culture
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Coming of Age in the Time of the Hoodie
Earlier this year I decided to read Joe Brainard’s cult classic, I Remember. The book had long intrigued me for I had heard that it was widely taught in creative writing courses and was a favorite of many authors, including several well-known authors whose work I admire. I was immediately drawn to Brainard’s style, each…
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For Black Scholars at PWIs, Speaking Truth to Power on Social Media Can Be ‘Professional Suicide’
African-American scholars at predominantly white institutions are faced with a challenge that resonates from the streets of Baltimore and Ferguson, Mo., all the way to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.: Tiptoe lightly around white supremacy or face consequences. Saida Grundy, an incoming associate professor of sociology and African-American studies at Boston University, faced swift condemnation this week…
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Tom Brady and the Privilege of Whiteness
Editor’s note: This piece was first published at New Black Man (in Exile). Tom Brady demonstrates the unflinching power of whiteness in contemporary America. Black people are punished and demonized for cheating. White men like Tom Brady get to do all sorts of s—t for a competitive edge, and they are gaming the system. This…
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Keeping Tubman Off the $20 Bill Would Be Crazy
I watched in horror yesterday as the Internet began to be peppered with pushback on the idea of putting Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, an idea very nobly put forth through the recent Women on 20s campaign. Although thousands voted in an online poll to petition the Treasury Department to replace President Andrew Jackson…
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There’s Something Mighty Fishy About This Drama Over Kenya Moore’s Married Boyfriend
Technically, I’m on vacation. I’ve rented a (cheap) car, and woe is me (insert sarcasm) that there’s no way to connect my iPhone to the stereo to listen to my playlists. I’m forced to listen to the radio, which I rarely do at home. The talk of Miami’s Hot 105 this week has been…
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Scandal Recap: Here Comes the Sun
The Scandal season 4 finale picks up with right where we left off—with Papa Pope masquerading as a big-money donor who wants to support Mellie’s campaign. Mellie should have known something was amiss when he introduced himself as “Demascus Bainbridge.” I guess when creating an alias to use right before ruining someone’s life, you should have some fun with it.…
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A Segregated Prom, a Racially Charged Murder and Questions About Racism
In this extended season of slayings of black males—never for a good-enough reason—discussions about race have become common again. From students in school hallways and random pedestrians on the street to protesters in Baltimore and Ferguson, Mo., and all over our country, the Black Lives Matter movement seems to be making a difference. When it…
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Why I’ve Returned to the Black Salon When Folks Are Leaving in Droves
The long waits. The double-booking. The general “unprofessionalism.” The cost. I had a lot of reasons to give up on hair salons, specifically black ones, more than 10 years ago. In the early years of the recession, there was story after story of black salons struggling as more and more black women moved away from…
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Blues Legend B.B. King Dead at 89
B.B. King, the legendary singer-guitarist-composer who became one of the greatest success stories among African-American blues artists, died Thursday in Las Vegas. He was 89. His attorney, Brent Bryson, told the Associated Press that King died peacefully in his sleep at his home. It had recently been reported that King, who suffered from diabetes, was…
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What Happens to Black Women Who Boldly Speak Truth About Racial Inequality
Two remarkable black women made news this week. Michelle Obama, the most scrutinized African-American woman in the 21st century, did so by acknowledging unspoken truths about race, class and gender in public during a landmark commencement speech at Tuskegee University in Alabama. The other, Saida Grundy, a newly minted Ph.D. from Michigan scheduled to begin…