When Grambling State University’s football team forfeited a game against Jackson State University last year, players thought they were locked in a singular battle with the administration. They presented administrators with a list of things they were fed up with, including a two-and-a-half-hour bus ride to play against their competitors. Further, they complained about dilapidated…

Thirty-five years ago today we lost the great American soul singer Donny Hathaway. Best known for  “A Song for You,” “This Christmas” and classic duets with Roberta Flack, Hathaway was a church-trained singer, pianist, producer and composer who recorded three solo albums, scored a film and conducted orchestral symphonies. His preternatural genius was a music-industry…

Police officers in Omaha, Neb., rankled social media users last week when they released a video of a black toddler swearing as a warning about “the thug cycle” in America, prompting CNN’s Don Lemon to do some soul searching. During an appearance on OutFront Friday night, Lemon said the story had become “personal” and seized…

In a piece at the Washington Post, Robin Givhan challenges several widely held beliefs about first lady Michelle Obama that have stood the test of time: 1. Michelle Obama is the most fashion-friendly first lady. Obama has been a pronounced and polished advocate for American style, seamlessly moving from custom-made evening gowns to mass-market fare. She has…

Centennial Baptist Church, a Gothic Revival-styled boarded up structure in Helena, Ark., has deep roots in the African-American community, NPR reports. But poverty, racial tensions, among other things in the Delta town, have made raising restoration funds difficult, the report says. Phyllis Hammonds, executive director of the foundation that owns Centennial, was baptized and married…