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Illinois Child-Welfare Chief Steps Down After Paternity Scandal
Arthur D. Bishop looked good on paper, but apparently that was as far as it went. He was appointed last month by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn to run the state’s Department of Children and Family Services, but stepped down Wednesday following a series of Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ reports that revealed a theft conviction and…
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Quote of the Day: Sun Ra on Time
You can read this quote from Sun Ra’s poem “The Shadow of Tomorrow” (1958) in Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations. Read how the quote is referenced here. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and founding director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. He is also the editor-in-chief of The…
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Satirical Blog Offers Up Little-Known Black History Facts
The satirical blog Little Known Black History Facts has developed a large following since it first launched in 2012. This year, controversy surrounded the blog—some claimed it disrespected Black History Month. We sat down with the blog’s creator, Tracy Clayton (a former writer for The Root), to get her take on the controversy. The Root:…
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Why an African-American Director Wouldn’t Have Cast Lupita Nyong’o in 12 Years a Slave
If there was any doubt left that Lupita Nyong’o is the Cinderella of this award season, it was erased by Vanity Fair’s Hollywood issue. Not only did she land a slot on the issue’s coveted cover (she was one of six black actors included this year), but an article about Hollywood’s most powerful stylists dubbed…
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Scandal Recap: No Valor, No Virtue
Grab your sunglasses and Advil. Because last night’s episode was mad real. After a two-and-a-half-month hiatus, “Ride, Sally, Ride” was a reminder of why we’re all still cliff-jumping, die-hard gladiators. At the very top of the episode, Vice President Sally Langston announces her plan to run against Fitz in the upcoming election. Olivia, Cyrus and…
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The Entire Internet Is Scared of Daddy Pope
Scandal is back, and the season 3 premiere was full of all the preposterous foolywang we’ve come to expect from our favorite prime-time soap opera. Fitz and Liv—who should, by now, be good at having an affair—continue to make out in the Oval Office without locking the door. Vice President Sally Langston has turned on…
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Quote of the Day: Dudley Randall on Poets
You can read this quote from Dudley Randall’s poem “A Poet Is Not a Jukebox” (1981) in Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations. Read the quote in its full context here. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and founding director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. He is also…
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Chicago’s Often Forgotten Role in African-American Art
Left of Black host Mark Anthony Neal joins professor Richard Powell in a walk through the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University to discuss the works of Archibald Motley Jr. Professor Powell is the John Spencer Bassett Professor of art, art history and visual studies at Duke University, as well as the curator of…
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Why Did I Get Married? Here’s Why
“It’s funny that when a man hasn’t anything in the world to worry about, he goes off and gets married.”—Robert Frost What the hell was I thinking? I was 31, single, making good money and living in Atlanta, a city that’s been described as “happy hunting” for a single guy. I was living the life…
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How ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ Initiative Just Might Save Black Boys
On Thursday, President Obama launched My Brother’s Keeper, a joint initiative of government, philanthropy and business leaders to improve life outcomes for men and boys of color. This is a politically significant move, marking the first time that President Obama has unabashedly launched a racially targeted program. But more important, the initiative holds the promise of…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
