culture

It’s not unusual for former pro-football players to die at an early age. The violence of the game, the ravages of maintaining an NFL-ready physique take a toll on routine longevity, but none of that could have prepared anyone for the shock of Steve McNair’s death on July 4. McNair, only 36, and Sahel Kazemi,…

For a few brief moments, Michael Jackson is a man without mystique. He is a man with a common name who is being questioned on his behavior and activities with children. His face, so often the subject of much conversation and ridicule, is captivating for another reason: it seems filled with a humanity, good or…

Former Tennessee Titans quarterback and Alcorn State University legend, Steve McNair, was killed in an apparent murder-suicide with a young woman who worked at an Opry Mills restaurant and had been dating him for months. McNair, a hometown hero who did extensive charity work in Nashville, had several gunshot wounds, including one to the head.…

UPDATE: Serena Wins In Straight Sets PHOTOS: How Beautiful Are The Williams Sisters? Venus and Serena Williams will meet in the Wimbledon finals on Saturday. This may not seem like news, but the context of the Williams sisters domination of their sport is changing. It’s no longer a matter of whether they are the best…

The United States of America celebrates its 233rd birthday this year, while its leaders try to refashion the “idea of America” for an increasingly complex and unpredictable world. The White House is burning the midnight oil deliberating on the extent to which American foreign policy should move toward national interests or national values, realism or…

T-shirts are a powerful form of American expression. The ’60s, ‘70s and ‘80s were chock full of chic, racially specific slogans and images on T-shirts that amounted to an ongoing protest rally. Who can forget “Black Man’s Time”? Or the equally iconic: “Happy to be Nappy”? But in the 1990s, that sort of in-your-face, activist statement…

From NewsOne: “Detroit City Councilwoman and admitted felon Monica Conyers went on television Tuesday to talk about council endorsements, hopes of staying out of jail and her plans to write a tell-all book. And toward the end of her hour-long live TV show, Conyers apologized. “To all of the residents of the city of Detroit,…