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Arrest of 9-Year-Old Girl Sparks Push For Policy Change
It’s been over a year, but the outrage is still there. Last May, Latoya Harris’ 9-year old daughter was arrested after a fight with another 9-year girl at a local Boys and Girls Club. According to The Oregonian, the incident occurred on April 26th, 2013. Harris’ daughter entered an argument between two other girls, who…
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Downbeat Diplomacy for Black Musicians at International Jazz Day
During the grand finale of the third annual International Jazz Day concert—held last week in Osaka, Japan—more than 35 jazz musicians stretched across an elaborate stage in Osaka Castle Park and performed John Lennon’s 1971 anthem, “Imagine.” Most of them hailed from the U.S., but the lineup also included the South African guitarist and singer…
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Why We Need More Black Women as News Decision-Makers
Juxtaposed with news coverage in recent weeks about the horrifying abduction of hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls is the sheer volume of national media attention devoted to Donald Sterling’s garden-variety racist rants—a positioning that seems, frankly, absurd. The girls’ story is thankfully starting to get traction, but too often in mainstream media, coverage of critical news…
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Global Citizens Are Driving the Search for Nigeria’s Abducted Girls
With the kidnapping of Nigerian schoolgirls dominating the headlines, what has gone largely unnoticed is that some of the world’s most powerful women in fields such as media, business, fashion and politics recently convened in Nigeria for a conference intended to empower global leaders. Attendees and speakers at the third annual WIE Africa Symposium (“WIE” stands for…
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Why Would My Former Slave Ancestor Move South?
My ancestors Lewis Pratt (born circa 1870) and his father, John Pratt (born circa 1840), lived in Prattville in Alabama, according to family research that I have done. My research also reveals (from Ancestry.com and a letter written by Lewis Pratt’s granddaughter) that John Pratt was born in North Carolina and moved his family to…
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Monica Lewinsky in Vanity Fair: The 5 Most Fascinating Revelations
I’m a nerd and a journalist. Even if I were not the latter, I would still be the former, and that means, even if I were not writing this story for publication, I still would have cut my Wednesday night short to sit not so patiently until midnight with my iPhone, waiting for Vanity Fair…
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Benghazi Panel: A Path to President Obama’s Impeachment?
The News: House Republicans are expected to vote Thursday to impanel a special committee to investigate the 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, including the ambassador to Libya. Republicans would hold seven seats on the committee, and Democrats would be allowed five members. The imbalance on the panel is…
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De Blasio Daughter Talks Depression and Addiction
Chiara de Blasio, the 19-year-old daughter of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, opened up about her struggles with depression and substance abuse in both a moving speech and an essay published by xoJane. The younger de Blasio traveled to Maryland Tuesday to accept an award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human…
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5 Good Things and 5 Bad Things That Happened After Brown v. Board
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, was the U.S. Supreme Court’s name for a series of lower-court cases that were heard at the same time by the high court, which eventually overturned its own 1896 ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson—which held that “separate but equal” (aka segregated) public facilities were legal. On May 17, 1954,…
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Mother’s Day Gifts: Ideas for Every Type of Mom
Mother’s Day is right around the corner. To make sure you get your mother the perfect gift, we’ve got ideas for every type of mom, whether she likes to dress up, work out or get some culture—or just needs a little pampering. 1. The Overworked Mom The overworked mom needs a little TLC every now…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
