culture
-
5 Things We Learned From 'Set It Off'
(The Root) — Who would have thunk it? Set It Off — the 1996 heist film starring Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Jada Pinkett Smith and Kimberly Elise — beat out Dead Presidents, Superfly and Django Unchained in our March Movie Madness bracket. Color us clueless, but in our office pool, we had no idea…
-
10-Year-Old on Obama's Basketball Game: I Had to Help Him Out
On Monday, President Obama and the first lady hosted the annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House South Lawn. Beyond the egg rolling itself, highlights included music, games, storytelling, cooking stations and an appearance by Robbie Novak, the YouTube star who plays “Kid President.” Not quite a highlight for the real president: Shooting…
-
Angelou on Streetcar Driving, Strip-Club Dancing and Her Legacy
In Maya Angelou’s latest, Mom & Me & Mom, the focus is on her relationship with her mother, Vivian Baxter. But in an interview with NPR‘s Rachel Martin about the stories that make up that book, she reminds listeners of the experiences that add texture to her personal story. While she doesn’t yet want to…
-
Urban Prep Does It Again
At a glance, it doesn’t even seem like news: A prep school with a great track record sends all of its graduating seniors to college, for the fourth year in a row. But it is. Especially when you consider that when Urban Prep, which now has three Chicago campuses, was founded in 2006, only 4…
-
Kevin Ware's 'Gruesome' Injury Not Career-Ending
The Courier-Journal describes the right-tibia fracture that University of Louisville basketball player Kevin Ware sustained during the Cardinals’ 85-63 win over Duke in the Midwest Regional final as “gruesome,” and there’s no question about that — a bone punctured through the skin in his lower leg. But according to a release from the school’s sports…
-
MLK's Assassination: 12 Forgotten Facts
(The Root) — Most Americans know about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life’s work. But many may have missed or forgotten the full story of his untimely death on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn. To mark the 45th anniversary of the American icon’s assassination, we bring you 12 details about his death and its…
-
What Is 'Clean Eating,' Anyway?
April is the perfect time for spring cleaning in your home, but what about your body? On Ebony, Erika Nicole Kendall breaks down “clean eating,” including how to do it and why it’s important for your long-term health. What makes clean eating so important? Quite simply, the exclusion of processed foods comes with the inclusion…
-
DOMA: Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied
For MSNBC‘s Touré, host of The Cycle, the Supreme Court’s upcoming decision on marriage equality may not be enough, despite strong voices from the LGBT community. If gay Americans were as powerful as he imagines we would not be debating their rights at all, they would have them. But in the real world gay rights…
-
Harlem's New Jazz Club Renaissance?
Many jazz fans and local New Yorkers were saddened when Harlem’s famous Lenox Lounge closed late last year, but the historical location may reopen. However, it’s complicated, reports the New York Times. The Lenox Lounge shut down on Dec. 31 after a bitter lease dispute between the club’s owner and his landlord. The space was supposed to…
-
March Madness: Obama Visits Marquette-Syracuse Game
It’s no secret that President Obama is a basketball fan, and on Saturday night, he stopped by one of the final March Madness college basketball games, between Syracuse and Marquette, reports ABC News. The basketball-loving president didn’t pick Marquette or Syracuse to make it to the Elite 8 in his bracket, but instead, thought Miami…