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How Sammy Sosa Went Back to Black
Sammy Sosa caused quite a stir last year when he showed up at the Latin Grammy’s with a jarringly lighter skin complexion. But as of last weekend, it seems Sammy has gone back to black. It has some people questioning how a cream so powerful that it can bleach your entire face could wear off…
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How Moving From New York to Seattle Made Me Eco-Friendly
I was riding the Staten Island Ferry in New York City a few summers ago, sipping a cold drink and easing into the rhythm of being back east. Toward the end of the ride, I asked a worker at the snack bar where I could recycle my aluminum can. After an awkward pause, he laughed…
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Color-Struck Around The Globe
When I saw Sammy Sosa with his jarringly lighter complexion at the Latin Grammys last week, I wasn’t all that shocked—and I certainly didn’t think it was steroids. I’m a brown girl who knows the work of skin lightening creams when she sees it. In an era when countries like the Dominican Republic and India…
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Is Spelling a Cultural Activity?
The first time I heard about the South Asian Spelling Bee, the conversation sounded something like a vaudeville routine gone wrong: “Did you hear about the South Asian Spelling Bee?” “You mean, did I hear that South Asians keep winning the national spelling bee …” “No, I mean did you hear about the spelling bee…
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Nobody's Model Minority
Recently Forbes ran a contentious article that slipped through the cracks without much commentary. The piece, written by Jason Richwine of the American Enterprise Institute, declared Indian Americans “The New Model Minority,” as if we were competing for the title in a pageant. Let’s clear this up once and for all. Being called a “model…
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Jindal's Speech Didn't Cut It
Bobby Jindal was supposed to be the GOP’s response to Barack Obama in more ways than one. But the Louisiana governor’s highly anticipated rebuttal to the president’s congressional address Tuesday, raised more questions than it answered. The choice of Jindal for the high-profile role was further evidence, to some, that despite his own strenuous denials,…
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Jindal All the Way?
Rush Limbaugh referred to him as “the next Ronald Reagan.” Newt Gingrich called him “far and away” the best possible running mate for John McCain. And Michelle Malkin has gone so far as to label him the “future of the GOP.” Republicans are now desperately seeking their own Barack Obama—someone bold and transformative to re-energize…
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From Piyush to Bobby
The story of Piyush “Bobby” Jindal reads like an assimilation fairytale: A son of immigrants rises through the ranks to become the first Indian-American governor at 36, overcoming racial boundaries in his home state of Louisiana. As Hurricane Gustav threatened his state, Jindal took center stage to preside over what was shaping up to be…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
