In Ebony, Johnson Publishing Co. Chairman Linda Johnson Rice explains why she supports marriage equality, though her home state of Illinois does not. Her mother’s groundbreaking work producing fashion shows for African-American audiences more than 50 years ago inspired her, particularly to publish profiles on same-sex couples in Ebony and Jet over the last two…

In Guernica magazine, adult-film actress Sinnamon Love admits that she identifies as a feminist but still grapples with whether or not her work as a porn star is feminist work. I was naive about the sexual liberation movement, and had never considered whether or not my decision to flaunt my sexuality on screen was a feminist…

The war on drugs has long been derided for its problems, and Patricia J. Williams writes in the Nation that children are its latest victims. Drugs are ubiquitous in this country, and yet we know that some people have the privilege of doctor-prescribed intoxication, while others are thrown into dungeons for seeking the same relief.…

(The Root) — Today, in early 2013, American media and entertainment face a curious condition. On the one hand, African Americans and other people of color are flocking to movies, Twitter, television and blogs in ever-greater numbers and percentages. We are huge consumers of media.  On the other hand, the Federal Communications Commission and the…

For many, the death of 15-year-old majorette and Chicago native Hadiya Pendleton was the turning point in a long conversation surrounding gun control in America. That fact is not lost on the slain teen’s mother, Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton, who appears in a new public service announcement funded by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, reports Politico. The ad…

Beyoncé is gearing up for a double header on Saturday night: first a one-on-one OWN interview with Oprah Winfrey and then the debut of her self-produced documentary Life Is But a Dream on HBO. In promotion of her big night, the pop star released a still from the film, featuring herself and daughter Blue Ivy,…

Though the bulk of Southern California’s police staff was gunning for former Los Angeles cop and vigilante Christopher Dorner, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s office says the fugitive took his own life, reports ABC News. “The information that we have right now seems to indicate that the wound that took Dorner’s life was self inflicted,”…

The secretary of state confirmation hearings might be a thing of the past for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, but her recent visit to political comedian Jon Stewart’s Daily Show must have brought back memories, reports the Los Angeles Times. “There’s always confusion when you have a tragedy of that sort,” she…

While a mandatory military draft doesn’t conjure the concept of peace for some, New York Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel and hip-hop activist Russell Simmons disagree. In fact, the two write on the Huffington Post that a draft, through the Universal National Service Act and the All American Selective Service Act, would encourage the U.S. government…