culture
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Black Women With Breast Cancer Still Fare Worse Than White Women
Breast-cancer survival rates for black women remain somewhere in the neighborhood of three years lower than those of white women, and there have been several theories as to why this is. According to the New York Times, a new study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania reveals that a lack of adequate health care…
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OJ Simpson Wants to Play Himself in 'Anger Management'
Although O.J. Simpson is only five years into a 33-year stint at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Reno, Nev., the disgraced football legend, who was acquitted of double murder but years later sentenced to jail on unrelated robbery charges, is already looking for work, should he be granted an early release. According to the New…
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How Not to Derail the Dialogue on Race
(The Root) — The question for this week’s column comes, loosely, from Slate’s William Saletan, who asked me to throw some ideas around with him as he composed a list of tips for “how to talk constructively about racism” in the wake of white-Hispanic George Zimmerman’s controversial acquittal in the shooting death of unarmed African-American…
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A Black Woman's Experience in the Makeup Aisle
African-American women spend more money on makeup than their white counterparts, yet writer Britt Julious, in a piece at WBEZ91.5, finds that black women’s attempts to put on “a new face” are rarely recognized by white people. She also laments how few options there are for her — still — at the beauty counter as…
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The 4th Annual Tin Cup Awards
(The Root) — The Washington Government Relations Group, the oldest organization for African-American government-relations professionals, is holding its Fourth Annual Tin Cup Awards Dinner on Wednesday, July 24, at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. The dinner honors individuals for their continued “commitment to the enrichment of African-American government relations professionals.” This year’s awards recipients…
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White Guilt Needs to End, Says Limbaugh
Since George Zimmerman was found not guilty of second-degree murder for killing Trayvon Martin, people of all races have expressed a range of opinions about race relations — past and present — in this country. MSNBC reports that on his radio show Monday, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh took the opportunity to say that white…
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The Obamas, the Vineyard and Class
(The Root) — Although they skipped a lengthy summer vacation last year because of the election, this year the Obamas will be making up for lost time. The first family is scheduled to spend the week of Aug. 10 in Martha’s Vineyard. The Obamas continue a long tradition of high-profile African Americans summering there, including…
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Black STEM Networking Events Near You
(The Root) — Are you black and interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics? Then Blerds Night Out is for you. The seven-city tour, hosted by Blerdology, is making stops in major U.S. cities, hosting networking events that will focus on what black-owned STEM companies are doing in those communities. Blerdology’s founder, Kat Calvin, describes…
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Prosecutors Dismissed Rachel Jeantel, Too
Taking the prosecution to task in the George Zimmerman trial, Lauren G. Parker writes at the Feminist Wire that the white men trying to convict Zimmerman implicitly devalued Rachel Jeantel’s testimony. Parker says they did so by suggesting that the jurors look beyond Jeantel’s “unsophistication” and lack of education in determining her credibility. The prosecution…
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Why Do We Call It 'Marijuana'?
Cannabis is known by many names: weed, reefer, pot … the list goes on. But one of its most common monikers, “marijuana,” has its roots in Mexico. But why? An article at the NPR blog Code Switch discusses the racially charged history of the word “marijuana” and how the drug stirred anti-immigrant sentiment in the…