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  • A Blow-by-Blow Account of the Harris Family’s 2016 4th of July Cookout

    Every year we receive so many unbelievable stories, tall tales and arguments about one particular black family’s barbecue. In an effort to dismiss all of these fantastical claims, this year we sent our own reporter undercover to get to the bottom of the facts about the Harris family’s cookout. Although we still haven’t heard from…

    By

    Michael Harriot

    Published

  • The 10 Greatest Cookout Songs of All Time

    The Fourth of July is almost here, and hopefully you’re almost done preparing for your cookout. (Remember, it’s a cookout, not a barbecue. A cookout is an event. Barbecue is a sauce.) There are other people throwing lesser cookouts than yours; they’re online right now researching raisin-walnut chicken-salad recipes, but not you. You know what…

    By

    Michael Harriot

    Published

  • Stacey Dash and the Psychology of Puppets

    There is a little-known technique in some areas of psychology called “puppet therapy,” whereby patients use dolls or puppets to express emotions and points of view that they are uncomfortable saying themselves. The puppet becomes a de facto voice for people to vent their feelings freely and release their true thoughts because, after all ……

    By

    Michael Harriot

    Published

  • Come on, Tyga, You Wanted to Keep Up With a Kardashian and Now You're Complaining?

    Unless you have been living under the largest rock in the world with no cable or internet access, when it comes to the Kardashians, you know what it is. If anyone asks you what they do for a living, they’re being insincere and smug. We know what they do: They tell us every tidbit of…

    By

    Michael Arceneaux

    Published

  • Why ‘How to React When Being Called a N–ger’ Is So Complicated, Explained

    Who is Emmy Victor? Emmy Victor is a morning reporter for KCCI-TV in Des Moines, Iowa. According to her Twitter bio, she’s also a New York City-Washington, D.C.-area native and a Howard University alum. And, according to the footage I saw of her, she might also be a Tibetan monk. A Tibetan monk? Why would…

    By

    Damon Young

    Published

  • Why I Don’t Steal Music Anymore (for the Most Part)

    In a recent VladTV interview, living rap god Bow Wow (formerly of the “Lil’” variety) discussed his entire career. He referenced Ray J and Lil’ Kim’s “Wait a Minute,” a joint that I’d forgotten made me nod my head around the turn of the century (and the only worthwhile thing Ray J ever did that…

    By

    Dustin J. Seibert

    Published

  • #OscarsNotSoWhite? Here’s a List of the Black Invitees to the Academy

    Cheryl Boone Isaacs is one film industry leader who is taking the #OscarsSoWhite criticism to heart and instituting change. Back in January, Isaacs, president of the Oscar-granting Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, publicly announced the academy’s plan to double the number of women and members from diverse backgrounds by 2020. And on Wednesday, the…

    By

    Ronda Racha Penrice

    Published

  • First Phife Dawg and Then Prince; It's Time to Have a Frank Talk About Black Men's Health

    I’m done with 2016. We’ve lost Phife Dawg and Prince—just to name two this year. Many of my musical heroes, whose sounds were the ambient noise of my childhood, are gone. We now live in a world where Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross and Prince are dead. No matter how hard I try, I seem unable…

    By

    Lawrence Ware

    Published

  • Meet Yaa Gyasi, the Author of the Slavery Novel Everyone Is Talking About

    Yaa Gyasi is having the kind of year every first-time novelist dreams about. The Ghanaian-born, American-raised writer’s debut novel, Homegoing, has been lauded by critics ranging from those writing for the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal. Her book, which sparked a bidding war that led to a seven-figure deal, has landed at the…

    By

    Hope Wabuke

    Published

  • #ReesesRoadToRio: Meet Olympic Gold Medalist Long Jumper Brittney Reese

    All eyes will be on Rio de Janeiro this summer as some of the world’s best athletes compete for Olympic gold. But our eyes will be on one specific long jumper as we chronicle her road to Rio. Brittney Reese is a history-making track-and-field star. She is the only long jumper (man or woman) to…

    By

    Yesha Callahan

    Published