culture
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Denzel at 60: Our 10 Favorite Movies
Denzel Washington, who turns 60 on Dec. 28, has built a career that makes him worthy of being included in any discussion of the greatest actors of all time, alongside Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro and Sidney Poitier. With more than 40 films to his credit, he is one of the most versatile actors in…
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Kwanzaa Celebrations Begin Friday
Heri za Kwanzaa! The weeklong celebration of African heritage officially begins Dec. 26, when observers will come together and rejoice in family, community and culture. According to the Official Kwanzaa website, the name of the holiday comes from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, meaning “first fruits.” Established in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, who believed…
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What South Africa Can Learn From Black America
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in South Africa’s Rand Daily Mail. When Henry Louis Gates Jr. applied for admission as a student at Yale University, he felt the need to include the following personal statement in his application: “My grandfather was colored, my father was Negro and I am black. As always, whitey…
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JetBlue Offering Free Flights for Police Officers Attending Slain NYPD Cops’ Funerals
JetBlue airlines is extending its services to law-enforcement officials, offering free flights along its route network to officers wishing to attend the funerals of the two New York City police officers who were killed in Brooklyn, N.Y., the New York Post reports. JetBlue has promised to fly up to two cops from each department to…
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‘Simply Scrumptious’ Apartheid Cocktail Prompts Apology
With the holidays comes lots of traveling, and in between trips, the thought of sipping on a relaxing cocktail might sound appealing … unless it’s an “Apartheid” cocktail, which was what Icelandair was offering, Talking Points Memo reports. According to the news site, the controversial cocktail made it to Twitter when user @AfricasaCountry tweeted out…
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Charity-Event Song Mocking Michael Brown Under Investigation by LAPD
The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating a song that was performed at a charity event organized by a retired officer, CBS Los Angeles reports. TMZ originally released a clip of the performance that was allegedly performed by private investigator Gary Fishell. The event took place at Elks Lodge in Glendale, Calif., last week, the news…
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No Indictment for Houston Cop Who Shot Unarmed Jordan Baker
Houston Police Officer Juventino Castro will not be charged in the fatal shooting of 26-year-old Jordan Baker, who was unarmed, the Houston Chronicle reports. A Harris County grand jury came to its decision Tuesday, formally clearing Castro in the January shooting. According to the Chronicle, the case marked one of the county’s first grand jury…
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Cop Shoots, Kills Black Teen in Berkeley, Mo.
Updated Wednesday, Dec. 24, 11:10 a.m. EST: The officer who shot and killed 18-year-old Antonio Martin had a body camera issued to him at the start of his shift but was not wearing it at the time of the shooting, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The Berkeley, Mo., officer, so far only identified as a…
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Justice Department to Review Fatal Shooting of Dontre Hamilton
The family of Dontre Hamilton—the 31-year-old African-American man who was fatally shot by a white police officer in Milwaukee in April—is now looking to the Justice Department to bring about justice since the Milwaukee County district attorney announced Monday that no criminal charges would be brought against Officer Christopher Manney for the shooting, Al-Jazeera reports. The…
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Selma Powerfully Tells the Story of a Critical Moment in the Civil Rights Movement
As one watches Selma—which opens in limited release Christmas Day and nationwide Jan. 9—it’s hard not to reflect on the protests going on around the country over the shooting deaths of unarmed black men by white police officers. It’s a topic that comes up often when Selma director Ava DuVernay discusses her film. She and some…