culture
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George Zimmerman and the Price of Infamy
(The Root) — Last week George Zimmerman — found innocent of murder, but still the killer of teen Trayvon Martin — was pulled over by a police officer in Forney, Texas, east of Dallas. Nothing happened. In fact, the only detail of note was that Zimmerman was packing heat in the glove compartment (which he…
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Reform Phone Rates for Inmates' Families
(Special to The Root) — After more than 10 years of advocacy, the Federal Communications Commission is finally going to take a stand on the predatory phone rates charged to the families of prisoners. On Friday the FCC will vote on a proposal to reform these rates. The details of the order are not yet…
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'Masculine of Center' Black Women as Targets
“We walk through the world, and some of us pass as male,” Oakland, Calif.’s Erica Woodland told Colorlines’ Dani McClain. “We get left out of this conversation.” “We” refers to women whose clothing and mannerisms lead people to perceive and treat them as men. That’s more than a source of confusion or an inconvenience, given…
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Black Journos Seek Meeting With New Washington Post Owner
After the sale of the Washington Post was announced on Monday, Bob Butler, the president of the National Association of Black Journalists, said he would request a meeting with the new owner, Jeffrey P. Bezos, to determine the impact on employees, especially NABJ members, according to Richard Prince’s Journal-isms. The Washington Post Co. stunned its…
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Voter Discrimination That Can't Be Prevented Now
When the Supreme Court knocked down Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in June, it cleared the path for egregious acts of discrimination to occur, Lauren Williams writes at Mother Jones. She cites five examples of discrimination that were previously barred by federal law. In honor of the VRA’s anniversary [August 6, 2013], here…
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7 Things Oprah Might Make Lindsay Lohan Do
Oprah Winfrey is feeling good about the sobriety prospects of new mentee Lindsay Lohan this time around, the Los Angeles Times reports: The talk-show-host-turned-OWN-CEO appeared live on“Good Morning America” Tuesday and shared some insight during the morning show’s discussion panel. “That was really a great interview,” Winfrey said of her “in-depth” talk with the troubled starlet, who completed her…
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A Daughter Comes to Terms With Her Absentee Father
Crissinda M. Ponder writes a powerful piece at For Harriet about reconciling her relationship with her absentee father. “They say a father is supposed to be a daughter’s first love,” she writes. “This wasn’t my reality but I can finally fix my mouth to say, I’m OK with that.” I don’t know how long it took, reaching this…
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Jada Pinkett Smith: Facebook's Life Coach?
While Iyanla Vanzant is doing a lot of what she’d call “her work” (read: exposing people’s problems to the world and yelling at them while calling them “beloved”) on her show Fix My Life, actress Jada Pinkett Smith has been quietly dropping near-daily life lessons and self-improvement concepts for the masses in a context that…
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Want to Be Mayor of Detroit? Get in Line
Despite the fact that Detroit is in the throes of Chapter 9 bankruptcy and is the largest American city to file for bankruptcy, more than a dozen people are running to be its mayor, reports NBC News. Current Mayor Dave Bing will not be running for re-election. Right now, Kevin Orr is serving as the…
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Obamas Prepare for Vineyard Vacation: Locals Complain
Some longtime vacationers on Martha’s Vineyard are complaining that the raised al-Qaida threat could mean increased security and traffic jams when the Obamas arrive on the island this weekend, the Daily News reports. The first family arrives this Saturday and in order to protect the President, Secret Service is proposing shutting down a main road…