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Should I Be Cool If He Wants a Side Chick After We’re Married?
“My boyfriend and I have been discussing marriage. He says he wants to marry me but doesn’t want to be limited to having sex with one woman forever. He asked me if I would consider parameters for him to mess around, like on his birthday or other special occasions. He doesn’t want me to do…
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The Cast of A Raisin in the Sun Talks Class, Race and Michael Dunn
Fifty-five years ago, Lorraine Hansberry’s landmark play A Raisin in the Sun opened on Broadway. At the time, it was considered groundbreaking for its realistic portrayal of race and racism on the stage. Now, more than a half-century after its debut, America has elected a black president. But recent high-profile cases, such as the acquittal…
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Offensive Racial Images Used for Marketing
There is a history of national and international businesses and corporations using black stereotypes for the sake of product marketing. Here is a look at just a few examples that we found from around the world. Some of these are still on shelves today. Watermelon Soda This product was available in New York-area Target stores…
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Dear Dunn Juror No. 4: You’re Wrong. Race Was a Factor
Dear Valerie: We haven’t met, but I watched your interview with ABC News’ Byron Pitts on Nightline last night. You’re a 30-something white woman who sat on the jury that deadlocked in an attempt to decide whether 47-year-old Michael Dunn was guilty of murdering then-17-year-old Jordan Davis. You said you wanted a conviction on the…
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Quote of the Day: Arna Bontemps on Time
You can read this quote from Arna Bontemps, which appeared in his book Black Thunder (1936), 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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Who Owns the (Philadelphia) Soul of Black Music?
I’m sure I’m not the only one who enjoyed the Coors Light beer ads that featured the O’Jays’ classic recording, “Love Train.” But I’m sure many folks would also be curious as to how that song—one of the great anthems recorded on the Philadelphia International Records label—ended up in a commercial for a company whose…
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Am I Allowed to Correct My Afro-Latina Girlfriend’s English?
“Speaking of manners and race, what are the rules, inside your race but outside your culture, for correcting a friend or loved one’s English? I’m a young African-American professional, and the woman I’m involved with is, too. She is of African (and other) descent but from a Spanish-speaking country, where she lived until her family emigrated when…
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Malcolm X Was More Than MLK’s Alter Ego
This Friday marks the 49th anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X—and the 20th-century icon is still making headlines. His memory remains contested and debated, as witnessed by the recent controversies over his depiction in rapper Nicki Minaj’s cover art and a Queens, N.Y., public school teacher forbidding students to write about him during Black…
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Celebrating Audre Lorde on Her 80th Birthday
Black feminist Audre Lorde would have turned 80 years old today. (She also shares a birthday with Toni Morrison, who turns 83.) Twitter is flooded with tributes, remembrances and quotes from the self-described “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,” whose contributions to feminism are immeasurable. Share some of your favorite Lorde quotes in the comments section.…
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Black Men Apologize for Not Being Idris Elba
This composition about Idris Elba, written by “your favorite poet,” Instagram user @Nova_Isig, went viral over the weekend, sparking a hilarious Twitter meme: Clearly, @Nova_Isig is really hurting, y’all. So are scores of black men who feel underappreciated for the thoughtful things they do that go unnoticed by the women in their lives, thanks to…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
