culture
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Being Mary Jane Recap: Are You Man Enough?
Something about this season of Being Mary Jane is different. I’ve been hoping for it to pick up like past seasons, when complex subjects that black women deal with every day were subtly woven through the storyline. Mary Jane was always over-the-top extra, making her hard to like. But every time you screwed your nose…
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Unsung: Gospel or R&B? Dave Hollister Won’t Let Anyone Box Him In
Chicago native Dave Hollister has always had vocal chops, straddling the secular and gospel worlds with seeming ease. But after a peak career in the ’90s with Teddy Riley’s group Blackstreet, and then as a solo artist, his name disappeared from the lips of fans who had reveled in his old-school-style love songs. Hollister is…
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Move Over, Jodeci. These R&B Groups Deserve Some Biopic Shine, Too
Following the popularity of BET’s wildly successful New Edition miniseries, crooner Mr. Dalvin announced that production would begin soon on a biopic based on the ’90s R&B group Jodeci. BET’s parent company, Viacom, wisely took note of how the feel-good nostalgia for Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, Mike, Ralph and Johnny made for appointment viewing that propelled…
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My Black History: The Cash Money-Ruff Ryders Tour Changed Me Forever
Editor’s note: During Black History Month, the focus is usually on historical figures who loomed larger than life, paving the way for the progress we experience today. But black history isn’t just about telling stories of our past. History is being made every day and has been made throughout our lives; it’s not just in…
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OneUnited Bank, Black Lives Matter Team Up to Organize Black America’s Spending Power
Elected officials, businesses and society in general can sometimes find it easy to overlook voices of protest that call for equality and justice. One thing that is seldom overlooked, however, is money, and black America has a lot of spending power to throw around—about $1.2 trillion. Now OneUnited Bank, the largest black-owned bank in America,…
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The Day My Mother Asked About My HIV Status Changed My Life
I will never forget the day my mother asked me, “Is there something you want me to know about you?” Mom wanted to know if I had HIV. She had just attended her first HIV educational program. She learned about the virus and how important being in care is to ensure that a person with…
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SNL and Melissa McCarthy Are Becoming Anti-Trump Heroes
On paper it doesn’t seem like a likely pairing to have Melissa McCarthy playing White House press secretary Sean “Spicy Facts” Spicer on Saturday Night Live, but it worked beautifully. Somehow, some way, the sketch-comedy show has a direct line to the White House’s insecurities, and it’s pissing off the president and his staff. Shortly…
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Stream of Consciousness: Stay Woke for Black History Month With Netflix and Hulu
The TV powers that be have finally seen the light that black on-screen makes green. However, it was the brilliance of the internet not only to know this first but also to bring it to you in various packages, for your viewing pleasure, at your own convenience. Online-streaming services like Netflix made it easy for…
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The National Interest: All Money Ain’t Good Money: The Role of White Foundations in Social Justice Movements
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. There are wealthy white philanthropists in every city saying that they want to change urban education, but few are able to save their own organizations from whiteness. That’s because…