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Misty Copeland Is 1st Black Ballerina to Perform as the Swan Queen With American Ballet Theatre
It’s a bit alarming that folks are still achieving “first black person to” status, but the fact that history is being made and doors are being broken down for African Americans is a beautiful thing. Misty Copeland has become the first African-American ballerina to perform in the lead role of the Swan Queen in American…
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Founder of Black Girls Pole: Pole Dancing Isn’t Just for Strippers
Dalijah Franklin’s move to New York City almost sounds textbook. The Warren, Ohio, native planned to become a commercial dancer in the Big Apple, and after graduating from Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in nutrition science, she made the move to pursue her dreams. However, her journey in artistry unfolded in an…
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Marilyn Mosby: ‘I’m Not Conflicted About Charging the Freddie Gray Cops. I Did the Right Thing’
There’s no backpedaling here. In an interview with Vogue, Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby made it clear that she meant every single word she uttered at her May press conference, when she announced the charges her office would bring against the six officers who arrested and detained 25-year-old Freddie Gray. That detainment resulted in Gray’s death and…
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Watch: NC Officer Lets Loose and Does the Wobble at a Block Party
“Get in there! Yeah, yeah! “Get in there! Yeah, yeah!” Patrol Officer David Lee did exactly what “The Wobble” song calls for and got his groove on at a community block party hosted by Kappa Alpha Fraternity and the Hickory Police Department of North Carolina. In a video posted to Facebook last week, Lee appears…
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Capturing the Beauty and the Struggles of Nina Simone
Nina Simone was one of a kind. Her voice, a striking, resonant contralto, could convey a clarion call to action or a deep reservoir of emotion. Her music is cherished by nearly everyone who knows it, but her legacy, well, that’s a little more complicated. Simone, who died in 2003, lived a tumultuous life. She…
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Finding Your Roots Season Delayed by PBS Over Ben Affleck Story
The third season of the ancestry-research program Finding Your Roots, hosted by Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., has been postponed by PBS after a determination that an episode of the program featuring actor Ben Affleck violated the network’s standards. In a strongly worded statement, PBS announced that the network is “postponing the scheduling of…
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Rick Ross and Bodyguard Arrested for Beating Up a Man Who Was Allegedly Working on Ross’ House
This isn’t any ordinary run-in with the law. Some fancy-schmancy federal law-enforcement agency called the U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, in addition to local authorities, showed up at Rick Ross’ house Wednesday morning to arrest him and his bodyguard, Nadrian Lateef James, on assault and kidnapping charges, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports. Ross and…
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SC Church Shooting Suspect Dylann Roof Bought the Gun Legally
One of the first issues President Barack Obama referenced when he spoke about the church shooting in Charleston, S.C., is gun control and how easy it is for people to get their hands on a gun. “We don’t have all the facts, but we do know that, once again, innocent people were killed in part…
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Jay Z’s 99th Problem: Tidal Loses Its 2nd CEO Since Starting in March
A Slate article in April suggested that Jay Z and his “artist partners” in Tidal might have a difficult time convincing people to shell out $20 for yet another music-streaming service. As of this week, the company’s second executive has exited stage left. The company was formally introduced to the public by Jay Z and Co. a little…
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Black Twitter Slams Teen Vogue for Featuring Only Fair-Skinned Models in Feature About Senegalese Twists
It’s happened before. Marie Claire treated cornrows like the newest sensation when a few Hollywood “it girls” (read: white), like Kendall Jenner, wore them. And then Elle declared that Timberland boots were now “in” just because, again, white celebrities were embracing them. In both instances, black Twitter rang the “cultural appropriation” bell and reminded these…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
