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While Stop & Frisk Has Decreased Significantly in NYC, Young Men of Color Are Still Hit Hardest: Report
The good news is that Stop and Frisk—the NYPD’s practice of stopping and patting down people in New York City—has dropped by more than 98 percent since its height and the rate of violent crime continues to drop. The not-so-good but, frankly, not surprising news is that the percentage of people of color stopped—young black…
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That Harlem Hustle: Meet Flo Ngala, the Young Photographer Behind Some of Cardi B’s Most Iconic Moments
Flo Ngala’s personality matches her photography—she’s elegant, refined, urbane, but not inaccessible. Her willowy frame ensconced in a vintage pink Ralph Lauren pantsuit, she’s undeniably fly, but her fashionista exterior belies a squishy, uproarious joy, always lurking around the corner and ready to burst out like her broad, cheeky smile. I first met Ngala when she…
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What Does the New HIV ‘Cure’ Mean for Black People?
Just days ago, there was explosive, positive news on the HIV/AIDS front. Doctors confirmed that another person has been cured of HIV, only the second time this has happened since the virus reared its ugly head more than 37 years ago. Although researchers are officially calling the event “long term remission”—the “London patient,” as he…
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Specific Type of Butt Implant Linked to Deadly Cancer: Report
Sure, ass shots, Brazilian butt lifts, or booty implants are all the rage, but it kinda does make sense that putting a foreign object in one’s body might wreak havoc on its systems … I’m not judging here but it’s imperative that we do our homework before we undergo the knife. Accordingly, a new study…
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With On the Come Up, Bestselling Author Angie Thomas Continues Her Crusade: ‘I Can See Myself Writing About Black Girls From Here on Out’
Angie Thomas, author of the breakout novel The Hate U Give, remains steadfast about the types of stories she wants to tell, how she wants to tell them and to whom she’s speaking. In the poignant, powerful debut—pegged a “Black Lives Matter book”—Thomas introduced us to 16-year-old Starr Carter, a witty, complicated, code-switching black girl…
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Oprah Winfrey to Interview Michael Jackson Accusers After Leaving Neverland Airs
As we all wait with bated breath for yet another one of our childhood heroes to go down in flames, Oprah Winfrey plans to be there every little step of the way, like Bobby Brown. According to reports, Winfrey will be hosting a panel discussion with Michael Jackson sexual abuse accusers Wade Robson and James…
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‘The Obama Effect’: POTUS and Forever First Lady Portraits Draw More Than 1 Million Visitors to Museum
Let’s be clear, before The National Portrait Gallery unveiled the presidential portraits of Barack Obama, by Kehinde Wiley, and Michelle Obama, by Amy Sherald, most of us had not checked the 50-year old museum on our D.C. things to do list. However, like the world, the Obamas changed things. In fact, according to the Washington…
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For Us, By Us: Newark’s Blackness Doing It for the Culture, the Politics, the People
Newark is so black that during the Great Migration, folks thought it was “New York,” got off the train, and stayed. True story. Newark so black they gotta mayor named Ras, a royal title in Amharic, and you know how black people love grand names (also see: NWK native Queen Latifah— who named herself). New-Ark,…
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Jussie Smollett Charged With Felony by Chicago Police Department [Updated]
The Empire has fallen! Or, more like, the Jussie Smollett disaster that is reading like a Lee Daniels script continues to give us enough plot turns to make us sick. Chicago police, who are not the most credible outfit because of this, this, this, this, and this (that last one stretching back more than 50…
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Harlem’s Blackness Is Triumphant. When It Comes to Blackest City, There Is No Competition
There are very few words synonymous with blackness. “Harlem” fits that bill. Harlem is a place, yes, but it is also an idea; it is an exhortation. It is our very own Oz. In fact, Harlem, unlike most things in America that signify blackness—“inner city,” “urban,” “welfare”—is triumphant. It represents the very best of us,…
