-
Lee Daniels Drops the F-Bomb About Emmy Snub and Then Says He Was Just Having Fun
Lee Daniels’ Empire was doing Super Bowl numbers in the ratings toward the end of its first season, so Daniels was probably sitting high and fine just waiting to scoop up a nomination for a 2015 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series. When that nomination didn’t come in—nominations instead went to Taraji P. Henson and Empire’s…
-
Fashion Model Chantelle Winnie: Kids Mooed at Me to Mock My Vitiligo, but I Persevered
Parents would actually tell their children not to sit with or be near Chantelle Winnie because if they did, they would catch whatever was going on with her skin, Winnie—now a fashion model well-known for her skin condition, vitiligo—recalled during a recent interview with Cosmopolitan. That kind of bullying came from kids, too. “I really…
-
NFL Player Tyrann Mathieu Suffers in 120-Degree Car to Prove Dogs Do Too for PETA PSA
Dogs are man’s best friend, so there’s no telling what some people might do to advocate on behalf of those friendly, furry creatures. Arizona Cardinals cornerback Tyrann Mathieu filmed a public service announcement for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, to let folks know that like children, dogs should not be left…
-
Plantation Tours: Don’t Expect to Hear How Horrible Slavery Really Was
I’m not sure how I picked up the hobby of touring plantations. I think it started with my interest in architecture—picked up from my husband, who works in real estate—and my best friend of 20-plus years, who is an interior designer. Over the years, I’ve adopted their combined interests. I’ve been to four plantations and…
-
Were My Kin’s White Neighbors Descendants of My Ancestor’s Owners?
Julia Ann Scott (born about 1840, died in December 1893) was my maternal great-great-grandmother, a “mulatto” woman who lived in Lunenburg County, Va. According to her marriage record to Willis Rainey on Aug. 15, 1868, her mother was M. Kensey, but no father was listed. I have suspected for some time that her father was…
-
Black Twitter Defends Self From L.A. Times Columnist Who Says It’s Not as Progressive, United as It Seems
The premise of Dexter Thomas’ argument was fairly well-intentioned: Black Twitter shouldn’t be thought of as this monolithic group that comes down on the progressive side of issues all the time. The columnist penned an article at the Los Angeles Times arguing that black Twitter, “like white Twitter,” is made up of a diverse group…
-
Viola, Taraji, Anthony Anderson and More Snag Emmy Award Nominations
Congratulations are in order! More than a dozen black actors and actresses picked up Primetime Emmy Award nominations, Variety reports, and six appear in lead actor or actress categories. It’s further confirmation that black actors were not sidelined in supporting roles but were thrust to the forefront of television this past year. Wednesday night was…
-
Sly and the Family Stone’s Live Box Set Will Take Fans Higher
Before Sly and the Family Stone came along in 1967, no band had ever sounded like them, and since they disbanded, only Prince and D’Angelo, in his finest moments, have built on their sound. Sly and the Family Stone were unique, legendary and yet possibly underappreciated in their heyday (roughly from their formation in 1967…
-
In Ta-Nehisi Coates’ New Book, It’s Clear All the Blacks Are Still Men
“I know what the world has done to my brother and how narrowly he has survived it,” James Baldwin wrote in a 1962 letter to his teenage nephew. “And I know, which is much worse, and this is the crime of which I accuse my country and my countrymen and for which neither I nor time nor…
-
Bill Clinton Admits Federal Sentencing Laws ‘Made the Problem Worse’
Philadelphia, Wed., July 15: In an address to the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, former President Bill Clinton offered a mea culpa for signing a criminal-justice reform bill into law during his two-term presidency. “I signed a bill that made the problem worse. And I want to admit it,” Clinton said at the 106th NAACP National…