culture

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

Stop and frisk, a law-enforcement policy found to disproportionately target men of color, emerged as a key issue in last year’s New York City mayoral race. Now-mayor, then-candidate, Bill de Blasio, who is white and the father of a biracial teen son, spent much of his campaign decrying the measure and vowing to stop its…

Henry Louis Gates Jr., editor-in-chief of The Root, is among the winners of the 73rd annual Peabody Awards for his PBS documentary series The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross. Peabody winners were announced live Wednesday on CBS This Morning, the first live television unveiling of Peabody awardees since the inception of the awards. While…

Former football star and current talk show host Michael Strahan is expected to join the cast of ABC’s Good Morning America on a part-time basis, the Associated Press reports. While the deal has not been completed, a person with knowledge of the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity told AP that Strahan will work…