culture

Something magical happens in conversation when only we are in the room. A guard is dropped, a look is exchanged. Even though we might be strangers, we laugh because we speak the same language. We pause to judge ourselves and the world on our own terms, from our own context and vantage point, with absolute…

New Orleans marked the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina by getting ready for yet another deadly storm, evoking memories of the deadly combination of wind, water and government negligence that devastated one of America’s great cities three years ago. Even before Hurricane Gustav came roaring in this week, there was ample evidence that the city…

“Let he who is without sin be the one to throw the first stone….” John 8:7 Imagine the fun that right-wing, fundamentalist Christians and their henchmen bloggers would have if 17-year-old mother-to-be Bristol Palin were black. It’s not hard. Visit any news Web site and read the comments that flow from the mention of teen…

After 1968: Contemporary Artists and the Civil Rights Legacy High Museum of Art June 7–October 5, 2008 Contemporary art isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but, if there was ever a moment when museum-grade contemporary images for/by/about black people could have particular crossover appeal, this would be it. Many of the headlines from this increasingly chaotic…

Sen. John McCain’s selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate is like The Jerry Springer Show at its smarmiest. Her 17-year-old unmarried daughter is five months pregnant. The state legislature is investigating her for firing a state official who refused to dismiss Palin’s ex-brother-in-law from his job as a state trooper after…

YEEEEHAW! It’s back to school time. All across the country parents are doing the happy dance as their precious offspring are finally getting out from under them and returning to that godsend of an institution that houses them for seven or so blissful hours a day. Back to school means getting things in order, tightening…

A couple of minutes into the midnight opening screening of Star Wars: The Clone WarsinCincinnati this month, I took a moment to survey the other members of the audience. The four or five dozen people occupying the theatre came from all over the geek spectrum, from the hopelessly anti-social to the more lovable (like Eric…

Great athletic careers typically come in three acts. In act one, a player bursts onto the scene, possessing skills that immediately put them in the elite of their game and exuding charisma that make them media friendly and accessible. In other words, they are the sports version of a star is born. In act two,…

Prince, Michael Jackson and Madonna. One last name, three big birthdays. The big 5-0. Mike crossed the threshold on August 29. Madonna hit it on August 16, and Prince is the elder of the bunch, having turned 50 on June 7. Fifty? How did that happen? To some, 50 is a marvelous milestone; to some…

You’ve never been ostracized and excluded from mainstream society. Your basic human rights were never stripped of you, and you’ve likely enjoyed a life free of death threats. Still, you believe you’ve been ignored for far too long, and now your time has come. Here is your moment to look back at the people who…