culture
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Judge Who Ordered Black Boy’s Name Changed From Messiah to Martin Is Fired
A Tennessee judge who ordered that a black couple change their son’s name from Messiah because that name was reserved for Jesus Christ has been fired, New York’s Daily News reports. Last August, Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew of Cocke County in eastern Tennessee ordered that the boy’s first name be changed to Martin, even…
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John W. Thompson to Become 1st Black Chairman of Microsoft
While the big news coming out of the tech world this week was the appointment of Microsoft’s new CEO, Satya Nadella, what went underreported is that John Thompson, one of the few high-ranking African Americans in the technology sphere, is slated to become only the second chairman in Microsoft’s history, replacing tech genius Bill Gates,…
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Piers Morgan Learns How Not to Interview Janet Mock
Transgender advocate and writer Janet Mock agreed to do her first mainstream interview with CNN’s Piers Morgan on Tuesday, to discuss her critically acclaimed book, Redefining Realness. It didn’t go so well. Criticism from Mock and the transgender community led to a second interview on Wednesday, which, in the eyes of many viewers, didn’t go…
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Toronto Mayor Rob Ford Declares Feb. 6 ‘Bob Marley Day’
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is telling his city to get up, stand up and celebrate one of the most iconic musicians of all time by officially proclaiming Feb. 6 ‘Bob Marley Day.’ It also happens to be the day the Jamaican legend was born. According to the Globe and Mail, the controversial mayor—who has admitted…
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Jamaican Bobsledders Make Winter Games but Lose Equipment
The Jamaican bobsled team can’t catch a break. After the team qualified for the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, they didn’t have enough money to attend. After raising the funds to make the trip, Winston Watts and brakeman Marvin Dixon missed their connecting flight in Moscow after being delayed by bad weather in New York.…
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Kendrick Johnson’s Family Sues Funeral Home
When Kendrick Johnson’s family ordered a second autopsy for the Georgia teen found dead inside a rolled mat in his high school gym, they were shocked to learn that some of his organs had been replaced with newspaper. The family is now suing the funeral home that prepped Johnson’s body, alleging negligence and fraud, CNN reports.…
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Stokely Carmichael’s Legacy Is Less Recognized Black History
Black History Month is the time to delve beyond the predictable roster of celebrated and increasingly mainstream African-American icons in order to spotlight an undiscovered country of political activists and activism. Going beyond the usual cast of characters celebrated during this time of year allows us to better understand the narrative of struggle that makes…
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How to Ask Your Man to Get an HIV Test
“I am ready to have sex with a guy I am dating, and I want to do the right thing and get tested [for HIV] first. I don’t know how to bring it up though. I tried to discuss getting tested with a man I dated before him. He was taking me to an appointment…
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Hateful and Hurtful: Colorism Is Alive Within Our Kids
My first experience with colorism as a child wasn’t exactly a personal experience. In our house, there were four kids, two light and two brown. My brother and I were the brown ones. It’s not as though we cared, either, or even noticed. We did things kids do on a daily basis: went to school,…
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10 People You Should Be Following on Twitter
In honor of Black History Month, it’s a great time to highlight those experts in our community who are really giving out great advice and information to help us all become better people and business owners. These 10 experts inhabit the realms of business, politics and life-coaching to bring you the best information, 140 characters…