Before 12 Years a Slave turned Chiwetel and Lupita into household names and became a blockbuster “black movie”—whatever that means—it was 2012’s Think Like a Man that was an unlikely hit. The loose adaptation of Steve Harvey’s self-help book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man earned nearly $100 million and forced the film industry…

Freedom Summer had just begun, and hundreds of white, Northern college students had volunteered to do civil rights work in Mississippi as news broke that three men—Michael “Mickey” Schwerner, a 24-year-old full-time activist for the Congress of Racial Equality; James Chaney, a local, 21-year-old CORE activist; and Andrew Goodman, a 20-year-old Freedom Summer volunteer—had disappeared in…

Brittany Florence, who cleans floors for a living at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, will earn a living wage for the very first time. “I can save money and move into my own place now,” Florence told ABC affiliate WFAA 8. Next month Florence, 25, will see her wage increase by $1.50 an hour, reports WFAA.…

A MacArthur Foundation “How Housing Matters” (pdf) study reveals that while black men face alarmingly high incarceration rates, black women are disproportionately evicted from their homes. According to the study, in any given year, approximately 16,000 adults and children are evicted in Milwaukee from approximately 6,000 housing units—that equates to 16 households evicted every day. These…

Hip-hop has always served as a compass for showing the direction that urban culture has taken on a variety of issues—and Africa is no exception. Although, the Motherland has always been a tricky topic for U.S. audiences to embrace. Mainstream America was fed a steady diet of images featuring naked tribal men living alongside lions,…

The findings of a new study released this week have captured headlines. According to two political scientists, having daughters has a profound influence on the attitudes of male judges, most notably those appointed by Republican presidents. In analyzing 2,500 votes by 224 federal judges, the study found that having at least one daughter increased the…

On Wednesday, World Cup fans in Damaturu, Nigeria, became the latest victims of a suspected Boko Haram bombing. According to the Washington Post, the blast killed 14 people and blew off the limbs of the many survivors among those who had gathered to watch the Brazil-Mexico match. Survivor Babagana Mohammed told reporters, “The bomb just…

The last thing one Georgia man expected to see during a routine drive down the highway was a 15-month-old baby crawling near the embankment. “What the hell is going on? A baby?” was Bryant Collins’ knee-jerk reaction to his unusual discovery, according to 11 Alive. Collins said he caught a glimpse of something out of…

Fifty years ago America redefined its social, political and cultural landscape by guaranteeing civil rights—and voting rights the following year—for all citizens, irrespective of race or background. A half-century later, too many young people of color, especially black boys and young men, are routine victims of gun violence. And stemming this rising tide of gun…

When asked about Forbes’ claim that hip-hop is run by a white, blond, Australian rapper named Iggy Azalea, incumbent queen bee Nicki Minaj laughed hysterically. The financial magazine may be qualified to calculate the $250 million valuation of Nicki’s Myx Fusions Moscato wine coolers, Nicki reasoned, but only the hip-hop community can bequeath the throne to…