culture

Celebrations have begun for many in the gay community as couples head to their local courthouses in cities like Los Angeles. The two women who were the plaintiffs in California’s Prop 8 case married on Friday in San Francisco, in a ceremony officiated by Kamala Harris, reports the Associated Press. Attorney General Kamala Harris presided…

In the office, some single women find themselves fighting their married-with-kids co-workers for a decent time to clock-out. In a Marie Claire article, one woman says that when she began her job at a law firm, she had plenty of free time after work, but just several weeks later her schedule drastically changed.  Instead, she’s…

More and more the country appears to be returning to its racist past, with incidents of political and social unrest and injustice surfacing almost daily, Michael D’Antuono argues in a piece at Global Grind. America is returning to what it once was. Unfortunately, I’m not referring to its dominance as the world’s only super power…

Earl Ofari Hutchinson contends in a piece at the Huffington Post that while the Grand Old Party helped pass the immigration-reform bill, Republicans still have a long way to go toward winning votes in the Hispanic community because they have not historically been viewed as supportive. President Obama, Democratic Senate leaders, and immigration rights groups…

While some critics mocked the performance of Trayvon Martin’s 19-year-old friend Rachel Jeantel, who appeared as a witness during George Zimmerman’s trial this week, Brittney Cooper argues at Salon that the criticism is a perfect example of the cultural stumbling blocks navigated daily by some blacks. [George Zimmerman’s] trial might be intriguing, fascinating cultural theater to…

(The Root) — We know you’ve seen Coming to America at least 10 million times, but after 25 years, there are so many random facts about the movie that only help you appreciate it even more. Plus, other fans out there have found ways to keep the memory of the film alive. Take a look…

The Mail is reporting that a biracial girl was subjected to monkey taunts by members of the far-right National Front in England after she accidentally stumbled into a meeting at the social club in Liverpool where her parents planned to hold their wedding reception. The seven-year-old had gone with her parents to a social club…

Mensa — the society for the smartest 2 percent of people in the world — has inducted its youngest member, Adam Kirby, the United Kingdom’s Express reports. How old is he? Two years and five months. Adam, who’s from London, was invited to join Mensa after showing his ability to read Shakespeare and comprehend Japanese,…

Straight from our “SMDH” file comes a so-called literacy test unearthed by Slate that Louisiana used to administer to voters. It was supposedly geared toward whites and blacks who couldn’t prove a certain level of education, but it was really disproportionately administered to African Americans. Surprise! Here is an example of one of the questions:…

Serena Williams has accepted a friendly challenge from reigning U.S. Open champion Andy Murray to a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ tennis match, EntertainmentWise reports. But Williams — even with her five Wimbledon championships — isn’t sure she’ll come close to winning the contest. “It would be fun,” Williams told ESPN. “I doubt I’d win a…