Indiana Dad Learns His Fate After Drowning His 3-Month-Old Son in a Bucket of Laundry Detergent
Steve Harvey’s Gorgeous $15 Million Once Owned by Tyler Perry
Why Diddy, Young Thug Attorney Brian Steel Is The White Johnnie Cochran
‘Sinners’ Releases in Black American Sign Language. Here’s What That Means
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Mr. Obama in London
If there were ever a time for the average American to pay close attention to a president’s trip to an international summit, this would be it. Hopefully, this week’s G-20 summit in London will help to turn around the ailing global economy, but also, it may remind the American people—understandably preoccupied with domestic economic woes—that…
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The Living Link That Expired
I had only been teaching at Duke University for a few months when I caught one of my first public glimpses of John Hope Franklin. It was a chance encounter at a local supermarket—one of the many times I would encounter him during his daily routine. Flanked by my then-7-year-old daughter, I approached Dr. Franklin…
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John Hope, the Prince Who Refused the Kingdom
When I was 20, I decided to hitchhike across the African continent, more or less following the line of the equator, from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic. I packed only one pair of sandals and one pair of jeans to make room for the three hefty books I had decided to read from cover…
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Help! My Industry is Dying
Yesterday I got an e-mail from the entertainment editor at King magazine soliciting pitches for the magazine’s July/August issue. I immediately started brainstorming potential story ideas. Six hours later I learned via a status update on a staff member’s Twitter profile that the magazine had folded. Yes, I am not ashamed to admit it: I like King magazine…
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Lord of the Ring
My boyfriend wants to give me an engagement ring for my birthday, and I’m all with it—except I know it’s going to be too small. He’s an understated kind of guy in general, and he makes a really good salary—but he hates being flashy. So I’m pretty sure the ring is going to be tasteful.…
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Re-discovering black people
ABC’s “Good Morning America” is doing a series called “Black and White Now” where I guess they are trying to figure out when racism will be over or not. They got a three-part series jumping off this week, and I swear I wish someone would just shoot me now. These programs about black people most…
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Travel Prep: Can the G-20 Summit Replace the American Consumer?
It’s encouraging to see that the dynamic between France and the NATO alliance is resuming a military footing. Last week, French troops rejoined the organization, which is currently supporting US-led efforts in Afghanistan—a break with 40 years of policy under president Nicolas Sarkozy’s predecessors. This cooperation with Barack Obama may, however not translate to the…
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Ice Cube Plays Racist Cop in New Comedy
Here we go again. First, it was Bernie Mac in Guess Who? where he plays a black dad tortured by his daughter’s white husband-to-be. Then there was Samuel Jackson in Lakeview Terrace, that racial-heavy thriller where a black cop terrorizes a white man and his beautiful black wife. Now it’s Ice Cube. He’s just signed…
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Job One
Does anyone still remember Roger and Me? Michael Moore’s 1989 film chronicled the filmmaker’s attempts to interview GM chairman Roger Smith, whose efforts to streamline and downsize had shattered GM’s hometown of Flint, Mich. Back then, shutting down plants, cutting benefits, and throwing workers on the proverbial street was depicted as the epitome of corporate…
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Does Europe Still Heart Obama?
It was a whirlwind affair. Europe’s love-at-first-sight attraction to Barack Obama grew quickly into a serious courtship in the weeks before and after his election. His inauguration signaled the promise of a healthy relationship: common interests, similar goals, mutual respect and a commitment to make it work. Consider this week the first major post-honeymoon dust-up.…