culture

Who is Ryan Coogler? And who is Michael B. Jordan? Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan are the young director-actor duo most famous for creating the harrowing and amazing (and amazingly shut out for Oscar consideration) Fruitvale Station. They also worked together on Creed—a critically acclaimed movie with a black director, a black star and…

President Barack Obama’s recently announced initiative Computer Science for All is a call from the highest office that computer science education is important for the future of the nation. CS education is important for all children in the modern era, for sure, but it is essential for students of color, especially black and Hispanic students…

For some black people, slavery is not a popular subject matter for television and film, and many have openly expressed this view on Twitter and Facebook. The running joke is that black actors get nominated for awards only when they are playing slaves or other subservient characters. So the new WGN America series, Underground, about…

Marcia Clark is in a different courtroom. Lest we forget, while prosecuting O.J. Simpson for a double murder, she’s also in the midst of a custody battle with her ex-husband for her two children, who her husband says spend all their time with babysitters. Clark is also “very late” for work. Yikes!  Today’s witness? Denise…

Detroit native Shaka Senghor is a rare voice in the fight against mass incarceration and extreme violence in many black communities. The onetime drug dealer, who was shot at age 17 and sentenced to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder at age 19 with one child and another on the way, has used every…

In his role as Christopher Darden, Sterling K. Brown has been one of the unexpected delights of FX’s captivating hit The People v. O.J. Simpson. Previously, the St. Louis native and Stanford alum, who shaved his head to portray Marcia Clark’s partner in prosecution, was best-known as Roland Burton on Army Wives, Det. Cal Beecher on…

On Saturday, some of the biggest names in entertainment, business and politics gathered together in Washington, D.C., at the Warner Theatre to honor black excellence at the BET Honors 2016. The initial taping, which was scheduled in February for Black History Month, was postponed because of weather, but the makeup date was every bit as…

When I found out that Remy Ma would be joining the cast of Love & Hip Hop: New York, I was concerned. Is that the kind of show most conducive to a woman who was found guilty and sentenced to eight years in prison for shooting someone in the stomach in a dispute over money…

Legendary singer and civil rights activist Mavis Staples has been in the business of making music and changing lives for over 60 years. The Chicago-born singer with the signature raspy voice launched her career in 1950 as part of the family gospel group the Staple Singers, consisting of her father (Pops) and three older sisters…