knew was gay. I wanted to hear from another black man who I assumed to be out, comfortable and happily leading an open life. I was still very much petrified, but I mustered enough courage to ask…
