culture
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Idris Elba Says ‘Pound My Yams’ for Valentine’s Day and I’m So Here for It
So much naughty innuendo. So much sexy. Actor Idris Elba recently posted a video on his Instagram page asking folks to be his valentine. The rub (oooh) is that you have to contribute to a fantastic organization based in Africa, W.E. Can Lead, to win a chance to “pound his yams.” Chile. This whole “pounding…
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Yara Shahidi in Talks for Her Own Black-ish Spinoff
Poised, pretty, polished teen Yara Shahidi, who plays oldest daughter Zoey Johnson on Black-ish, is set to get her own TV show, based on her life in college. Shahidi, who recently shut the internet down with her uncanny redo of a classic Sade photo, is blossoming into an impressive young woman. According to the Hollywood…
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In the Spirit of Living Single, Reboot These Black Shows, Too
During a recent appearance on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, Queen Latifah revealed that there has been discussion about a revival of Living Single. While some of us were immediately joyful about seeing the return of Khadijah James, Regine Hunter and Maxine Shaw and hearing the phrase, “Put some beans in that oven,” others were…
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A 5-Step Guide to Surviving a Trump Presidency
Barack Obama was one of the most disrespected presidents in American history. He was heckled by a reporter from the Daily Caller in the Rose Garden; he was given a chair lecture by Bill O’Reilly; and a former mayor of New York City said of Obama, “I do not believe, and I know this is…
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Why Black-ish Is Winning This Season
For years there has been a progressive erasure of high-quality black, mainstream television sitcoms. It feels as if, after Family Matters and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air went off the air, the idea of black family comedies went right out the door with them. Though many have tried (My Wife and Kids, Reed Between the…
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Unique Views, Episode 27: #TeamLawrence or #TeamChrisetteNeedsACheck?
It’s here. It’s finally here. President Trump. We don’t have to respect it, but that doesn’t make it any less true. A reality star who hates everyone except white men is president of the country, and the world is in retrograde. We know we said that episode 26 of the podcast would be the last…
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45 Things You Can Do Instead of Watching the Inauguration
Like Maxine Waters and every Negro who does not fool with those who do not fool with us, I will not be watching Sweet Potato Saddam’s inauguration. I would rather be alive during my own cremation than watch a racist whose hobbies include becoming a puppet of the Russian government and grabbing random pussies without…
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What the Hell Happened to Jim Brown?
He used to be one of the most feared athletes on the gridiron, and after he retired at age 30, he took that same toughness directly to the streets. His legacy both on and off the field was one of a tireless worker who wasn’t afraid of contact. He was a modern-day civil rights leader…
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Environmental Racism Is a Special and Urgent Concern
The focus of environmental justice has been the preservation of ecologies and spaces largely uninhabited by people of color. There is grave consideration for the preservation of national parks, but not for the preservation of black life and space. The ideas of justice and environment refer to the surrounding conditions of living things, yet the…
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John Lewis vs. Everybody: A Tale of the Tape
Ever since John Lewis told Chuck Todd that he doesn’t consider Donald Trump a “legitimate president,” acolytes of the traffic-cone-colored, tiny-fingered dingleberry have streamed out of the woodwork to come for the civil rights hero and political icon. As soon as the president-elect heard the remarks, the troll-in-chief tweeted this: Congressman John Lewis should spend…