culture
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Philadelphia Teen Alleges Severe Abuse During Police Pat-Down
Darrin Manning and his high school basketball teammates were dressed for the cold when they hopped off the subway on Jan. 7, wearing hats, gloves and scarves given to them by a teacher, the Raw Story reports. But the 16-year-old student at Mathematics, Civics & Sciences Charter School in Philadelphia found himself in a quandary…
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A Final Blues Song for Amiri Baraka
Newark Symphony Hall in New Jersey turned into a space of mournful celebration on Saturday for Amiri Baraka, the poet, activist and playwright. In many ways the event represented at once a moratorium and requiem for the Black Arts Movement. Actor Danny Glover and professors Cornel West and Michael Eric Dyson headlined a star-studded lineup…
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Amiri Baraka: Thousands Pay Respects at NJ Funeral
As the casket bearing activist, poet and playwright Amiri Baraka was carried into his funeral service Saturday in Newark, N.J., bagpipers, African drummers and jazz musicians led a moving procession, the Associated Press reports. Baraka, 79, died Jan. 9 of an undisclosed illness. Actor Danny Glover was slated to officiate Saturday’s service at Newark Symphony…
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Oliver Stone: MLK Biopic Hits Snag
Hollywood director Oliver Stone’s much anticipated biopic about Martin Luther King Jr. is probably not coming to a theater near you anytime soon. A rewrite of the script for the film, which was to feature Jamie Foxx, was rejected by DreamWorks and Warner Bros., he announced Friday on Twitter. Problems occurred when the studios, said…
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Avonte Oquendo: Missing Autistic Teen’s Clothing Found With Remains
No one has reported seeing Avonte Oquendo since he slipped passed a security guard and made his way out of the Riverview School in Long Island City, Queens, N.Y., on Oct. 4, 2013. Since then the 14-year-old, who was obsessed with the subway system, has been the focus of massive searches. New York’s Metropolitan Transportation…
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Chicago Man Guilty of Killing 9-Year-Old Daughter in Grisly Cover-Up
Richard Lyons told police that he rushed his daughter’s limp and lifeless body to a hospital after finding it in an alley near his home on Chicago’s South Side in July 2008, NBC Chicago reports. He told investigators that his daughter, Mya, had been attacked by a burglar who was trying to break into a basement.…
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Move Aside, Barbie, the Queens of Africa Dolls Are Here
Taofick Okoya couldn’t find a black doll for his niece in Nigeria. This realization shocked the 43-year-old into action when he saw that in the booming economy of his country, there was a gap in the market with little competition from foreign companies like Mattel Inc., the creator of Barbie. So he set up shop…
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Ballerina Misty Copeland Signs Partnership With Under Armour Brand
Leading sportwear company Under Armour is adding a very interesting new member to its team of elite athletes: African-American ballerina Misty Copeland. Copeland, who is a soloist with the American Ballet Theatre, signed a multiyear partnership with the influential clothing and accessory company. She will be featured this year in Under Armour’s biggest marketing campaign…
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Teacher Put Kindergartner in Closet and Left School
A Memphis, Tenn., teacher has been suspended and an investigation is under way after she reportedly put a 5-year-old student in a closet and then left the school, WAFB 9 News reports. According to officials at Shelby County Schools, Kristin Oshfeldt, a teacher at A.B. Hill Elementary, has been suspended without pay after an administrator…
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Vanity Fair Slammed for Making Lupita Nyong’o Appear Lighter
Face it. Lupita Nyong’o is the new “it” girl, and one can only imagine how many magazines are dying to feature her. However, those who do get the opportunity should use Vanity Fair as an example of what not to do. The magazine included Nyong’o in a tweet on Wednesday about its upcoming issue’s Vanities…