culture

For her third book, Jesmyn Ward, 36, probably could have written about anything she wanted. With two novels under her belt, including the 2011 National Book Award winner Salvage the Bones, it is safe to say that Ward is one of the brightest stars in the literary world, a black woman from the South with…

Police Chief Steve Bracknell, in charge of the Florida town where George Zimmerman resides, Lake Mary, agreed in a series of emails that he is a “ticking time bomb.” Lake Mary police responded to the domestic dispute at Zimmerman’s home on Monday. Chief Bracknell also concurred that Zimmerman is another “Sandy Hook” waiting to happen,…

It’s been more than 10 years since a black student made it through the recruitment process of a sorority at the University of Alabama. This year it seemed that a change was inevitable when a black student with a flawless résumé applied, according to the New York Times, but even she didn’t make the cut.…

(The Root) — “My question is rather complicated. I’m dating a very nice girl now, but she refuses to go to church with me. My mom and grandparents are all leaders in our church, and I’m running out of excuses for her. She says she’s not a churchgoer and doesn’t want to be a hypocrite…

(The Root) — “I have been doing genealogical research on my family, and I’m wondering if I’m related to William Bunch (aka Peetie Wheatstraw), the blues musician. I’ve seen a picture of him, and the resemblance to my grandfather Nelson Bunch is remarkable. When I’ve asked family about it, they all say that my grandfather…

After Miley Cyrus’ controversial performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, New York magazine explored data to determine what American were most interested in reading about. The results? They were 12 times more curious about twerk-gate than about the conflict in Syria, Mediaite reports. Mocking the priorities of the average American news consumer is the…

Transgender writer and activist Janet Mock lambastes critics who shame men for dating transgender women in a piece at her eponymous blog. “Trans women are women,” she writes in light of the recent so-called sex scandal involving popular hip-hop DJ Mister Cee, who on Thursday acknowledged receiving oral sex from a transgender woman — and…

In an insightful piece in Time magazine, John McWhorter admonishes New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg for calling Democratic mayoral front-runner Bill de Blasio’s campaign racist for drawing attention to his interracial family. He says it underscores Bloomberg’s “tragically tin ear” on race relations. Of course, to Mayor Bloomberg, de Blasio’s calling attention to his black wife,…

A black Florida man, Bobby Wingate, is suing the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office after a deputy cited him for “walking down the wrong side of the road” during stop, then punched him in the face last December, according to the Raw Story. The deputy was unable to defend the citation when the case appeared in court.…

Authorities in Council Bluffs, Iowa, are investigating a possible hate crime after the home of an interracial couple was set ablaze and the n-word was scrawled on their walls, the Raw Story reports. Shelly Owens told KETV that firefighters were called to her Council Bluffs home at around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday. “I’m very angry,” she said.…