culture
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This App Lets You Take Selfies With Your Dead Relatives
For a generation raised on The Matrix and two seasons of Black Mirror, we clearly have not learned enough lessons about technology running amok. This week, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, the question “Can you hear me now?” went a little further than trying to get in touch with someone across the…
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This Rachel Dolezal Tea About the Oppression of Darth Becky Is Delicious
Every time you think the story of the Fake Felicia is over, Black Jesus drops another hilariously sad bomb on us. A few days ago, the Imposter Formerly Known as Rachel Dolezal informed the world that she had officially changed her name to Nkechi Amare Diallo because—desperation. Because crazy. Because underneath the Donald Trump-brand skin…
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Confronting My Addiction
I remember the first time I tried it. I had heard about other people doing it, and I knew that a few of my friends used it from time to time, but I thought it was stupid at first. I looked down my nose at people who occasionally did it at parties or in social…
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Gary From Chicago’s Redemption Road: Whom Do We Forgive and When?
Well, so much for 15 minutes of fame. Gary Alan Coe—or, as we lovingly (and laughingly) came to know him, “Gary from Chicago”—barely got five to enjoy being a media darling after the unexpected hilarity he brought to Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony. Aside from the surprise ending (and triumphant underdog win of Moonlight), most agreed…
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Racial Progress in Film Remains Slow Drag 30 Years After Hollywood Shuffle
Robert Townsend’s Hollywood Shuffle was released 30 years ago this year. Although it couldn’t have been noted at the time, Shuffle became a foundational film that launched the careers of two of our most prolific filmmakers and made us aware of an entire family of comedic geniuses—the Wayans family. I most remember the film for…
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Being Mary Jane Recap: Is Justin Setting Up M.J.? You Be the Judge
New phone, who dis? Do we even recognize who this Justin is? Or can we even trust that the man who has so coolly thrown Mary Jane under the bus at every opportunity is now supporting and backing her against Ronda and their boss Garrett? It’s almost unbelievable to think that this might be a…
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The Liberator: Susan Burton on the War on Drugs, Black Motherhood and Freedom [Retracted]
RETRACTED (6/12/18): This story has been removed because we have discovered it was in breach of our editorial standards. If you’d like to know more, you can read an editor’s note here. A cached version of the story is available here for transparency.
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Black-Led TV Shows Have Always Had Crossover Appeal; So Why the Side-Piece Treatment?
Earlier this month, Nielsen unveiled a study examining the broader appeal of black-led and/or -focused content—particularly in television. It begins with acknowledgment that black people play a pivotal role in shaping various sectors of popular culture in the U.S. In its findings, “73 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 67 percent of Hispanics believe that African…
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Don’t Hurt Yourself: Unicorns Aren’t Real and You’re Not a Special Snowflake
Many moons ago, fresh off an unexpected achievement and gaining a toehold in both the music industry and the fun, freewheeling network that was once Twitter, I decided to celebrate my unlikely success with the social media tagline, “Just your average Grammy-nominated goddess next door … may I borrow some sugar?” Playful? Yes. Obnoxious? Perhaps;…
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The Latest Leslie Jones White-Tears Controversy
Leslie Jones is the latest target in the new epidemic of wypipo pearl-clutching and getting outraged at comedians for telling jokes. During her latest stand-up performance at Carolines on Broadway, Jones, the New York Times reports, told the story of when online troll and pedophile advocate Milo Yiannopoulos attacked her and inspired his “alt-right” minions…