A racially charged brawl broke out at a downtown Los Angeles jail on Wednesday, forcing guards to fire rubber pellets and pepper spray to squash the incident, which involved more than 60 inmates and resulted in several being escorted to the hospital, Reuters reports. The altercation between Hispanic and African-American inmates erupted shortly after noon…

In a stinging piece at the New York Times, Ta-Nehisi Coates argues that Dr. Benjamin Carson, the present darling of the right, is wearing a mask as he answers a call by white conservatives to challenge President Barack Obama’s policies after the failure of so many other “Conservative Black Hopes.” The present darling of the…

Writing at Ebony, food-justice advocate Tanya Fields says that big corporations intentionally create these areas in poor communities. If you have been following the conversation around the lack of fresh foods available in certain districts across the country, then you have probably heard the label “food desert.” More and more, this term is being used to…

(The Root) — Confession? I actually like really bad movies. Film reviews and criticism, though valuable to those who enjoy thinking, aren’t too helpful when you know going into the theater that once the lights go dim, you’re in for something pretty dumb. But boy, does Tyler Perry’s latest effort — Tyler Perry’s Temptation: Confessions…

Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson says that creating a situation in which teachers are more likely than children to cheat cannot be the right path to improving American education. It is time to acknowledge that the fashionable theory of school reform — requiring that pay and job security for teachers, principals and administrators depend on…

(The Root) — “I found out someone I am dating has gotten someone pregnant while also seeing me. I feel like I’ve been hit by a freight train. I have no clue what to do. I don’t want to judge him. I’m far from perfect.” —S.U. Unfortunately, I’ve been in your shoes. And surprisingly, a…