culture
-
Want to Pull a #Blaxit? Becoming a Black Expat Is Harder Than You Think
#Blaxit was last week’s Twitter reality check as folks explained the realities of what American culture would lose if African Americans, indeed, returned to “Africa.” (In quotes because most of us wouldn’t really know to which part of Africa to go.) But, beyond that, the conversation about moving out of the U.S. has surged over…
-
America, Bye: Why Black America Is Leaving While Staying Put
I was a grad student at the UCLA film school, getting my MFA in screenwriting, when a consumer-trends company asked me to work for them. Why did they want me? Well, they advised major corporations on how to best situate their products for the African-American consumer market, and in order to do that effectively, the…
-
8 Times Diana Ross Reminded Us She Was Magic
Diana Ross blessed the world with her immensely successful self-titled album in 1976. The iconic project (which was her seventh studio album) included two No. 1 pop smashes—“Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To)” and “Love Hangover”—among other chart-topping singles, like “I Thought It Took a Little Time (but Today I Fell…
-
A User’s Guide to Dating While Black During Revolutionary Times
“Do you ever get scared driving around out here?” We were somewhere between Colorado and Nebraska, nothing to be seen for miles but fields, cows and the occasional Trump billboard. It was our first road trip in a newly minted “vacationship,” and after enjoying an extended Fourth of July weekend out West, my gentleman friend…
-
American Racism: From the Hood to the Precinct
Depending on whom you ask, 2 a.m. is counted among the small hours of the day when the world’s respectable are tucked into the sleepy fold where night meets morning. But for others, 2 a.m. is when the air falls heaviest on the shoulders, thick with the threat of chaos. That threat is known to…
-
Pokémon Go Is Not a ‘Distraction From the Real Issues’; You’re Just Stupid
Within the last couple months or so, my soon-to-be 8-month-old daughter has been transitioning from her diet of the world’s finest breast milk and the occasional formula supplement to breast milk plus formula plus real, actual food. We started her off with rice pudding (which she tolerates). Then oatmeal (which she likes). Then oatmeal with…
-
Unique Views, Episode 3: Keith Sweat. ’Nuff Said
It isn’t every day that the Sanford and Son of podcasts—aka your grandma’s favorite satin bonnet; aka your favorite podcast’s most unknown favorite podcast—gets a special guest. But for this episode of Unique Views, the R&B gods blessed us with the incomparable and legendary Keith Sweat. Keith stayed around for the entire podcast, y’all. Since…
-
Deeniquia Dodds: Another Black Trans Woman Was Killed. Do #BlackLivesMatter Still?
Deeniquia Dodds, known to her friends and loved ones as “Dee Dee,” died Wednesday from a Fourth of July shooting in Washington, D.C. On a day commemorating the alleged freedom and equality for all people in this country, Dee Dee, a 22-year-old black transgender woman raised in the nation’s capital, became at least the 15th trans…
-
#ReesesRoadtoRio: Brittney Reese Honored at 3rd Annual Shadow League Leadership Awards
Brittney Reese means business, not only as she prepares for next month’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics, but also in taking her commitment to community service seriously. When she’s not perfecting her long jump, the Ole Miss alum is spending her time giving back. Each year, Reese gives a college scholarship to one male and one…