culture
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50 Years Ago Stokely Carmichael Called for ‘Black Power,’ Galvanizing a Movement
Fifty years ago this Thursday, the call for “black power” by Stokely Carmichael in Greenwood, Miss., transformed the black freedom struggle. Frightening white citizens while transforming black identity, the black power movement’s call for radical political self-determination challenged liberal frameworks for racial equality in profound ways that continue to reverberate to this day. Black power…
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Black Aesthetic, White Supremacy: Steve Perry’s Tweet Needs Cutting More Than Black Boys’ Hair
Furious responses to educator Steve Perry’s tweet last week regarding Steve Harvey’s National Mentoring Camp for Young Men is a healthy sign that black people won’t accept self-loathing as a viable solution for underachievement. Perry, who founded the all-male Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford, Conn., recently announced a partnership with hip-hip mogul Sean “Puffy” Combs…
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My Boyfriend and Best Friend Are Texting Each Other All the Time. Should I Be Worried?
I approached my boyfriend about why he’s always texting my best friend. He stated that they are “friends” and they connect well when talking and he or she will hit up each other. I told him that’s my friend, though; why does she always hit him up and barely talk to me now? He said…
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Empire’s Tasha Smith Knows a Thing or Two About Thriving in Hollywood and Surviving Shady Ex-Husbands
Tasha Smith is that rare actress who has been holding it down in the entertainment industry for quite a while now. The NAACP Image Award nominee—perhaps best known for her portrayal of Angela in Tyler Perry’s hit television show For Better or Worse—has been working as an actress for two decades. She has appeared in films—including Daddy’s…
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Celebrating Black Fatherhood With #7DaysOfBlackDads
Father’s Day is steadily approaching, and it’s a holiday that deserves to be celebrated boldly and proudly. Black fathers are often maligned (go ahead, Google “black father” and see what results you get) in the media, even though we see, experience and all know some amazing men who nurture, love and cherish their children. We want…
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Sale of 1st and Only Black-Owned Public TV Station a Wake-Up Call on Media Diversity
The possible loss of Howard University’s PBS affiliate could be a tipping point toward the extinction of black-owned broadcast media, but the Federal Communications Commission has no sense of urgency to fix the problem. That’s not hyperbole. For years, the FCC has watched female and minority ownership of broadcast stations dwindle without much concern for…
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#PulseTragedy: Homophobic Blood-Donation Ban Puts Lives at Risk
After the terrorist attack at Orlando, Fla.’s Pulse nightclub Sunday morning, media outlets encouraged those living in Florida to donate blood. But when federal policy prohibits this from happening, then no matter how much we can rightfully blame Omar Mateen for these heinous acts of violence, we can also place some blame on institutions like…
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‘All I Could Do Was Cry’: LGBTQ Muslims React to the Orlando, Fla., Massacre
“All I could do was cry,” says Sadiya Abjani. “Cry for my dead community members, cry for the future of my Muslim community, cry for my friends and chosen family who are about to live the next few months constantly looking over their shoulders.” Abjani, a queer Ismaili Muslim in New York, is describing her…
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Jam Master Jay’s Brother Says His Death May Be a Cold Case, but It’s Far From Closed
If you don’t know his name, you know the legendary hip-hop group from which he hailed: Run-DMC. Jam Master Jay was the famed DJ who literally became the band for Run (now known as Rev. Run) and DMC. Jay had an innovative way of reworking riffs from classic guitar records and making them sound unique,…