culture
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MLK Was a Revolutionary, Not Just a Dreamer
Today, on what should have been Martin Luther King Jr.’s 85th birthday, it’s time to reflect on his legacy and reimagine the significance of commemorations attached to his name. King’s outsized iconography towers over contemporary American race relations. Through a hard-won national holiday, hundreds of books, an endowed lecture series and, most recently, a memorial…
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Small-Business Owners: Raise Your Prices, Hire Help, Make More Money
Editor’s note: How many times in your life have you heard some version of the words “go get a job” from well-meaning parents, teachers, friends or spouses? But has anyone ever told you to “go start your own company”? Does that seem too scary, too tough or impractical? Yes, it can be hard. And yes,…
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What to Do When Slavery Lessons Put Black Kids on the Spot
“I teach after-school enrichment at a predominantly white elementary school. While I was doing an art project with the kids last week, two of the black kids told me that while their teachers were teaching all the kids about African-American history, and in particular about slavery, they felt very uncomfortable because all the other kids…
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Notable Members of Alpha Kappa Alpha
Founded in 1908 at Howard University, the sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha marks its 106-year anniversary today. Here are some notable members. 1. Phylicia Rashad Alpha chapter Actress 2. Toni Morrison Alpha chapter Author 3. Alicia Keys Honorary member Entertainer 4. Maya Angelou Honorary member Author 5. Kamala Harris Alpha chapter First African-American and South Asian…
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Alabama State University President Can’t Cohabitate With Anyone
Gwendolyn Boyd is one of the few black female university presidents in the United States, but what singles out Boyd in her new position at Alabama State University isn’t necessarily her race or her sex—it’s the peculiar contract that she agreed to upon accepting her presidency. The single 58-year-old gets a $300,000 annual salary, a…
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Vernon Jordan to Lead Search Committee for Howard University’s New President
Vernon Jordan Jr., a well-known lawyer in Washington, D.C., is charged with leading the committee tasked with finding Howard University’s next president, the Washington Post reports. The renowned historically black university has faced a series of troubles over the last year, topped off by then-president’s Sidney Ribeau’s abrupt retirement, after heated debates over the state…
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Deaf Seattle Seahawk Makes Duracell Ad About His Struggles
How often are you motivated by a battery ad? Because Duracell’s new “Trust Your Power” commercial, featuring Seattle Seahawk Derrick Coleman, will definitely have you ready to take on the world. In the one-minute ad, the legally deaf running back narrates his own struggles growing up deaf, being picked on and being picked last, all…
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Judge Refuses to Grant New Trial in the Case of Michael Jackson’s Death
There will be no new trial in the lawsuit that claimed concert promoter AEG Live was negligent in Michael Jackson’s death, a superior court judge decided on Monday, according to the Associated Press. Judge Yvette Palazuelos ruled that since jurors were given due instructions and there were no mistakes in her rulings, a retrial was…
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Nebraska Toddler From ‘Thug Cycle’ Video Will Remain With Mother
The 2-year-old Nebraska toddler who has become the center of national scrutiny after an Omaha police union posted a video of him swearing labeled “The Thug Cycle,” will remain with his mother, a juvenile-court judge ruled on Monday, according to CNN. Both the child and his 17-year-old mother will be placed with the same foster…
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Herbie Hancock Named Professor of Poetry at Harvard
Herbie Hancock, one of the architects of contemporary American music, who has left his fingerprints in just about every form of the art, is now the Harvard University 2014 Norton Professor of Poetry, BBC reports. The jazz legend will deliver six lectures on a variety of topics, according to Rolling Stone. His talks will mostly…