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Black Parents, Gay Sons and Redefining Masculinity
“As a gay black man, I find myself at the top of the list of people to hate,” wrote Michael Arceneaux for The Root five years ago. “That’s a hard fact to contend with at 25, let alone at 11. The accepted notions of how a black man should look and act are confining and…
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Malia Obama Heads to Hollywood
Usually a teenager’s first summer job entails flipping burgers at a fast-food joint or folding clothes at H&M, but for soon-to-be-16 Malia Obama, it’s off to Hollywood, according to a report by TheWrap. Malia, an aspiring filmmaker and a fan of HBO’s Girls, was spotted last week working as a production assistant for a day…
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Writer-Director John Singleton: ‘Negritude’ Sells
John Singleton, who received two Oscar nominations for Boyz N the Hood and is currently working on a Tupac Shakur biopic, spoke at the Los Angeles Film Festival on Saturday about diversity. “Don’t be afraid to be black,” he told a predominantly black, packed audience at a session moderated by film critic Elvis Mitchell at…
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Where Is the Hashtag for Blue Ivy?
While debate continues about what impact it will ultimately have in the real world in the long run, there is no doubt that the #YesAllWomen hashtag struck a chord. Specifically, it struck a chord with those who saw the violence perpetrated by Elliot Rodger as emblematic of a larger societal issue, namely the misogyny that…
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Did a Zulu King Massacre the British Army?
Editor’s note: For those who are wondering about the retro title of this black-history series, please take a moment to learn about historian Joel A. Rogers, author of the 1934 book 100 Amazing Facts About the Negro With Complete Proof, to whom these “amazing facts” are an homage. Amazing Fact About the Negro No. 84:…
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I’m Black, I’m Trans, I’m HIV-Positive and I’m OK
My journey began on a Monday morning, Feb. 23, 1981, at 10:52 a.m. in a small country town called Ocilla, Ga. I was born to the late Theloris O’Neal Lewis and Raymond Lewis, the eldest of their three children. The name Raymond Antonio Lewis was bestowed upon me, and I was welcomed into the world…
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Freedom Summer Hero: Post-Racial America Might Be Possible in 100 Years
Last summer, when the Supreme Court gutted a key provision of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act, the decision dealt a major blow to the courageous efforts of thousands of civil rights activists who, during a summer 50 years ago, weathered the hostile Jim Crow South to help blacks in Mississippi reclaim their civil rights.…
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Fla. Gov. Rick Scott Signs Late Term Abortion Bill
In one of the most stringent state laws, abortions will be illegal in Florida at any point during a woman’s pregnancy if a doctor rules that the fetus could survive outside the womb, the Associated Press reports. Gov. Rick Scott signed a measure Friday “that redefines that state’s current third trimester abortion ban,” the AP…
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How Oklahoma Botched Clayton Lockett Execution
At first Oklahoma prison officials suspected that a new drug combination caused Clayton Lockett to writhe in pain and clench his teeth during a botched execution. But a new autopsy report reveals that the IV was improperly placed by prison workers who may not have been properly trained, according to ThinkProgress. Lockett, 38, died of…
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Detroiters Wait in Line a Week for New Air Jordans
Detroit may be bankrupt and jobs may be scarce, but some diehard Air Jordan fans waited on line for about a week for a chance to spend $250 on a new pair of the commemorative sneakers on Saturday, CBS Detroit reports. Young men began camping outside sneaker emporium Burn Rubber in downtown Royal Oak, Mich.,…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
