Culture

Everything to Know About Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat on His 65th Birthday

Everything to Know About Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat on His 65th Birthday

In honor of what would have been his 65 birthday, we’re looking at some of the most fascinating facts about artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Michelle Obama On How That Famous 2008 New Yorker 'Fist Bump' Magazine Cover Changed Everything

Michelle Obama On How That Famous 2008 New Yorker ‘Fist Bump’ Magazine Cover Changed Everything

In a new interview with Jonathan Capehart, Michelle Obama talks about the moment she decided
  • Watch: ‘Make Kwanzaa Great Again’ Campaign Video

    [This post originally ran on Dec. 26, 2017.] Many people have wondered why Kwanzaa is not a bigger holiday or why it is overshadowed by Christmas every year (and when we say “many people,” like our esteemed president, we mean four … maybe five, tops). In response, we decided to celebrate Kwanzaa Week by pouring…

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    ‘The Confederacy Falls in Memphis’ and 1 Paper Says Good Riddance

    Newspaper Applauds as 2 Statues Come Down Magic Johnson-Isiah Thomas Reconciliation a Hit Roland Martin Signs Off From ‘NewsOne Now’ Efforts to Find Puerto Rico’s Missing Inadequate Faulkner Wants to Be Part of Harassment Solution More Ideas for Covering Refugees and Race . . . 5 Takeaways from Live Conversations Nothing Funny About Stereotyping Sean…

  • One Good Tongue Deserves Another: The Art of Fellatio

    Since we talked before about going down on women, it’s only fair that we discuss going down on men, too. It’s a thin line between love and hate, and that line hinges on you being good at your (blow) job. I mentioned my old blog—Hideous Kinky—in another column, and those who have been following me…

  • Judge of Characters: Can You Really Trust White Tears?

    From trusting black women to not trusting white tears … this is where we are on Judge of Characters these days. But not everything is a black-or-white issue, and we certainly saw that with a recent viral story: Keaton Jones. Keaton’s mother released a video of her son crying, questioning why bullying was a thing.…

  • Talking Dirty to My Mom

    The other night, I was having a phone conversation with my mother, catching her up on everything that had been going on with me this week. I got to a part in the story where I made a mention of dickfishing, and it occurred to me that she might not know what it meant. So…

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    Book Notes 2017: Best Sellers, Uncovered Treasures, Overlooked History

    Our annual holiday season list of nonfiction books by journalists of color or those of special interest to them: Ta-Nehisi Coates; Lewis W. Diuguid; Angela P. Dodson; Chike Frankie Edozien; Darcy Eveleigh, Dana Canedy, Damien Cave and Rachel L. Swarns; Gerald Horne; Gerrick D. Kennedy; Jeff Pegues; Byron Pitts; Otis Sanford; Anya Schiffrin; Matt Taibbi…

  • The Village: Behind Every Issa Rae Is a Felicia Leatherwood Slaying Her Natural Tresses

    If you have eyes and working salivary glands, chances are you’ve drooled over Issa Rae’s many natural hairstyles, in everything from Insecure to CoverGirl ads. “With Issa, she just lets me create,” says the self-proclaimed natural-hair whisperer herself: Felicia Leatherwood. “She just, she’s like my beautiful black Barbie because she sits there and she trusts…

  • Caught Out There: Beware of the Lying Twitter Man-Whore

    Your MCM was secretly engaging in personal relationships with three women on the timeline, lying to each of them, telling each of them lies about the other in an attempt to pit them against one another, all the while denying accountability for his actions by saying, “We were just talking.” He’s 33. There are plenty…

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    Detroit Journalist Stephen Henderson Traces Firing to 2 Encounters

    Detroit Free Press Veteran Weighs Legal Action Skipper Quits at ESPN, Citing Substance Abuse Parrish to Leave as Arizona Republic President PBS Fires Back at Tavis Smiley’s Denials Stephen Henderson, fired Friday as columnist and editorial page editor at the Detroit Free Press, told radio listeners Monday that his dismissal stemmed from “social situations outside…

  • Watch: The BEST Responses To That "I'm Not Racist" Video

    According to Joyner Lucas, there are two sides to every story. In his breakout song, “I’m Not Racist,” the rapper attempts to start a discussion on how we approach racial differences, assisted by actors who portray the white and black characters who each own half of this two-verse track.But the black character in his viral…