culture
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The NCAA: Too Good to Be True
While the nation is fully engulfed in March Madness, Damon Young writes in a piece for Ebony that he’s been reminded of why college hoops could never replace pro basketball. Like millions of other sports fans, I spent countless hours following and/or watching the first couple rounds of the NCAA tournament last weekend. And, like much of…
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Trayvon Martin: The Latest, Week 55
Friday, March 29, 3:29 p.m. EDT: George Zimmerman’s brother is “sorry” his tweet offended: Robert Zimmerman has this to say about a photo he tweeted likening Trayvon Martin to an African-American teen accused of murder: “I’m sincerely sorry my tweet offended many – I made a serious error in judgment abt the way it wld…
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CBS Sports Analyst Sorry for 'White Man' Joke
CBS sports analyst Doug Gottlieb made a poor attempt at lightening up the mood among his fellow analysts Thursday night before kicking off coverage of the NCAA’s Sweet 16. Gottlieb, the lone white guy, was flanked by Greg Gumbel, Greg Anthony, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley when he said, “I don’t know why you guys…
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Crazy Talk: Black Rep's Rant About White Constituent's 'Kin'
In an exchange about gun control legislation gone all wrong, African-American Alabama state Rep. Joe Mitchell reportedly sent a white pro-gun constituent a hateful rant about his “snaggle-toothed, backward-assed, [inbred]” kinfolk. The email, from the Huffington Post: Hey man. You have used the word ‘except’ when I think you mean somethin’ else. Hey man. Your…
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'Very Humble' Powerball Winner Owes $29,000 in Child Support
Remind us always to wait five to seven days before being overly touched by a heartwarming headline. Pedro Quezada, the 44-year-old bodega owner who won a $338 million Powerball jackpot on Tuesday, seemed like exactly the type of person you hope catches a break — a hardworking native of the Dominican Republic who declared, “My…
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Are Parents to Blame for a Child's Racism?
(The Root) — At some point every child does something to disappoint a parent. It may be a poor grade, a questionable romantic choice or, in some cases, getting into legal trouble. But for some parents such deeds pale in comparison to the shame and embarrassment a child may bring upon the family through his…
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Racism's Health Risks Flow From Parent to Child
Writing at the Huffington Post, Jason Silverstein follows up on a piece explaining the harmful physical effects of racial discrimination. Recently, I wrote a piece for The Atlantic on how racism is bad for the body. For the bulk of the essay, I discuss how racism harms a single person’s health directly — and I…
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Blacks Were Christians Before Slavery and Before White-Jesus Pieces
Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond, writing at Ebony, breaks down the relationship between more than 78 percent of African Americans and their religion. This Easter, over two billion Christians around the world will celebrate “the Resurrection of Christ,” and a large percentage of them will be Black. According to a 2007 Pew Report, 78% of Blacks in America identify…
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On Porsha's Divorce, and Whether We're Our Own Worst Enemies
Anticipating reactions to the latest big news from reality television in a piece for Clutch magazine, The Root’s contributing editor Demetria L. Lucas questions why women can be so quick to give men the benefit of the doubt, but not other women. Yesterday was D-Day. Yes, I’m referring to the divorce filing [heard] ’round the…
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5 Reasons Not to Write Off Tyler Perry's Latest
(The Root) — If you haven’t seen Tyler Perry’s Temptation, consider this an official semi-spoiler alert. The director — whose alter ego is an elderly female criminal — put silly shenanigans on the back burner this time around to deliver a more serious, even tragic, film that is worth the price of admission. Of course,…