culture
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Meet the Black Geniuses of 2016
Joyce J. Scott was an artist in utero. She will tell you that while she was safely inside the womb, her mother, an internationally recognized fiber artist, was nourishing her with colors and patterns and craft. Scott wanted nothing more than to be who she has become—a multitalented, multimedium, multipersonality spitfire of a performer. She…
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If America Treated Racism the Way It Treats Terrorism
As soon as America caught wind of the makeshift bombs that exploded in New York, New Jersey and Minnesota this weekend, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio quickly assembled the media and held a press conference, pleading for calm while authorities investigated the incidents. Along with the usual fear and outrage came calls from…
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Maybe There Are No Good Cops?
In the wake of the police-shooting deaths of Terence Crutcher, Tyre King, Keith Lamont Scott and (insert the name of the next victim here), there will undoubtedly be quickly assembled news panels with ex-cops and former police officials regurgitating the same stale arguments. As they bombard media outlets with the usual litany of excuses meant…
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Urbanworld Celebrates 20 Years of Showcasing Black Films While Hollywood Plays Catch-Up
Long before Hollywood entertained modern-day diversity or inclusion conversations, Urbanworld, founded by onetime Motown Records and Miramax Films executive Stacy Spikes in 1997, was already expanding the “urban” landscape in film, pushing beyond racial, geographic and other limits, and freely mixing music and other aspects of urban culture. It’s a mission the festival, in its…
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Terence Crutcher's Slaying by Cop Is Why Kaepernick's Protest Must Continue
Author’s note: In the time I responded to weekend criticism of high school players taking a knee, a disabled black man was shot dead by police in Charlotte, N.C., while sitting in his car. This is the latest extrajudicial killing that shows that existing while black will get you shot by police. Many who have been…
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What Do You Really Know About the Dirty South? Atlanta Shows Ranked
FX’s Atlanta is the rare black comedy that is beloved by both critics and audiences. The premiere drew in over 3 million views, and the show has a 100 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. While it evokes the surrealism of Twin Peaks, the stoner humor of Dazed and Confused, and the ethos and sound…
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Iyanla Vanzant Is Out to Destroy the Myth of the Angry Black Woman
Iyanla: Fix My Life, the series featuring spiritual teacher and life coach Iyanla Vanzant, has been a fixture on the Oprah Winfrey Network since 2012, and the addition of scripted programming like Queen Sugar to the network has not changed that. For this season, Vanzant, known for her work with Basketball Wives’ reality star Evelyn Lozada…
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Dream Hampton: We Should Have the Right to Sell Weed [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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Making a Way Out of No Way: Defending African-American Culture
I’m black and have always identified as such, and until recently, I never questioned exactly what that meant. Having grown up on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., formerly known as Chocolate City, attended an HBCU and worked at two black companies in the past, I’ve been happily surrounded by myriad black people. Recently, that’s included…
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Our Highly Selective Guide to the Emmys Is All About the Black Nominees
The 68th Primetime Emmy Awards arrive on Sunday (8 p.m. on ABC), and while some of my favorite shows, like Game of Thrones and Veep, are expected to walk away with a boatload of trophies, there are several nominated performances by African-American stars for whom I’m rooting. And because we all love to see black…