culture
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Micah Xavier Johnson: 5 Questions About the Alleged Dallas Sniper
If police and media reports are to be believed, Micah Xavier Johnson is a killer. Not only is he a killer, but he is the archnemesis of all that is good in the world because he planned an intricate plot to murder Dallas police officers in retaliation for the white supremacist police state’s systemic slaughter of black…
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Raising a Child in the Era of the Obamas, the Currys and (the New) Cosby
I come from a broken home. My parents were married for a time, but memories of my father in the house are few and far between because his military career often required him to be stationed out of state. I was about 8 when my mother filed for divorce, and as far as I was…
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My Boyfriend Knows How to Act Right When I Threaten to End It. Why Can’t He Act Right All the Time?
Why does my boyfriend straighten up when I basically say, “I’m ending this”? I’ve noticed that when I’m silent or tell him we need space after a huge argument, he gets all, “Gina, Gina, Gina,” like on the episode of Martin when he told her to step and she left. —Anonymous I have seen every…
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4 Tips to Help Your Hair Beat the Summer Heat
Summer is here and you know what that means: The humidity and heat are here, too! So while you definitely should be having tons of fun in the sun, the ultimate goal for your summer hair should be proper care. May these quick tips help your strands survive this hot and sweaty season intact and…
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Hits and Misses From VH1’s Hip-Hop Honors
Who run the world? Girls. With hip-hop being a male-dominated industry, the accomplishments of female artists who have pioneered the industry are often forgotten. But not Monday night. After a six-year hiatus, VH1’s Hip-Hop Honors returned with a star-studded program dedicated to female rappers. “All Hail the Queens” was special, mostly because it was a…
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You Won’t Have Tim Duncan, the Pumpkin-Spice Latte of the NBA, to Ignore Anymore
On Monday, Tim Duncan ended his career much the way he played: quietly. He didn’t announce that he was leaving at the top of the season so he could go on an NBA farewell tour like Kobe Bryant did, but such is life for the man who made his living as one of the most…
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25 Years Later, the Power and Brilliance of Boyz n the Hood Still Resonate
“In any type of writing program, they say to write about what you know,” John Singleton told Walter Mosley during a conversation following a 25th-anniversary screening of his classic film debut, Boyz n the Hood, in New York in June. “When you’re a certain age, you only have a limited amount of life experience. I…
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Lessons From La. State: Let Students Lead the Way in Protests Over Police Killings
Baton Rouge, La., Thursday, July 7: The perspiring temperatures outdoors were outdone by the racial climate created by years of police killings. Indoors, the climate was slightly less heated as hundreds of college students and community members crammed into the African American Cultural Center and the adjacent Women’s Center on the campus of the Louisiana…
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Freddie Gray Case: Prosecutors Question Officer’s Failure to Put a Seat Belt on Gray
For the trial of Baltimore Police Lt. Brian Rice, 42, prosecutors are largely following the same script as in the previous trials: calling the same witnesses and following the same lines of questioning. The prosecution is focusing on its argument that Rice, as the highest-ranking of the six police officers who have faced or will…