culture

  • Texas Police Retract Claim That Woman Was Armed When Officer Killed Her

    A family in Texas is left wondering why a relative was killed, now that officers have retracted a claim that she had a gun when a sheriff’s deputy fatally shot her on Sunday, the Raw Story reports. In an earlier statement over the weekend, the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office said that it had responded to a…

  • Wal-Mart Looking at Supporting a Federal Minimum Wage Hike

    Wal-Mart is exploring whether to support an increase in the federal minimum wage, especially since it could increase the company’s profits, the National Journal reports. David Tovar, a spokesman for the retailer, told Bloomberg on Wednesday that the company was “looking at” supporting the increase. “Whenever there’s debates,” he said, “it’s not like we look…

  • American Blackness Is Global Blackness

    I was in the fifth grade when I cried over Tupac getting killed, and in the sixth when the list of Black Panther demands—food, shelter, clothing—first went up on my bedroom wall. Never mind that I had all three in abundance growing up in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, or that it would be several summers before…

  • Jahi McMath is ‘Much Better,’ Mom Says

    Jahi McMath, the 13-year-old Oakland, Calif., girl who was declared brain-dead back in December, is apparently doing much better, her mother, Nailah Winkfield, wrote in a letter released Wednesday on Twitter, the San Jose Mercury News reports. The lengthy letter, which was also posted on a Facebook support group for the girl, thanks supporters while…

  • Must Watch: Brian Williams Does ‘Rapper’s Delight’

    On Wednesday, Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon’s audience was treated to a mashup of NBC News’ Brian Williams and Lester Holt performing the old-school hip-hop track “Rapper’s Delight,” originally performed by the Sugarhill Gang in 1979. Kudos to whoever edited this masterpiece. Watch:

  • Ex-NFL Player Darren Sharper to Be Arraigned

    Former NFL player Darren Sharper is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday in Los Angeles following allegations that he drugged and raped at least seven women in four states, the Los Angeles Times reports. The 38-year-old was charged last week on seven drug and rape counts involving four women he allegedly met at a West…

  • LeBron James Writes Thank-You Letter to His Absentee Father

    On Wednesday evening, NBA All-Star LeBron James posted an interesting letter on Instagram thanking his deadbeat dad—for not being there. “Because of you Pops! Thanks all along. Could have said why me with u not being there but look what I made of myself. Thanks to Huffington Post for the graphic. #StriveForGreatness,” he captioned the photo. James…

  • Investigator Tells a Lynching Story, Forced to Resign

    Last summer, Tennessee native Shun Mullins filed a report with the state Department of Health demanding an investigation into his mother’s death. According to Mullins, the Algood Fire Department hadn’t done its job. Mullins alleges that the deputy fire chief refused to perform CPR on Mullins’ mother because she was black, and then lied on…

  • Dallas 8-Year-Old Shot by White Neighbor Struggles to Recover

    No 8-year-old should live in fear for his life, with nightmares that keep him awake all night. But that is a daily occurrence for Donald Maiden Jr., known as D.J., who was playing tag outside his Dallas apartment complex when he was shot in the face by a neighbor last September. There was seemingly no…

  • Should I Be Cool If He Wants a Side Chick After We’re Married?

    “My boyfriend and I have been discussing marriage. He says he wants to marry me but doesn’t want to be limited to having sex with one woman forever. He asked me if I would consider parameters for him to mess around, like on his birthday or other special occasions. He doesn’t want me to do…