culture
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Dancer Claims She Was Asked to Leave African Festival Because She Is White
A woman claims that she wasn’t allowed to dance at the St. Louis African Arts Festival because she is white. Event organizers say they asked the woman to sit down and stop dancing because she was interrupting the show. Susan Stone claims that she has proof in the form of a secretly recorded video that…
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Rutgers University Beyoncé Class Is in Session
On Wednesday, students at Rutgers University took their Beyoncé obsession into the classroom, and are earning college credit thanks to a new summer course titled, Feminist Perspectives: Politicizing Beyoncé, in the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies. Spearheaded by doctoral student Kevin Allred, the class focuses on how ‘Yonce used her star status and female-empowerment…
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LeVar Burton Asked for Help Reviving Reading Rainbow, and the People Responded
Reading Rainbow is coming back, but this time the show will be more tech-based and will appear on multiple platforms to represent the new generation of learners. Actor LeVar Burton—also the longtime host and producer of Reading Rainbow—recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to revive and add new life to what was once a popular learning…
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How to Have a Sane Black Celeb Wedding: These Stars Did It
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian threw the wedding of the century this past weekend. Not that there’s anything wrong with going international with a ceremony at a sixth-century-era fortress, and having Jaden Smith dress in a Batman suit (photos of which were released practically before the cake was cut). But there are options. These stars…
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California Shooter’s Sexism Is More Common Than We Care to Admit
On May 23, disgruntled student and raging misogynist Elliot Rodger, 22, killed six people and injured 13 more before apparently turning the gun on himself in a mass shooting in Isla Vista, Calif. A 141-page manifesto and a series of videos explained why, revealing a troubling trifecta of racism, sexism and sense of entitlement with…
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How Well Do You Know Maya Angelou?
Poet and author Maya Angelou, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 86, was best-known for her writing. But she lived many lives. From her stint as a calypso dancer to her civil rights activism, she had adventures, interests and other life experiences that transcended the world of words. Her biggest fans already know…
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Texas Dad Accused of Attacking Daughter Who Chose Black Dance Partner
A Texas man has been charged with attacking his young daughter while she was at a dance practice for her quinceañera, a traditional Latin American celebration of a young girl’s journey to maturity as she turns 15, Click2Houston.com reports. Aaron Aranza, 37, from Houston was slapped with charges for injury to a child under 15.…
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Watch: 50 Cent Throws a Foul Ball, Possibly the Worst Pitch Ever
50 Cent can blame his tight Mets jersey for what many people are calling the worst first pitch in the history of first pitches. On Tuesday the rapper took the mound at Citi Field in Queens, N.Y., to throw the ceremonial pitch before the New York Mets-Pittsburgh Pirates game. He did a decent job looking…
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Obama Remembers Maya Angelou, ‘a Truly Phenomenal Woman’
President Barack Obama voiced his love and appreciation for author, poet and activist Maya Angelou in a statement released Wednesday afternoon, remembering her as a “truly phenomenal woman.” “Today, Michelle and I join millions around the world in remembering one of the brightest lights of our time—a brilliant writer, a fierce friend, and a truly…
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Maya Angelou’s Words That Spoke to All Our Lives
Legendary author, poet and actress Maya Angelou, who passed away Wednesday morning at age 86, will be remembered for her uncommon wisdom as much as for her award-winning writing. Deep insight into the African-American experience and a compassionate perspective—combined with a magical way with words—equipped her to weigh in like no other on what it…