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Malcolm X Always Spoke Truth to Power, No Matter the Cost
The anniversary this week of Malcolm X’s 89th birthday offers us the context to reflect on the life of the man whose activism continues to reverberate around the world. After a youth scarred by trauma, the man born Malcolm Little turned his seven years in prison into a world-class political and religious education. In the…
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Bipartisan Backlash Against Police Commissioner’s N-Bomb Shows There’s Still Hope for America
On Monday, Robert Copeland—the Wolfeboro, N.H., police commissioner who admitted to calling President Barack Obama the n-word and refusing to apologize—resigned. And while it’s unlikely that he’ll be missed, I, for one, am actually somewhat relieved that our nation endured the Copeland saga. Here’s why: Throughout much of Obama’s tenure in office, we have been…
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Michael Jackson’s High Musical Standards Still Resonate on Xscape
The ghost of Michael Jackson appeared during Sunday night’s broadcast of the Billboard Music Awards, but the holographic stunt pales in comparison to the actual ghost of Jackson that still haunts the vaults at Sony Music. Or so Timothy “Timbaland” Mosley might say, expressing in the 20-minute making-of video that accompanies the digital release of…
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Sherri Shepherd’s Divorce: Is It a Wake-Up Call for Women?
Though she and her co-hosts regularly discuss the marital woes of other celebrities on their daytime talk show, The View, in recent days Sherri Shepherd has been noticeably silent about the relationship problems of one particular celebrity: her. Multiple outlets have reported that Shepherd’s husband of three years, Lamar Sally, filed separation papers with Shepherd and…
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About Dean Baquet Not Having a College Degree
Editor’s note: In a profile about its new executive editor, the New York Times reported that Dean Baquet does not have a college degree. Baquet dropped out of Columbia University after his sophomore year after landing a summer internship at a New Orleans newspaper that he parlayed into a full-time job. The revelation took many by surprise…
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12 Years A Mannequin: Store Displays Slave Outfit With DVD
An English supermarket is showing its patrons how to get the latest in slave fashion. According to The Independant, an Oxford, England location of English grocery store Sainbury’s put a poorly planned mannequin next to its display for the 12 Years A Slave DVD and Blu-ray release. The mannequin is dressed like Solomon Northup, tattered…
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Next Season, Let’s See SNL Do Better at Portraying Black Women
Two week after Leslie Jones’ controversial segment on slavery, I was very worried about this week’s season finale of Saturday Night Live. With the frenzy surrounding what happened between Solange, Jay Z and Beyoncé in that elevator last week, I was sure a sketch was coming. For the past week across Twitter, gossip sites and…
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John Conyers’ Last Chance to Get Back on the Ballot
The News: Longtime Michigan Rep. John Conyers is expected to ask a federal judge in Detroit on Wednesday to put his name back on the Democratic primary ballot. Conyers, the longest-serving African American in Congress, is challenging the decision of the Wayne County, Mich., clerk that he didn’t submit enough signatures for his name to appear…
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When Affirmative Action Was White
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. 80: Who were the first…
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Ben Carson Is More Pundit Than President—but You Should Read His Book Anyway
Where does Dr. Ben Carson go next? On NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, he told David Gregory that he still doesn’t have plans for a White House run—but only after he edged in ever so slightly last week, suggesting to the Weekly Standard’s Fred Barnes that he’s “starting to feel it.” It’s the sort of careful…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
