Black Excellence
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#PermitPatty Reported a 13-Year-Old Selling Hot Dogs. Instead of Shutting Him Down, the City Helped Him Get His Permit
Not today, Satan. Or in this case, not today #PermitPatty. An old sourpuss who was trying to kill a Minneapolis’ teen entrepreneurial spirit did not prosper after the city rallied together to get him the proper permit to continue is business. Jaequan Faulkner had been cooking hot dogs outside his home, selling them to raise…
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Determined College Student Walked 20 Miles to New Job, So His Boss Gave Him a Car
There are people (slowly raises hand) who gripe about having to get up before the sun is up to jumpstart their workday. Then there are people like Walter Carr, who start walking at midnight in order to arrive at their job — located 20 miles away — on time. I kid you not. Walter Carr…
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Meet the Youngest Black Woman to Own a McDonald's Franchise
Jade Colin, 28, is McDonald’s youngest black franchise owner in the country. Colin, a New Orlean’s native, was introduced to the McDonald’s franchise at an early age and not just by being a regular customer. Her parents purchased their first restaurant in 2010 and they now own six. After graduating in 2012 from the University…
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The 10 Best Things About Being a 'Confirmed Black Racist'
Over the weekend, I received a quite kind email from a man named “Jake” with a series of screenshots from articles I’ve written about white people attached to it. The subject of the email read “Your a Confirmed Black Racist.” I was immediately compelled to thank Jake for gathering so much of my work in…
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Misty at The Met: Misty Copeland Twirls and So Do Little Black Girls
On a hot, muggy summer day earlier this month, there were two lines stretching from the doors of New York City’s Metropolitan Opera House to its iconic fountain. The Met wasn’t giving out free ice cream and Cardi B had canceled all of her performances until September, so what could have caused such a mammoth…
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I Was Wrong. Cephus, Not Washington, Is America's Blackest Last Name
Two years ago, I wrote a thing asking which was the single blackest last name. After an intense vet involving census results, personal recollections, proximities to yams, and even a consultation from an Adam Clayton Powell hologram, the list was narrowed to four: Washington, Jefferson, Jackson, and Jenkins. Washington was eventually declared the blackest of…
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22-Year-Old Becomes the 1st Black Female Nanoscientist in Virginia
Ginai Seabron just made history as the first black woman to become a nanoscientist in the state of Virginia. Seabron, 22, was pleasantly surprised when she discovered that she was the first black woman to graduate with a Bachelor of Science from Virginia Tech’s nanoscience program, and spoke with NBC 12 about how she verified…
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A Black Woman in Handcuffs For Climbing The Statue of Liberty on Independence Day is a Perfect Metaphor For America
The Statue of Liberty is a metaphor. One cannot carve a statue out of liberty any more than one can take a photograph of freedom or hold a jarful of justice. Liberty is not a thing, it is a concept. And, while it is the bedrock foundation upon on which white America as always rested,…
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Philanthropic Queen Nicki Minaj Has Given Scholarships to 37 of Her Biggest Fans And They Are Just As Shook As We Are
It is no secret that Onika Maraj, better known as Nicki Minaj, is a big fan of the education. She is often seen tweeting and telling her fans to make sure they stay in school. And since last year she has upped the ante, putting her money where her mouth is and helping her student-fans…