culture
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Report: Push to Expel Dark-Skinned Malians From Kidal
Black residents of the northern-Malian city of Kidal say that rebels from the lighter-skinned Taureg ethnic group are attempting to expel dark-skinned residents, the Associated Press reports. A spokesman for the rebel National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, which is accused of pushing for the expulsion, told the AP, “It’s not a matter of…
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Cornel West: They Say I'm Un-American
In an interview with The Guardian that covered everything from Britain’s future, to the ways in which he says white supremacy operates in America, Cornel West was characteristically blunt in his criticism of the Obama administration, announcing that he and “Team Obama” no longer speak because “They say I’m un-American.” Despite having campaigned for…
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The Black Film Renaissance of 2013
It looks like people will have to stop complaining about the lack of African-American stories on screen as 2013 ushers in as many as 10 new black films between summer and the end of the year, writes Michael Cieply in the New York Times. Black filmmakers say the wave of 2013 releases was built in…
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Stereotypes, Gender Bending and Gay Acceptance
As America becomes more accepting of homosexuality, old stereotypes die hard. Maya Dusenbery writes in the Atlantic that in sports, men who have come out like Jason Collins are shielded by their gender conformity and the outward stereotypical masculinity of playing sports. However, for gay people who don’t conform to gender stereotypes, like baller Britney…
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MHP: The Politics Behind the Female Sex Drug
MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry and her guests talk about why the new sexual-enhancement drugs for women, which may be available as early as 2014 if approved by the FDA, are so controversial. Watch Harris-Perry discuss the drugs and the cultural blowback around women’s sexuality below: Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about…
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Noise Complaints to Police for Spike Lee's Jazz-Legend Dad
It’s no secret that Brooklyn, N.Y., is gentrifying, and as new residents move in, they don’t always mesh with the community. Case in point: A Fort Greene resident has repeatedly called the police on Bill Lee, father to filmmaker Spike Lee and the man behind the scores of your favorite 40 Acres and a Mule…
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Bruno Mars' Mother Dies at 55
The mother of singer Bruno Mars passed away on Saturday. She was 55, according to the Associated Press. Bernadette Hernandez died Saturday of a brain aneurysm, according to a publicist for Mars’ label, Atlantic Records, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak on the…
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Issa Rae to Play Nina Simone in New Lorraine Hansberry Biopic
An unconventional biopic of Lorraine Hansberry, author of A Raisin in the Sun, is in development, according to Shadow and Act. Hansberry’s grand-niece Taye Hansberr, will take the title role, and Issa Rae, star of The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, will play a pivotal role. Issa Rae is set to play Nina Simone, who…
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A 'White' Grandma With Black Roots?
(The Root) — Black people aren’t the only ones whose Native American ancestry evaporates in the face of a DNA test. This questioner already has her suspicions about family lore. “My 96-year-old grandmother tells me that her mother (my great-grandmother) came from Three Rivers (Trois-Rivières), Quebec, which I understand is home to the Yamaska Indians.…
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How I Knew the 'Dehumanizing Stare' Belonged to a Black Kid
What can you count on with the regularity of the sun rising or a new Chief Keef arrest? According to Mychal Denzel Smith at the Nation, the answer is racism. So when he heard about a teen, Tremaine McMillian, violently detained by Florida police for giving them a “dehumanizing stare” while feeding a puppy, he…