culture

When Grambling State University’s football team forfeited a game against Jackson State University last year, players thought they were locked in a singular battle with the administration. They presented administrators with a list of things they were fed up with, including a two-and-a-half-hour bus ride to play against their competitors. Further, they complained about dilapidated…

Thirty-five years ago today we lost the great American soul singer Donny Hathaway. Best known for  “A Song for You,” “This Christmas” and classic duets with Roberta Flack, Hathaway was a church-trained singer, pianist, producer and composer who recorded three solo albums, scored a film and conducted orchestral symphonies. His preternatural genius was a music-industry…

Police officers in Omaha, Neb., rankled social media users last week when they released a video of a black toddler swearing as a warning about “the thug cycle” in America, prompting CNN’s Don Lemon to do some soul searching. During an appearance on OutFront Friday night, Lemon said the story had become “personal” and seized…

In a piece at the Washington Post, Robin Givhan challenges several widely held beliefs about first lady Michelle Obama that have stood the test of time: 1. Michelle Obama is the most fashion-friendly first lady. Obama has been a pronounced and polished advocate for American style, seamlessly moving from custom-made evening gowns to mass-market fare. She has…

Centennial Baptist Church, a Gothic Revival-styled boarded up structure in Helena, Ark., has deep roots in the African-American community, NPR reports. But poverty, racial tensions, among other things in the Delta town, have made raising restoration funds difficult, the report says. Phyllis Hammonds, executive director of the foundation that owns Centennial, was baptized and married…

Police suspended the search in Memphis, Tenn., for 7-week-old Aniston Walker Saturday evening, WMC-TV reports. However, the investigation into just what happened to the child remains open. The move follows a search for the child after her mother, Andrea Walker, 33, left Aniston at home Thursday with a 3-year-old when she took her 5-year-old son to…

In a recent conversation about declining student performance, a frustrated and passionate elementary school teacher broke into tears as she told me, “I have far too many kids who show up each day with empty stomachs. My heart is heavy for these children. We have to fill their stomachs before we can reach their minds.”…

The death of Amiri Baraka this past Thursday at age 79 marks the end of both an extraordinary life and an important cultural and political era when poets did not simply write about political upheavals and revolutions, but at times actively participated and led them. His life’s arc, from poet to black power icon to…

Editor’s note  at 11:05 pm: At tonight’s Golden Globes, 12 Years a Slave won the award for Best Picture in the Drama Category. Director Steve McQueen, along with members of the cast took the stage to accept the award. The film was snubbed in its six other nominations. Best actor nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor lost to…