black family
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Negative Parenting Milestones They Don’t Tell You About in Baby Books
I don’t remember the first time I bumped the back of my daughter’s head on the top of the passenger-side rear door when attempting to put her in the car seat, but I remember the last time I did it—Saturday afternoon. We were on our way to Whole Foods (whose hot bar is a surprisingly…
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Christmas Ain’t Christmas Without My Grandma
The last time I saw my grandmother alive was at my uncle Bobby’s funeral. She looked tired. Grandma breathlessly said, “Hello,” almost unable to get out of her chair. We did our usual routine. I told her how much I missed her. How I wished I had more time to stay but had to hit…
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Mudbound Is Another Exhausting Tale of Inequality and Racism in America, but at Least It Was Executed Properly
When there’s historical blackness in film, it’s usually displayed through slavery or Jim Crow. There’s never really any in between. But there is a very palpable significance in remembering, reliving and recognizing black history and respecting how far we’ve come (even though 2017 mirrors the past more times than we’re comfortable with). I guess that’s…
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Tracing Your Roots: Untangling the Origins of My Dad’s Blended Family
A reader seeks details on grandparents who left behind a family tree with many branches. Dear Professor Gates: Can you please help me get some clear history on my grandfather and grandmother? My father, George W. Murphy, was born March 25, 1919, in Little Rock, Ark., one of many siblings. My grandmother Ada Wiley Murphy…
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Florida Evans: Hero Or The Biggest Hater Ever? A Good Times Treatise
Despite originally airing before I was alive, Good Times was a cable TV staple of my childhood. I tuned in regularly to ponder: Will James Evans Sr. get the job? Will the Evans’ get thrown out? Did shape ups just not exist in the ‘70s? I still watch, and Facebook lets me know that my…