culture

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the first woman to become the United Kingdom’s prime minister, has died of a stroke at the age of 87, CNN reports. The leader of her country’s Conservative Party from 1979 to 1990 and a strong supporter and confidante of Ronald Reagan, she had suffered several strokes since her…

Rihanna has declared herself to be a good girl gone bad, and when Beyoncé has wanted to be fierce, she has used her character Sasha. But does there have to be such a “Madonna/whore” separation? asks Feminista Jones on Ebony.  The idea of women being open about their sexual desires and behavior continues to make…

As University of Michigan fans gather for Monday night’s NCAA Championship game, Jemele Hill writes on ESPN that the school’s Fab Five basketball legends should reunite for this historic game, including Chris Webber. This weekend, Michigan is making its first Final Four appearance since 1993, back when King, Jalen Rose, Chris Webber, Juwan Howard and…

After a nine-year hiatus because of a $2.3 million debt, the Dance Theatre of Harlem is returning to the stage, reports the New York Times. What does Dance Theater of Harlem mean today? Does a primarily black ballet company even need to exist? Since its founding the company succeeded in promoting black classical dances while…

Jay-Z and Beyoncé made a highly publicized trip to Cuba for their fifth wedding anniversary, and now two Republicans are demanding that the Obama administration investigate the couple, reports ThinkProgress.  Former House Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and her colleague Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart sent a letter to the Treasury Department’s Office of…

Racial integration might be the norm in most of America, but at Wilcox County High School in South Georgia, parents still organize an annual segregated prom. When several students wanted an integrated prom, they had to raise their own money to make it happen, reports CBS News. If any race other than Caucasian tries to…

Baller Jeremy Lin wasn’t drafted out of high school to play for his dream college, Stanford, and he thinks he knows why. The former New York Knicks guard turned Houston Rocket points to his Asian-American descent as a stumbling block, reports the Daily News. In a “60 Minutes” interview that was excerpted Friday, the Houston…

(The Root) — In 1972, Angela Davis’ struggle as a political prisoner became an example of the black power movement, the Black Panthers and the political unrest of the time. Even her Afro became a symbol of black people’s work against oppression in America. Moreover, her trial and acquittal of suspected involvement in the Soledad…

Hipster racism is alive and well, while it might not be as obvious as, say, the South in the 1940s. Crystal Sykes writes on the Bold Italic that as one of the few African Americans in her trendy San Francisco circle, she’s tired of being the “black friend.” None of the comments were ever said…

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…