culture

Last week, some in black social circles saw a photo of singer India.Arie and thought she’d lightened her skin. The singer responded saying she hadn’t. Ebony‘s Michael Arceneaux writes that black folks shouldn’t be so quick to call others self-hating. I get that this is all in reaction to the big White boot footprint around…

Nelson Mandela returned home on Saturday, following his most recent hospital visit late last month, according to a press release from the office of the presidency, reports Al-Jazeera. “[Mandela] has been discharged from hospital today, 6 April, following a sustained and gradual improvement in his general condition,” it said. “The former president will now receive…

In Philadelphia in January, Nelson Mandela Myers rescued a little girl who had been abducted. A $10,000 reward had been promised for her return. Myers did his part, but the City of Philadelphia is still saying that his check is in the mail, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. Janie Myers thought her prayers had been answered,…

It appears that calling out racism in Cuba comes at a price. Roberto Zurbano wrote about inequality based on skin color in his home country in a recent New York Times article. The editor and publisher was then demoted to a lesser position at the government-controlled Casa de las Americas book publishing company this week,…

In a piece at BlackAmericaWeb.com, Nikki Woods, The Tom Joyner Morning Show’s senior producer, explains why she has a problem with the viral video of a father who has been indicted on charges of child endangerment and child abuse after whipping his two teenaged daughters for “twerking.” She also says it should spark a larger…

(The Root) — Questions of racial identity and belonging have taken center stage this week with news that Karen Finney, political analyst and former deputy press secretary for Hillary Clinton, will host a new weekend show on MSNBC. In its announcement, MSNBC noted that Finney was the “first African-American spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee.”…

ESPN’s Roxanne Jones says in a piece for CNN that firing Rutgers basketball coach Mike Rice will not take the brutality out of college sports. In fact, it just might pave the way for him to receive another job after he rehabilitates his reputation. Watching the video of Rice batter and berate his players, I…

Back in the day, neighbors and extended family helped raise children and set them on the right path when they went astray, San Francisco-based author Shawn Taylor recalls at Ebony. Today, much of the black community is splintered, and families have become more fractured and increasingly violence-prone. He asks where we should go next. ……

Business Insider is reporting that diversity in Silicon Valley has become a hot topic lately. In a one-and-a-half year long investigation, CNNMoney probed 20 of the most influential technology companies in the U.S. What they found: racial minorities and women are generally underrepresented in management roles. And those roles are typically dominated by white and…