culture
-
5 Things You May Not Know About James Baldwin
James Baldwin—novelist, essayist and simply one of the greatest writers of all time—would have turned 90 this year. New York Live Arts is marking the occasion with “The Year of James Baldwin,” a celebration of the writer’s life and legacy. The festivities begin today and run through April 27, with “Jimmy at High Noon,” a…
-
The Man Police Forgot to Lock Up for 13 Years Now Wants to Be Set Free
A St. Louis, Mo., man was convicted in May 2000 of robbing a Burger King and told that he would receive instructions about when and where to report to prison. He waited. The instructions never arrived. While waiting, he got married … twice, raised four children, trained as a carpenter, and started a home-improvement company.…
-
You Won’t Believe What Oprah’s Ex-Stepmom Has to Say About Her
Oprah Winfrey called her stepmother on her birthday and told her she had only a few days to get out of the house she had shared with Oprah’s father for over a dozen years. That is just one of the scandalous claims that Barbara Winfrey made about the media mogul in an explosive interview with…
-
Jon Bon Jovi Helps Open Low-Income Housing in Philly
On Tuesday, rock star Jon Bon Jovi helped cut the ribbon on a 55-unit housing development for formerly homeless and low-income residents in Philadelphia, the Associated Press reports. After some 18 months of construction, JBJ Soul Homes opened in the Francisville neighborhood. The four-story building also will include retail and office space. Bon Jovi’s Soul…
-
Does a Diverse Wedding Reception Require a DJ Who’ll Play More Than Rap and R&B?
First off, I just have to say I am not racist in any way. I love every type of music and type of person. I’m getting married in June and my co-worker is a DJ and he wants me to use him, but I’m kinda scared of one thing: He’s mostly R&B, rap and hip-hop,…
-
Mitzi Miller Named Editor-in-Chief of Ebony Magazine
Veteran editor Mitzi Miller has been handed the reins of Ebony magazine and will take on her new position as editor-in-chief of the publication effective immediately, according to a press release. Desiree Rogers, CEO of the Johnson Publishing Co., which owns Ebony, made the announcement on Tuesday. “Mitzi is a gifted editor with tremendous energy…
-
Paul Ryan to Meet With CBC After Remarks Called Racially Insensitive
After making what many in the black community deemed racially insensitive comments last month, House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is scheduled to meet later this week with the Congressional Black Caucus. According to NBC News, the meeting is ostensibly about the issue of poverty. But Ryan also will have to clear up comments he…
-
KKK Launching Neighborhood Watch in Pennsylvania
A neighborhood in Pennsylvania’s Fairview Township will be under the protection of a new neighborhood watch group … made up of members of the local chapter of the Traditionalist American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, PennLive.com reports. That’s right: Members of the KKK are forming a neighborhood watch for the area. The move was…
-
Mom Charged After Tossing Newborn in Trash
A South Carolina woman has been charged with attempted murder and child abandonment after she threw her newborn in a trash can, NBC News reports. According to the news station, police arrested Sharon Lenise Ferguson, 28, shortly after a neighbor who followed a trail of blood to the family’s trash can found the boy wrapped…
-
Stowaway Teen Prompts Serious Review of Airport Security
When a 15-year-old managed to sneak his way into the wheel well of a jetliner and survive a five-hour flight to Hawaii, despite a lack of oxygen and freezing temperatures, he also sparked a national conversation about just how secure our nation’s airline fleet is. According to the Associated Press, authorities are trying to understand…