culture
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'Mistresses' vs. 'Scandal': A Difference?
(The Root) — When I heard that ABC was launching an American version of the BBC drama Mistresses, which follows the trials and tribulations of four women who behave as mistresses by choice and sometimes by happenstance, I was intrigued. I immediately wondered if ABC’s new show, which has the same title, could match the…
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The Drop in Chicago's Murder Rate Won't Last
Slate magazine’s crime correspondent, Justin Peters, argues that the strategy that has reduced Chicago’s homicide rate this year — by putting more police officers on the street — will unravel when the money that pays for their overtime runs out. He also cites Chicago’s infamous weather as a possible factor. The fact is that you…
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Everyone's Good News on Facebook Stresses Me Out
Like Chaka Khan once crooned, “It ain’t all good,” and this is the sentiment writer Lauren Lyons expresses in a piece at the Huffington Post. She speaks openly about how she sometimes thinks the struggles in her life are an anomaly because of everyone else’s positive updates on Facebook. Lyons encourages people to share their…
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Despite Protests, R-Word Stays in 'Washington Redskins'
Writing for Clutch magazine, Yesha Callahan rounds up the back-and-forth between advocates such as members of the Congressional Native American Caucus and the NFL brass they’re lobbying to get the r-word removed from the football team’s name. It’s an ongoing effort that does not appear to be successful. (Team owner Dan Snyder has said, “We’ll never…
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False Panic Over Howard? Official Calls 'Gone in 3 Years' Letter 'Unduly Alarming'
If Renee Higginbotham-Brooks, the vice chair of Howard University’s board of trustees, was hoping to bring attention to the school’s financial situation in a letter she wrote that was published last week in the Chronicle of Higher Education, she was successful. In it, Higginbotham-Brooks predicted that, barring major changes to the school’s finances, it would…
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OWN's Focus on Real Black Women: It's Working. What Took So Long?
In a piece for the Daily Beast, Allison Samuels reflects on the announcement of the renewal of three of the Oprah Winfrey Network’s top reality shows: Iyanla: Fix My Life, starring Iyanla Vanzant; Life With La Toya, starring La Toya Jackson; and Raising Whitley, starring Kim Whitley, all of which feature black women as their starring characters. They’re…
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End of White America: Should We Care?
(The Root) — Is it time to start saying goodbye to majority-white America? Maybe, according to census data and estimates out on Thursday. The highlights that are getting the most attention: a prediction that, based on current rates of growth, whites in the under-5 age group are expected to slip to a minority this year…
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No, You and I Will Not Be Dating. Here's Why
Niesha Davis outlines at Clutch magazine the various reasons that she will not date a guy. Her list comes as she is getting back to dating after a two-year hiatus. … It seems that the men who approach me find someway to eliminate themselves from the running before we even start. Take one fellow that…
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Zimmerman Trial: Just 1 Scene in a Gun-Culture Drama
In a piece for the New Yorker, Jelani Cobb discusses the George Zimmerman trial, which began on Monday, in terms of America’s gun culture and perceptions of race. It’s possible — no, reasonable — to look at Martin’s death as the opening scene in a four-act drama centering on American gun culture. The subsequent scenes…
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BMW and Dollar General Accused of Discrimination
In a complaint filed Tuesday, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accused two major U.S. companies — BMW and Dollar General — of indirectly discriminating against African-American employees and potential employees. How? By using criminal-background checks to screen out workers in a way that violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Washington…