culture
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Busting Myths About the Sex Trade in Brazil
Left of Black host Mark Anthony Neal talks with Erica Lorraine Williams about her new book, Sex Tourism in Bahia: Ambiguous Entanglements. Williams is an assistant professor in the department of sociology and anthropology at Spelman College. For her book, Williams interviewed sex workers about their aspirations, whether they felt exploited and the discrimination that Afro-Brazilian…
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Hey, Chris Brown: When You Get Out, Let’s Do Dinner
The question was, “If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be?” My answer: Chris Brown. During a magazine interview last year, I was asked a series of get-to-know-you questions. What books are you reading? Where do you like to vacation? What’s your passion? But my answer to the dinner question prompted a…
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Aaron McGruder Bids Boondocks Farewell
It’s only fitting that Aaron McGruder,The Boondocks creator and executive producer, would take to Facebook to bid fans of his hit cartoon farewell, since it was here that they got a peek into what was brewing behind the scenes. “As the world now knows, The Boondocks will be returning for a fourth season, but I will…
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Trinity College Elects 1st African-American Woman President
Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., has elected its first African American and first female president in its almost 500-year history, according to a press release. Joanne Berger-Sweeney, Ph.D., will become the 22nd president of the college starting July 1. Sweeney, who is currently dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University in…
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What Kobe Bryant Doesn’t Get About Trayvon—or Colorblindness
Come on, Kobe Bryant. If you’re going to play the colorblind card, then at least try to think through what you’re actually saying. And if you don’t want to be pigeonholed for your outlook on race in America, then maybe you shouldn’t pigeonhole your NBA colleagues when they express their views. No professional athlete—black, or…
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The Mining Queen: South Africa’s Daphne Mashile-Nkosi Named CEO of the Year
Call her the Iron Lady. South Africa’s Daphne Mashile-Nkosi was named CEO of the Year last week at the African CEO Forum in Geneva—an outstanding accomplishment for a black woman navigating the country’s male-dominated mining industry, Destiny Connect reports. According to the report, the award recognizes the CEO who is committed to and successful in…
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Thieves Steal More Than $500,000 Worth of Hennessy
Baltimore police are searching for thieves who made off with more than $500,000 worth of Hennessy cognac from a shipping yard in Baltimore County, CBS Baltimore reports. On Sunday just before 5 a.m., police say, the thieves stalked Serve U, a shipping company on the edge of the city, walking past dozens of trucks and…
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12 Years a Slave Filming Site to Become Baseball Stadium
It was a life-altering, heartbreaking scene: Chiwetel Ejiofor, portraying Solomon Northup in the film 12 Years a Slave, had woken up to find himself imprisoned and set to be sold into slavery. The powerful scene was filmed in Shockoe Bottom, Richmond, Va., a site known for its connection to the slave trade. But now, according…
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Kobe Bryant on Trayvon Martin: Don’t Defend Someone Just Because He’s Black
Kobe Bryant wasn’t impressed by the Miami Heat’s 2012 hoodie photo, which was aimed at showing solidarity and support for slain unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, the International Business Times reports. According to the site, in the upcoming March 31 issue of the New Yorker, Bryant discusses the controversial topic that still ripples through the nation,…
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Charlotte Mayor Resigns After Corruption Arrest
Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon was arrested Wednesday on bribery and corruption charges in an FBI sting operation and resigned hours later from the post he had held for less than six months, the Associated Press reports. The 47-year-old Democratic politician is accused of taking more than $48,000 in bribes from undercover FBI agents posing as…