culture
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Lupita Nyong’o Takes Home Oscar for 12 Years a Slave
The “It Girl” is really “It.” Lupita Nyong’o won an Oscar Sunday night for best supporting actress for her role as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave. After hugging director Steve McQueen, her co-star Chiwetel Ejiofor and (oddly) Liza Minelli, the stunning star took the stage to give an emotional and heartfelt acceptance speech. “It…
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Academy Awards 2014: Most Black Presenters Ever
In a year when movies like 12 Years a Slave have captivated audiences around the globe, the Academy Awards tonight will have 10 prominent black entertainers as presenters—the most ever in its 86-year history. The star-studded list includes Viola Davis, nominated for Doubt and The Help; Jamie Foxx, who won best actor for Ray; Whoopi…
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Texas Cops Arrest Black Student Filming ‘Speed Traps,’ Hurl Epithet
A 25-year-old student at the University of Texas at San Antonio was simply filming officers as they pulled over cars along a highway and posting the videos to Facebook. She wrote: “This is where our funding is going, straight into hard police work,” according to KENS 5. The next thing Abie Kyle Ikhinmwin knew, she was…
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Vandals Hit Spike Lee’s Old Block After Gentrification Rant
Director Spike Lee isn’t the only one who’s angry. CNN reports that just days after the filmmaker’s expletive-filled rail against gentrification in his old neighborhood, vandals hit his father’s home and shattered the front door of the neighbor’s home on Washington Park in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, N.Y. “Do the Right Thing,” the…
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Watch: Philadelphia 76ers Retire Allen Iverson’s No. 3
Retired NBA player Allen Iverson took to the court Saturday to bid farewell to fans, friends and colleagues as the Philadelphia 76ers held a ceremony to retire his No. 3, ESPN reports. He reportedly cupped his hand to his left ear in a request to hear his favorite tune for the last time. And on cue, an…
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12 Years a Slave Sweeps 2014 Spirit Awards
On the eve of the Academy Awards, 12 Years a Slave scored big Saturday at the 2014 Spirit Awards, winning in several categories, including best feature, the Huffington Post reports. Additionally, Steve McQueen won for best director, Lupita Nyong’o for best supporting actress, John Ridley for best screenplay and Sean Bobbitt for cinematography. The awards…
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Lupita Overcame Her Color Issues. But What About All the Other Lupitas?
Receiving Essence magazine’s best breakthrough performance award for her role in 12 Years a Slave Thursday afternoon, Lupita Nyong’o delivered a poignant revelation about the rejection of her own dark complexion that plagued her childhood. “[M]y one prayer to God, the miracle worker, was that I would wake up lighter-skinned,” she said in a confession,…
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Michigan Man Convicted of Killing 4 Women He Met Online
A courtroom erupted in cheers and sobs Friday after a jury convicted 25-year-old James C. Brown in the brutal deaths of four women, who were killed after meeting him through ads on an adult website, the Detroit Free Press reports. Statements like “my baby got justice,” and “they know” echoed throughout the courtroom as relatives…
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Watch: Obama and Biden Move for Let’s Move!
In celebration of the fourth anniversary of Let’s Move! the first lady last week asked people of all ages to show her how they move through their everyday fitness routine, how they are making better food choices or how they are helping move their community toward new standards of health for our kids. She even…
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Illinois Child-Welfare Chief Steps Down After Paternity Scandal
Arthur D. Bishop looked good on paper, but apparently that was as far as it went. He was appointed last month by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn to run the state’s Department of Children and Family Services, but stepped down Wednesday following a series of Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ reports that revealed a theft conviction and…