detroit
-
The Unbearable Blackness of Being
Shortly after I entered the world via Detroit’s now-shuttered Grace Hospital one summer day in 1981, I set upon what was an unmistakably black-ass upbringing in one of America’s chocolatiest cities. That which we refer to as “black people shit” as an adult was simply childhood by default: a quarter for a baggie of assorted…
-
The Story Behind the Music of Black-ish’s Most Talked About Episode
ABC’s Black-ish has never shied away from controversial topics and tonight’s show about colorism shouldn’t be any different. Ahead of tonight’s episode, we spoke to the composer Hilton Wright II, the co-producer of the music for one of the most memorable episodes, “Juneteenth.” Hilton has worked with artists like Big Sean, Sofia Reyes, Drake and…
-
Rashida Tlaib, the Hypocritical Cuss Word Controversy, and the Myth of Political Civility
As a young boy growing up in Detroit during the 1980s, I remember the late Coleman A. Young, the city’s first black mayor, cussing people out—usually news reporters. If you grew up in Detroit then or in the early 1990s, one of your favorite pastimes was joking about Coleman—we called him by his first name—telling…
-
Michelle Obama Speaks to Detroit Students About How to Deal With ‘Naysayers’
Detroit—Accomplished lawyer? Check. First lady of the United States? Been there, done that. Bestselling author? Three million checks. With a resume like Michelle Obama’s, its sometimes easy to forget that the beginning of her story is a lot more relatable than you’d think—a point that she hoped to get across to a group of students…
-
Jury Clears Man Who Blasted 'F*ck Tha Police' at Cop Who Pulled Over Black Driver
A Michigan jury took nine minutes to clear the greatest white ally ever, who went to trial after an officer took umbrage with him blasting “Fuck tha Police” in the presence of cops. According to M Live, James Webb, who is white, stopped at a Pontiac, Mich., BP gas station on June 5 when he…
-
3 White Women Harassed a Black Gardener for More than a Year. He Got Hit With Stalking Charges
For more than a year, three white women made Marc Peeples’ life hell—all for the sin of building a community garden in their Detroit neighborhood. As the Detroit Metro Times reports, throughout 2017 and early 2018, the women harassed Peeples, who is black, and called the police on him multiple times, alleging that he was…
-
But First, Let Me Take a Racist Selfie: Detroit Police Officer Out of a Job After Snapchat Goes Viral
A Snapchat with clear racist undertones has cost a Detroit police officer his job. According to the Detroit News (h/t Washington Post), before starting his shift on Saturday, Sean Bostwick took a selfie (as one does). But doing a little pre-shift duckface in his uniform wasn’t enough for Bostwick, who chose to add the caption,…
-
The 10 Best, Blackest, Messiest and Ugliest Moments From Aretha Franklin's Epic Marathon Homegoing
1. At 3:30 p.m. Friday afternoon—a time which was already 30 minutes past the very optimistic target ending time on the agenda for Aretha Franklin’s homegoing—my wife and I left the house during Rev. Jesse Jackson’s speech to buy a mattress for a bed delivered to us the day before. When we returned two whole-ass…
-
The Schedule for Aretha Franklin’s Funeral Is the Most Optimistic Schedule I’ve Ever Seen in My Entire Black Funeral Life
They gon’ lay Aretha Franklin’s burdens down in Detroit on Friday, Aug. 31. And it’s going to happen in tremendous fashion. Her body has already seen outfit changes fit for a woman whose fashion stylings were as much a part of her charm as her take-no-prisoners attitude about the industry. Queen Aretha is being sent…