culture
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The 10 Things Black People Can’t Do
When I was 21, a police officer at the scene of a fire cursed me out. It didn’t matter that I was there with a camera crew and working for a TV station in St. Louis. It didn’t matter that I was absolutely nowhere near the fire (I was standing across the street). He thought…
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Sex, Love and Peace: The Benefits of Exercising With Your Boo
Not motivated to hit the gym? Having a hard time sticking to your workout plan? Might be time to recruit your boo! In fact, studies show that couples who work out together increase their chances of sticking to their exercise program by 90 percent. However, the real power in power lifting with your lover is…
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Check Out America’s Worst Police Departments
Almost half of Americans hate their police department. In a new study, a little over 47 percent of Americans gave their police precinct a grade of D or F. The states of Arkansas, Idaho, Missouri, Virginia and Georgia are among those ranked highest in the number of people reporting negative perceptions of police. The results…
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As a Woman, I Can’t Love Madea and Hate Straight Outta Compton
Tyler Perry’s brand of hyperbolic “church humor” and F. Gary Gray’s hit film Straight Outta Compton, a biopic of the West Coast rap group N.W.A, might seem worlds apart. But for me, they are two sides of the same coin. I’m disappointed in myself that it took so long to figure that out. I was…
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Jimmy Carter’s Last Battle: Eradicating an African Disease
Former President Jimmy Carter told the world Thursday that he is fighting a spreading cancer. But, really, as he said, the fighting part was going to be left to his doctors. The former Georgia governor and current Sunday school teacher said his role was to be a good, obedient patient. However, Carter did identify to…
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Dee Barnes, Dr. Dre and Why We Need to Keep Saying Women’s Names
Dee Barnes’ courageous essay in Gawker unearthed her historical connection to the rappers in N.W.A and laid bare the violent betrayal she and other women suffered at the hands of Dr. Dre, a former member of N.W.A and executive producer of the current blockbuster Straight Outta Compton. Said film makes no mention of the events Barnes…
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Shaun King, Trolling Conservatives and the Reverse Paper-Bag Test
It’s hard to write about something you know is stupid. You try to come up with words. Something fancy or deep. Profundity, be mine! But the only thing you want to say is, “This is dumb, so dumb.” Right now, on the Internet, some conservatives are trying to digitally relitigate Plessy v. Ferguson because it…
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Nicki Minaj Wax Figure Reduces Famous Rapper to Famous Rump
Nicki Minaj isn’t shy about showing off her assets. If her derriere were included in a police lineup, a lot of hip-hop fans would have no problem identifying the “pink princess’s” posterior. It’s almost as famous as her latest single—if not more so. Can you name it? The track, not her rump? Having reached a…
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Step Afrika! Celebrating 20 Years of Dance
When the brothers of the fictional Gamma Phi Gamma Fraternity joined together in rhythmic unison, clapping and stomping, in a scene from Spike Lee’s 1988 film School Daze, for many it served as an introduction to the art form of stepping. The sharp, synchronized body movements, mixed with call-and-response, are characteristics of stepping, which may…