Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude

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Culture

Watch: The Root’s Young, Fabulous and Female and manCODE Chicago Completely Redefined Success

Big house + big job = great life? Maybe, but maybe not. Maybe it’s time to take a different look at what success really means for us, personally and professionally. In our joint Young, Fabulous and Female and manCODEevents Tuesday, May 16, in Chicago’s Zhou B Art Center, we did just that. The Root and…

By

Danielle Young

Published

May 22, 2017
Faith Evans Had Great Intentions With Her Biggie Duets Album, but …

The King & I, the recently released duets album between Faith Evans and her late husband, the Notorious B.I.G., was conceived with a strong sense of purpose. In an interview with USA Today, she explained: “It’s an extension of my job and my duty to extend his legacy. The fact that I’m able to do…

By

Michael Arceneaux

Published

May 22, 2017
Gabriel Taye Should Still Be With Us; Schools Are Unnamed Accomplices in Students’ Deaths

Editor’s note: Once a month, the National Interest column will tackle broader questions about what the country should do to increase educational opportunities for black youths. Gabriel Taye, an 8-year-old African-American boy, was caught on security camera Jan. 24, seemingly about to shake another boy’s hand. He was by the entrance of the bathroom at…

By

Andre Perry

Published

May 22, 2017
Politics Over Paycheck? The Life of a Black Host on Fox News

Black folks are, by and large, understanding when it’s time to get that paper. Whether it’s Barack Obama getting $400,000 to give a few speeches, athletes trying to sell $500 shoes—heck, even strippers on the pole—when it comes to jobs, most black people won’t bat an eye as long as it’s legal, profitable and isn’t…

By

Jason Johnson

Published

May 22, 2017
Politics

Watch White Liberalism in HD: Bill Maher Exploits Police Killing Black People to Score Political Points for Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton cares more about police officers getting away with killing black people than Donald Trump does, according to Real Time host Bill Maher. And on his HBO show Friday night, Maher exploited the brutal slayings of Terence Crutcher and Walter Scott in an effort to get Cornel West to agree with him. As previously…

By

Kirsten West Savali

Published

May 21, 2017
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…

By

Ronda Racha Penrice

Published

May 21, 2017
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,…

By

Michael Arceneaux

Published

May 20, 2017
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…

By

Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D.

Published

May 20, 2017
Politics

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…

By

Michael Harriot

Published

May 19, 2017
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…

By

Stephen A. Crockett Jr.

Published

May 19, 2017