culture
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In Ferguson—and All of Our Communities—Education Can Be the Great Equalizer
Following Michael Brown’s tragic death, people across the country—and the world—have grieved together and engaged in critical conversations about race and community relationships. When President Barack Obama hosted a dialogue in December with young people on the issues in Ferguson, Mo., I asked the youngest members of the Ferguson commission how I could be helpful.…
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Review: D’Angelo Leaves Harlem’s Apollo Audience Enraptured
After D’Angelo finally dropped his first recording in 14 years, Black Messiah, last December to wide critical acclaim, his fans and the music industry exhaled. On Saturday night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, the reclusive artist brought his new band, Vanguard, and the sigh of relief became a secular ritual of jubilation for a…
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Rapper Azealia Banks Has a Problem With Gay Men
Two years ago Azealia Banks had a point about gay media and its portrayal of her as homophobic in light of her use of the word “f—got.” Though I did not agree with her, she was right in noting that some celebrities—i.e., the white ones who either are a part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual…
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Report: Fox’s Empire Breaks 23-Year Ratings Record
Empire, the hip-hop drama that stars Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, has broken a ratings record that stood for more than 23 years, according to Entertainment Weekly. The show is averaging 14 million viewers and a strong 5.6 rating among adults 18-49 so far for the first two weeks of the season, with total DVR…
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Wynton Marsalis Takes Concertgoers Through a Symphony of Blues
Taking their seats, the symphony orchestra begins with a wave of the conductor’s baton, led by the cheerful sound of the piccolo and the rhythm of the drums—which the program notes is supposed to signify the American Revolution and the birth of the possibility of the blues. On Wednesday night, the Music Center at Strathmore in…
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Selma, Black-Ish, Taraji P. Henson Win Big at NAACP Image Awards
Selma, the Martin Luther King Jr. biopic, scored four trophies to command the movie field at the 46th annual NAACP Image Awards on Friday, Deadline Hollywood reports. Selma, a best picture Oscar nominee, won for Outstanding Motion Picture, and David Oyelowo picked up a trophy for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture at the event…
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Serena Williams Returns to the Indian Wells Tournament Unbought, Unbossed and Unbound
Tennis supernova Serena Williams’ refusal to be subdued and modified within the confines of a traditionally white sport has consistently made her a target of bigotry. It was on display in 2001 at the Indian Wells tennis tournament in California. Racist slurs and taunts were allegedly hurled at her father, Richard Williams, amid accusations that…
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Scandal Recap: ‘Where’s the Black Lady?’
How many people does it take to save Olivia Pope? So far it looks like it takes at least one president, one first lady, one former head of B613, one Secret Service agent, one attorney general, two gladiators and a Republican National Committee chairwoman … First things first, though: This Thursday’s episode of Scandal—a show…
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What to Do When Your Fiance’s Baby Mama Wants to Attend Your Wedding
I’m getting married later this year. My fiance’s son is in the wedding and reception, and his mother wants to come to the reception. I said yes to the wedding, but she and I aren’t friends. No hard feelings toward her, I just don’t want her at my reception. My fiance said it’s not a big…
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Black in Amsterdam: Should I Return to the US to Expose My Son to ‘the Struggle,’ or Nah?
Marly Pierre-Louis spotted them out of the corner of her eye. She was sitting on the train in Amsterdam one winter day and did an about-face the second she stepped on the platform so that she wouldn’t have to get a full view of the ridiculousness. “White Dutch people in blackface, curly hair and red lipstick,” Pierre-Louis, a 31-year-old…