culture

Military brides called Ephonia Green the “fairy godmother” for her generous donations of wedding gowns. Green was moved by their service, she claimed, and gave away some 275 dresses from her Maryland bridal business. On Monday, Green is scheduled to appear before the U.S. District Court in one of the largest cases of embezzlement from a…

While the majority of stars at the American Music Awards use their acceptance speeches to thank all the little people who got them there, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis used their moment to preach tolerance. Having won the award for favorite rap/hip hop album, Macklemore (whose real name is Ben Haggerty) quoted Martin Luther King Jr.…

In one of his first interviews since being released from prison for the death of Michael Jackson, Conrad Murray spoke with London’s Daily Mail and claimed that Jackson was a drug addict and that “Michael Jackson accidentally killed Michael Jackson,” Murray said. In a vividly detailed interview with the Mail, Murray, 60, who served as…

San Jose State University’s president announced that a fourth student has been suspended in connection with alleged hate crimes against a black student, and the NAACP wants all involved charged with felonies, the Associated Press reports. Civil right activists are demanding Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen file hate-crime charges against the four white…

Over the years, I’ve reminded Drew of what my expectations are. It warms my heart when, after every meal I place on the table, he automatically and authentically says, “Thank you, Mom.” Sometimes, just before my lips part, he says: “I know, Mom. Make sure I tell my wife I appreciate her cooking.”  And although…

Black Nativity, the highly anticipated movie musical inspired by Harlem Renaissance author Langston Hughes’ original stage musical of the same name, opens in theaters on Thanksgiving Day. The musical, which debuted off-Broadway in 1961 with an all-black cast, retells the traditional story of the Nativity. This year’s release is a modern twist on an iconic…

Editor’s note: For those who are wondering about the retro title of this black-history series, please take a moment to learn about historian Joel A. Rogers, author of the 1934 book 100 Amazing Facts About the Negro With Complete Proof, to whom these “amazing facts” are an homage. Amazing Fact About the Negro No. 56:…

A high school football star who tried to end a relationship with his older lover, reportedly fatally stabbed the man during a struggle outside the teen’s home, the Daily News reports. Tarence Mitchell, 18, reportedly stabbed Ronald Taylor Jr., 27, five times with a steak knife—including at least once in the back—during an argument Thursday…

An 1893 recording of the song, “Mama’s Black Baby Boy,” by the New York-based Unique Quartet, was sold at auction Saturday, the Associated Press reports. The earliest known recording of a black vocal group in the U.S. sold for $1,100 and was contained in a wax-covered cylinder, the AP reports. The recording, one of only…

The sharp differences between Cornel West and President Barack Obama have been well-documented in the media. But now one publication has decided that they have at least one thing in common. GQ magazine has lumped them together on its list of “The 25 Least Influential People of 2013.” President Obama is ranked at No. 17. “He…