culture

(The Root) — Do young black men know that people want to see them at the table making decisions about their communities? Do young black men know that society wants to see them do well and values their contributions to the world? Do young black men feel empowered and excited about their futures? The death…

Bea Hinton, who is of biracial heritage, explores and denounces the stereotyping of black men as violent, lazy and unlovable in a piece at Filthy Freedom. Dating black men is a choice that she accepts wholeheartedly. The black man occupies a unique space in American culture. He is an aggressive and inherently violent threat to society.…

(The Root) — Months ago, hip-hop mogul Jay Z sparked a fierce debate with his comments on charity. Responding to criticism by civil rights legend Harry Belafonte that Jay and his wife, superstar Beyoncé, could and should do more in terms of activism and philanthropic giving to benefit the black community, Jay Z had this…

The New York Times is reporting that private-equity mogul Glenn Hutchins on Wednesday is expected to announce a gift of more than $15 million to create the Hutchins Center for African and African-American Research at Harvard University. He was inspired to make the gift after striking up a friendship about 10 years ago with The…

Last week, black supermodel Jessica White wondered aloud where all the black supermodels were. Black modeling icon Bethann Hardison continues to do her part during New York Fashion Week in creating awareness around the runway’s lack of diversity during the fashion and modeling industry’s biggest week, alongside fellow legends Iman and Naomi Campbell.  The call…

U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin refused to delay the enactment of a ruling that will stop New York City’s stop-and-frisk policies, according to Newsday. The city had requested the stay, with Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration and the New York City Police Department saying that the ruling will “compromise public safety” and interfere with law enforcement. Scheindlin upheld…

A search for help after a car wreck early Saturday morning in North Carolina turned into a fatal journey for Jonathan Ferrell, a former Florida A&M University football player. At about 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, he banged on the front door of Sarah McCartney, who was alone with her 1-year-old son, MSNBC reports. She rushed…

(The Root) — Lee Daniels’ The Butler, about a black White House butler named Cecil Gaines who serves under eight U.S. presidents before, during and after the civil rights movement, doesn’t have the trappings of a $100 million grossing film. But lo and behold, in a little more than a month after its domestic release,…

America’s children continued to be hardest hit by poverty in 2012, according to new Census Bureau statistics, the Washington Post reports. An estimated 21.8 percent of American children under the age of 18 lived in poverty in 2012, according to Census Bureau statistics (pdf) released Tuesday, the Post reports. That percentage, the same as in…