culture
-
Don’t Go to Parties for the Food: Build Your Networks
Ninety percent of all small businesses get business from referrals. So your network is your net worth in business, especially when you are starting out. One of the biggest challenges that holds back African-American business owners is not having a diverse network or not networking effectively. Sometimes deals boil down to who knows you, not…
-
Tiger Mom’s Latest Book? Obnoxious, but Not Racist
With her first book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, in which she sang the praises of strict parenting and Chinese mothers in particular, Yale law professor Amy Chua evoked some bruising criticism. Some, like the Broad Side’s Joanne Bamberger, wrote that Chua’s parenting prescriptions “bordered on child abuse,” while others simply accused her of…
-
Omaha Police Group Posts Video of Black Toddler Swearing and Warns About ‘The Thug Cycle’
The Omaha Police Officers Association is dealing with the backlash after posting on its site a video labeled “The Thug Cycle,” featuring a black toddler in diapers swearing and giving encouraging adults the middle finger, the Raw Story reports. “We here at OmahaPOA.com viewed the video and we knew that despite the fact that it…
-
SNL Deserves No Love for Doing the Right Thing
Back in September, Saturday Night Live earned the ire of outspoken fans when the show announced its new cast lineup, which failed to include a black woman, a glaring omission. It didn’t help matters when black cast member Kenan Thompson blamed the show’s diversity problem on a weak talent pool. The SNL cast had not…
-
Ann Coulter Calls Melissa Harris-Perry a ‘Token’ Black
Conservative pundit Ann Coulter insinuated on Monday that MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry was a token African American on the cable network. Coulter was on Fox New’s Hannity show discussing Harris-Perry’s apology over comments made on her show about Mitt Romney’s black grandchild. Harris-Perry has apologized for the slipup, which drew conservative fire but was also…
-
Ohio Teacher Claims His Alleged Racist Comment About Obama Was Misunderstood
The southwest-Ohio teacher who allegedly told a black student with big dreams that “we don’t need another black president” is prepared to fight for his job and his reputation. Gil Voigt has stated that he is challenging the accusations and has requested a hearing so that he may defend himself, the Associated Press reports. He…
-
Google’s Eyes Are Watching Zora Neale Hurston
If you thought you saw a familiar face this morning when you went to do your first Internet search of the day, it’s because you did. It was the famous face, framed by her ever-present ’20s-style cloche, of writer, anthropologist and all-around American icon—and iconoclast—Zora Neale Hurston. Google celebrated what would have been her 123rd…
-
Motion Filed to Revoke Marissa Alexander’s Bond
Florida State Attorney Angela Corey has filed a motion to revoke the bond of Marissa Alexander, claiming that she has violated her parole, Florida Coast News reports. The Alexander case became national news after she was sentenced to 20 years in prison for firing what she argued was a warning shot at her abusive husband.…
-
White Man Who Slapped Black Baby Sentenced
The 60-year-old man who pleaded guilty to slapping a crying toddler on a plane has been sentenced to eight months in federal prison, two months longer than prosecutors recommended, the Associated Press reports via USA Today. Joe Rickey Hundley pleaded guilty in October after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors, and was sentenced Monday. Prosecutors say…
-
Quote of the Day: Marian Wright Edelman on Service
You can read this quote from the book The Measure of Our Success: A Letter to My Children and Yours, and others by Marian Wright Edelman in Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations. Also read this quote and more by her here. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and founding director of the Hutchins Center…