culture
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Mimi’s Sex Tape: The Most Confusing Moments
VH1 on Monday announced the May 5 return of Love & Hip Hop Atlanta, its top-rated show, by releasing a super trailer for the new season. In the four-and-a-half minute video, cast member Mimi Faust talks about making a sex tape with her now-fiance, Nikko Smith. Later, Faust appears to be shocked when she learns…
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The Rev. Jesse Jackson Denounces Attack on Detroit Driver
The Rev. Jesse Jackson has condemned the beating of motorist Steve Utash, which happened in Detroit this month when the man stopped his pickup truck to check on a child who had run into traffic and been hit by the truck, according to the Detroit News. Jackson told the News that those involved in the…
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Queens Man Sues NYPD for Alleged Pepper Spray Attack
A man has sued the New York City Police Department over an incident captured on video in which an officer allegedly pepper-sprayed him several times, the Daily News reports. Stefon Luckey, 34, an emergency medical technician, alleges in the suit filed in federal court in Brooklyn that he was assaulted at a deli last May in the…
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‘Suit & Tie’: Young Black Men Use Music Video to Combat Stereotypes
Dozens of young black and Hispanic men from Central High School in Champaign, Ill., got their “swagger on” in a music video designed to combat negative stereotypes about minority men, who are frequently portrayed in the media as violent and sloppily dressed. The honor roll students, poets, future collegiate athletes and National Honor Society members…
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Winning Big Again: Pro Athletes Turned Entrepreneurs
For many professional athletes, the winning doesn’t stop once they leave sports. From George Foreman’s popular grills to Magic Johnson’s chain of movie theaters, professional athletes are making moves beyond the boxing ring, court and field. 1. Junior Bridgeman This former NBA player owns Bridgeman Foods Inc., which operates more than 160 Wendy’s and more than…
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Wheel of Fortune: Spinning the Politics of Racial Shame
In 2008, Kevin James (the pundit, not the actor) lived the nightmare of every single one of us who has ever appeared on air: He was humiliated on national television by the host of the show on which he was appearing. James, who is white, was there to defend allegations that then-presidential candidate Barack Obama…
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San Francisco 49ers Linebacker Arrested for LAX Bomb Threat
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith was arrested on Sunday after making a bomb threat during a security screening at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday, CBS News reports. According to the report, Smith was randomly selected for a second screening but became argumentative and uncooperative, airport police Sgt. Karla Ortiz said. He told a…
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Derrick Deacon, Falsely Imprisoned for 25 Years, Sues State for $25 Million
A Brooklyn, N.Y., man who was wrongly convicted and spent nearly 25 years in prison is now seeking damages: $1 million for every year he spent behind bars. Derrick Deacon, who was convicted for the 1989 murder of 16-year-old Anthony Wynn, has slammed New York state with a $25 million lawsuit. He hopes it will…
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$1,000,000 Wheel of Fortune Fail: Student Says, ‘I Did My Best’
Indiana University freshman Julian Batts appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America on Monday to discuss an unfortunate string of answers on Wheel of Fortune that cost him a chance to win $1 million, a car and a trip to Jamaica. Although Batts eventually won the game on the show that aired Friday, collecting $11,700, his…
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Harvard Accepts Record Percentage of Black Students
College admissions letters are out, and for the Class of 2018, Harvard University has accepted a record-high percentage of black students. According to the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, of Harvard’s total acceptances for the Class of 2018, 11.9 percent are black, the highest ever for the university. The journal estimates that nearly 170…