culture
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Defense Signals It Will Question Detroit Shooting Victim’s Past
The defendant may not be the only one on trial in the fatal shooting of Renisha McBride in Detroit on the night of Nov. 2. According to the Associated Press, lawyers defending Theodore Wafer are planning to use McBride’s lifestyle against her in the trial, which is set to start in June. They are also…
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Prison Ordered to Resume Transgender Inmate’s Hormone Treatments
A federal judge has ruled that a transgender inmate can receive hormone treatments in prison after she argued that she suffered a medical setback when her treatments were stopped. According to the Associated Press, Antione Lee, who goes by the name Whitney Lee, had experienced facial hair growth and depression once the Department of Rehabilitation…
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Exchange Student Eats Pot Cookie, Jumps to His Death in Colorado
A Wyoming college student on spring break in Denver ate a legally purchased marijuana cookie that a friend bought from a Colorado recreational pot shop and later jumped to his death, the Associated Press reports. Levy Thamba Pongi, 19, a native of the Republic of Congo, was a student at Northwest College in Powell, Wyo.…
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Fort Hood Shooting: Attacker Slays 3, Injures More Than a Dozen, Kills Self
At least four people are reported dead after a shooting Wednesday at Fort Hood military installation in Texas, and more than a dozen were injured, according to authorities, the Washington Post reports. According to the Post, the gunman, identified as Army Specialist Ivan Lopez, 33, is among the four, having taken his own life, officials…
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Can NY Create Economic Development With TV Diversity?
In the face of mounting criticism for its lack of on-air diversity, earlier this year Saturday Night Live hired its first black female cast member in five years—comedian Sasheer Zamata. But SNL reached another diversity milestone this year that didn’t generate quite as much attention but was arguably even more significant. For the first time, two women of…
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The Hip-Hop Fellow: Producer 9th Wonder Schools Harvard
Hip-hop has made its way into the academy and is increasingly becoming accepted as a legitimate field of inquiry, with many top universities around the country offering classes in hip-hop studies, exploring not only hip-hop as a musical genre but also the history and role of hip-hop culture in society—creating a bridge that connects the past to…
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Black Heroism Illustrated
Comic books haven’t always been a place where African Americans could find characters they related to. Black comic book characters ranged from being barely noticeable and blatantly disrespected to receiving lessened moments of racism from decade to decade. DC Comics didn’t have a black superhero who could stand on his own until 1977, when Black Lightning and…
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Teen Who Sued Parents Gets $56K Scholarship
Rachel Canning, the 18-year-old New Jersey high school cheerleader who made national news after she sued her parents to force them to pay her college tuition, won’t need their money after all. The “spoiled teen,” as the judge who dismissed her case referred to her, will attend Western New England University on a $56,000 scholarship,…
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What Is Nick Cannon Thinking?
I like Nick Cannon. I do. I’m one of those people who defend him when women call him goofy because I like a guy who seems like he knows how to have fun and doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously. I’d take all of that over a man who thinks he’s God’s gift to…