culture
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The Real MVP: TV Movie About Wanda Durant’s Life Offers a Powerful Tribute to Single Moms
Superstar Kevin Durant was sniffling, getting teary-eyed and speaking with a cracked voice toward the end of his acceptance speech in 2014 after winning the NBA MVP award. And he hadn’t even mentioned his mother yet. He was talking about his brothers, his friends and his grandmother, thanking them for their love and support as…
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Empire Recap: She’s a Bad Mama Jama
Forget the American Sound Awards—Empire has a new entrant in the “worst parent” competition. Lucious is horrible, but in “The Lyon Who Cried Wolf,” his mama makes him look like an amateur. Let’s go! Lucious and Cookie torpedoed Harper Scott’s profile on him, so the writer got even by giving Andre evidence that his supposedly…
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#RapedByMorehouse: Allegations of a Rape Cover-Up at Spelman Spark Controversy
Many young women and men arrive at Atlanta University Center, that bastion of black excellence and prestige, believing that it will provide shelter from the violence, sexual and otherwise, that lies beyond its gates. In January, BuzzFeed’s Anita Badejo, in the investigative report “Our Hands Are Tied Because of This Damn Brother-Sisterhood Thing,” delved into…
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Captain America: Civil War Is the Blackest Movie Marvel Has Ever Made
In the last few years of the Obama era, the phrase “ __ is the blackest thing ever” has become a bit overused. Beyoncé’s latest video is the blackest thing ever! This meme is the blackest thing ever! Barack/Michelle just did the blackest thing ever! And so on, and so on. The problem is that…
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Mom of the Year: Holly Robinson Peete’s Reality Is All Too Real
We were first introduced to Holly Robinson Peete as the doe-eyed doyenne from 21 Jump Street in the ’80s, a brown girl on TV who used to bust wayward teens with heartthrob Johnny Depp. Fast-forward 30 years, and Peete is now the mother of four, married for 20 years, an entrepreneur working on her own lifestyle…
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Wintley Phipps Is Inspiring Dreams by Keeping at-Risk Youths Out of Prison
Wintley Phipps is a force of nature, standing amid a children’s choir, belting out the gospel classic “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.” The performance, at Tuesday night’s 15th annual Power of a Dream Gala, was for a glittering crowd gathered to share his passion for keeping at-risk children out of prison. “When…
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The List of Demands Ludacris Made for His 15-Minute Performance at the University of Ga. Is Pretty Ridiculous
There are very few things in 2016 that take me by surprise—after all, we live in a world where our federal government can look at my paltry checking account and insist that I owe them more money than they already take out of my pay stub. At this point, someone could tell me, “Hey, that…
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The Guy I’m Dating Wants to Put Us on Pause While He Studies. Should I Be Offended?
The guy I’m dating is studying for a certification and pretty much said that’s his biggest priority for the next few weeks and that his free time will be dedicated to studying. Should I be offended? Understanding? How should I handle this? —Anonymous It sounds like the guy you’re seeing might be studying for a…
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Hey, Aisha Tyler, Going to a PWI Isn’t ‘Brave’ and Not Everyone at an HBCU Is the Same
There are very few conversations I find more cringe-inducing and exhausting than the debate over whether or not it is best for a black student to attend a predominantly white institution of higher learning or one that is historically black. Everything ain’t for everybody, and not enough people on either side of the issue know…
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May the 4th Be With You: A History of Black Stars in Star Wars
The intentionally chosen May 4 is National Star Wars Day. Yes, May 4, as in “May the Fourth be with you,” playing off the classic “May the force be with you” line from the movies. While the holiday officially started in the ’70s (with the British), it has kicked into hyperdrive over the last few…