culture
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Apparently, Free Speech Is a White Privilege
Less than 48 hours after an egomaniacal, snooty, three-toed, sloth-looking wet diaper joked about being a “house nigger” on Friday’s episode of Real Time With Bill Maher, white supremacists armed with bats, bricks and cans of Pepsi rioted in Portland, Ore., at what they deemed a “free speech rally.” The day after the “Portland Purge,”…
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Thirst Traps Are Body Positive, Too
Two months ago on a whim, I got my first tattoo. After an hour and a half, I emerged with a tiny Egyptian cross etched between my least favorite parts of my body—my breasts. It was a daily reminder not to ignore them and to finally start to embrace them. It’s safe to say I…
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The Jheri Curl Turns 40: A Look at the Most Iconic, Insulted and Revered Hair Craze Ever
The last time I saw someone wear a Jheri curl with a straight face was in the summer of 2015. In June of that year, retired NBA point guard Baron Davis appeared on ESPN’s First Take sporting a high-and-tight take on the activator swirl. His was in the big-Luther tradition of being “not quite right”;…
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#NeverForget: Bill Maher Once Questioned a Black Woman’s Blackness Over the N-Word
Friday’s moment when TV host Bill Maher uttered the n-word was not the first time he crossed the line where race is concerned. Long before Real Time With Bill Maher was a thing, Maher once talked over, insulted and questioned the blackness of veteran black actress Anne-Marie Johnson, all while arguing that white people should…
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#SaveUnderground: Aisha Hinds on Freedom Dreams and Revolutionary Art
Last week, WGN America announced that it had canceled the critically acclaimed and riveting historical drama Underground. Allegedly moving in a more conservative, programming direction, the network is leaving behind a show that introduced millions of viewers to the relatively unknown network. As the cast and crew confirmed and responded to the news, outraged fans—#TeamNoalee,…
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Solange, Pharrell and Friends Highlight Epic 10th Anniversary of the Roots Picnic
More than 10,000 music lovers flocked to Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia Saturday for the annual Roots Picnic. This year’s festival marked the 10th anniversary of the unofficial summer launch party and kicked off Black Music Month. Stars of the past and present came out to celebrate the historic event. Despite the absence of one its…
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Sunday Night With Megyn Kelly Is What Happens When Mediocrity and Whiteness Come Together
The most frustrating thing about Megyn Kelly’s new NBC show is that it exists. In the promos leading up to the premiere of Sunday Night With Megyn Kelly, the former Fox News propagandist reveals five things we can look forward to on the show. We’re supposed to forget that while at FOX News, she was…
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‘What Now?’ I Survived the 1st 18 Years of Parenting Without Going Crazy
I’m not going to lie and sugarcoat how I feel about parenting. When I describe it to friends who don’t have kids, my parenting spiel usually goes something like this: “It can be the best of times, it can be the worst of times.” And as my son graduated from high school this past weekend,…
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For Jodeci, Diary of a Mad Band Wasn’t Just an Album, It Was a Way of Life
If you wondered when R&B singers became rappers and rappers became R&B singers, you just need to take a trip back to the ’90s, when Jodeci first took the hip-hop aesthetic and seamlessly blended it with baby-making jams. Before them, rhythm and blues balladeers were known for their impeccable suits and precise dance moves—from the…