culture
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W. Kamau Bell on How to Solve Chicago’s Violence and Why Black Celebrities Host Shows About Race
Comedian W. Kamau Bell gives a lot of credit to Chris Rock for taking a big chance on him in 2012 by executive-producing his first show, Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell, on FX. “He basically gave me my career,” Bell said to The Root. “He might say differently: ‘You would have made it some…
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Mathew Knowles: Beyoncé Has Not Banned Me, and Idris Elba Is Playing Me in the Destiny’s Child Stage Play
Recently on her daytime talk show, Wendy Williams repeated a fable that the very pregnant, due-anytime-now mother of all mothers, Beyoncé, had banned her father from the delivery room. I love Wendy Williams, Lord knows I do, but if you’ve been listening to her since the days of her radio show, The Wendy Williams Experience,…
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Let Go of Our Hair and Let Our Girls Learn
In recent weeks, there have been a number of news stories about black girls being discriminated against at school for wearing natural hairstyles. In July 2016, a news story went viral about a school in Pretoria, South Africa, banning black girls from wearing natural hairstyles like Afros because they were “untidy” and “unladylike.” In March…
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Seattle Seahawk Michael Bennett Escalates Feud With Stephen A. Smith
Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett took to Twitter on Friday to respond to criticism from the polysyllabic, empty bag of humid wind known to sports fans around the world as Stephen A. Smith. Michael Bennett, the outspoken Pro Bowl football player, recently gave an interview with John Clayton and Gee Scott on their 710…
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Unique Views, Episode 43: Frederick Douglass Would've Never Worn a Romphim
It’s episode 43, so you know what that means. It means it’s the 43rd installment of your favorite podcast’s, favorite podcast and we are back at it like a crack habit. I’m truly the only person that matters in this podcast, Stephen A. Crockett Jr the third, and because of a court order I’m forced…
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Violence Is Never the Answer … for Black People
There is one universal subject that cannot be ignored when explaining history, dissecting the status of marginalized people around the world, or pursuing any understanding of society, culture or politics. It is an unavoidable component that must be factored into any academic or intellectual examination of civilization, social order or government. That subject is violence.…
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Watch: Our World in Malcolm X’s Words
Very seldom does one encounter a leader as valiant, sharp and fearless as Malcolm X (aka el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz), born May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Neb., as Malcolm Little. He and his family were terrorized by white supremacists (who would eventually kill his father). During time in jail, Malcolm joined the Nation of Islam and…
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Scandal Season-Finale Recap: No Woman Should Have All That Power
The two-part Scandal season finale finally answered the question, who was behind Frankie Vargas’ assassination and plotting to assassinate Mellie? At the end of last week’s episode, Jake Ballard identified Olivia Pope’s mother, Maya Pope, as the mastermind who was pulling Peus and Sarah’s strings. This week, Jake arrests and interrogates her, and Maya appears…
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Tracing Your Roots: Deciphering Illegible Genealogy Records
Use these pro tips for handling poorly reproduced images from microfilm or microfiche. Dear Professor Gates: You answered a question I had about one of my ancestors in the 2016 column “Was My Southern Ancestor Adopted?” I have since been able to get ahold of the medical records of Mary Ryman from Bryce Hospital. However,…
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For Those Considering Blaxit, I Present to You: Berlin
Last year I went on a tour of Western Europe in search of a city that I could potentially call home. I went to London, Amsterdam … and I would have kept going, through the overpriced splendor of Scandinavia, or the lush, economically disenfranchised ruins of Athens, but Berlin stopped me in my tracks. It’s…