culture

As the nation celebrated Independence Day on Friday, first daughter Malia Obama enjoyed the day for a different reason: She turned 16. She also got a new car, the Daily Mail reports. Details of the make, model and color were not immediately disclosed. But you won’t see her driving on her own just yet. At…

While California Highway Patrol officials announced plans to investigate a roadside beating of an unidentified woman on a Los Angeles freeway that was captured in a video that went viral, the victim’s family is demanding answers, the Daily Mail reports. Highway Patrol Assist. Chief Chris O’Quinn said at a news conference late Saturday afternoon that the…

Former Scandal star Columbus short was arrest Friday in Dallas, Texas on charges of public intoxication, People magazine reports. The beleaguered 31-year-old star was reportedly arrested after allegedly fighting with security at Katy Trail Ice House, a local bar, an employee told People. The establishment uses off-duty police officers to work security detail at the…

Though the term “soul food” gained popularity in the 1960s, the cuisine has been a part of African-American culture for centuries, and it seems the restaurant industry has taken note. That means there are plenty of options—and plenty of ways to make the wrong meal choice. Don’t miss out on some of the best eats around.…

The California Highway Patrol is investigating the actions of an officer after a video was posted on YouTube showing him brutally beating a woman Tuesday evening beside a Los Angeles freeway, CBS Los Angeles reports. The video shows the officer punching a woman on the ground more than 11 times in the face along 10…

The crowd wanted a party and His Purpleness delivered. With a nostalgic salute to the 1980s, the Afro-shaking, guitar-riffing Prince showed up in New Orleans and showed out for the 20th anniversary of the Essence Music Festival. He tore up the Mercedes-Benz Superdome with hit after hit, and the capacity crowd of 50,000 sang along…

A SiriusXM spokesman Friday announced the firing of a co-host of the Opie & Anthony radio show, citing “racially charged” and incendiary tweets about a confrontation in New York City earlier in the week, the Associated Press reports. Shock jock Anthony Cumia was fired late Thursday, SiriusXM spokesman Patrick Reilly told the AP. He described…

A woman captured on video racially insulting another woman was confronted by other passengers on a Central Coast & Newcastle train in Australia, according to video uploaded by YouTube user Kareem Abdul. The confrontation began when the older woman apparently turned aggressive “toward a group of kids 12 and under who wouldn’t give up their seats,”…

At least 15 people, including two teens, were shot in Chicago as the Fourth of July holiday weekend began, according to NBC Chicago.  The first fatality among the shootings took place shortly after 4 p.m. Thursday in the East Garfield Park neighborhood on the city’s West Side in what police suspect was a drug deal…

A few weeks ago while attending the American Black Film Festival in New York City, I witnessed the short film Muted. Written by Brandi Ford, featuring Grey’s Anatomy star Chandra Wilson and Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and directed by Rachel Goldberg, Muted was only 20 minutes long, but the offering sat on my chest like a lump of steel for days afterward.  In the…