culture
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Dear Men: It’s Not Hip-Hop’s Body, It’s Nicki Minaj’s Body
There was a time, not long ago when I—shrouded in groupthink and male privilege—would have reacted to the promo cover art for Nicki Minaj’s latest single, “Anaconda,” in pretty much the same vein as AllHipHop.com’s founder and CEO, Chuck Creekmur. His response to Minaj—who poses for her cover photo with legs agape, backside to the…
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Transgender Teen Stabbed on DC Metro
Reginald Anthony Klaiber is facing hate crime charges after stabbing a 15-year-old transgender girl in the back while riding the Washington, D.C., Metro, according to BuzzFeed. The girl and her friends were riding the Metro’s Green Line on Wednesday when they were approached by Klaiber around 4:30 p.m. “He came to my friend and said…
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Tell Me More About the Return of the White-Guy Era in Broadcast Media
Though we often ridicule those who find themselves on the wrong side of a racial controversy and fall back on the “but I have a black friend” defense, this time I figured it actually might not be a bad idea for me to start this piece with a similar disclaimer: Some of my best friends…
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Black Community Leaders in Calif. Protest White Cultural-Studies Teacher
Local black leaders in Fresno, Calif., aren’t happy that a white man is going to be teaching African-American studies, Latino studies and Southeast Asian studies to students at the soon-to-open Rutherford B. Gaston Middle School, the Fresno Bee reports. The middle school, named in honor of Fresno’s first black principal, is scheduled to open in…
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US’ Oldest Private Black University Is in Trouble
Ohio’s Wilberforce University, the nation’s oldest black private university, founded in 1856, is in dire straits amid plummeting student enrollment, a financial deficit of $9.7 million and its accreditation hanging perilously in the balance, the Associated Press reports. Alumni have rallied together in an effort to raise $2 million in cash donations that includes $400,000…
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Get on Up: The Rage and Genius of James Brown
The life story of legendary soul singer James Brown is a complicated one. Brown is as well-known for being a musical genius as he is for being a tyrannical, abusive bandleader and spouse. The man who grew up in abject poverty in South Carolina and Georgia danced, sang and shouted his way into a world…
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United in Complexion and Love, but a Culture Apart
At first glance, you might guess by their deep-chocolate complexions, matching warm smiles and coordinated traditional attire that Charlotte Fadare and her husband, Olusola Fadare, have everything in common. But the truth is, these newlyweds come from vastly different worlds, continents apart, and have spent much of their marriage bridging the cultural divide between…
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Georgia Makes History With 5 Black Women on Its Statewide Ballot
Give the state of Georgia a round of applause. For the first time ever, it will have five African-American women on its statewide ballot come November. Democratic state Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler said of the historic moment, “We did not want to miss the opportunity to get out and announce this to everyone in the state of…
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Renisha McBride’s Whereabouts and Gathering of Evidence Take Stage in Trial
The murder trial of Theodore Wafer—the 55-year-old Dearborn Heights, Mich., resident who shot and killed 19-year-old Renisha McBride last year—continued Tuesday, with the courtroom hearing details of how the investigation was handled, the Detroit Free Press reports. In the session, marking the fourth day of the trial, where McBride went after she crashed her car…
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The James Brown Effect
From the vocal inflections of his soulful voice to the electrifying dance moves, stunning audience interaction and a theatrical flair for the dramatic, James Brown left a lasting influence that’s apparent to every student of American music. With the upcoming biopic Get on Up, old fans and younger ones alike will get a chance to immerse themselves…