culture

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…

Just days before the arrival of Black Friday, The Daily Show added a touch of humor to the harsh reality of racial-profiling allegations that have dominated headlines in recent weeks. In the segment, correspondent Jessica Williams doles out tips for black people trying to, ahem, shop on Black Friday because it’s hard to take advantage…

A cadre of Baltimore corrections officers reportedly worked with members of a notorious prison gang to peddle drugs, phones and sex inside the city’s jail and have been indicted, CNN reports. Saying the indictment reads like a script from the canceled HBO crime drama The Wire, CNN reports that prosecutors announced charges against 14 additional…

A federal appeals court has denied a request to dismiss rulings that determined that New York City police conducted its police stop-and-frisk policy in a discriminatory manner, the Associated Press reports.  On Friday, a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the five-page order during a scheduled appeal of U.S. Judge…