on the dig
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Philly Swim Club Says No to Black Kids
So the Valley Swim Club on the outskirts of Philly is livid. A group of black and Latino summer campers showed up at their pool for a nice refreshing swim. However, the Valley Swim Club doesn’t want black or Latino children from the Creative Steps Day Camp in Northeast Philly in their pool. [Even if…
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White Roommates Make You Smarter
A recent study at Ohio State University claims black students perform much better in academia when roomed with white students. If these same students are able to remain in the opposite-race coupling for more than eight weeks race relations improve, too. Dang! Now the trick is out of the bag. I’ve been deliberately placing myself…
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My Eulogy to the King of Pop
A Eulogy for Michael. I never wrote to you as a kid. I didn’t take the moment to stick a letter in the mail week after week like my cousin Mechell. I was never pulled into the kitchen by my parents and sat down and told you would never respond to any of those letters. …
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Michael Jackson Overload Blues
Last night I was hanging out at a friend’s July 5 BBQ in Brooklyn. In between eating roasted corn and sipping on some Blanc someone suggested Michael Jackson didn’t really die. This someone introduced the possibility that MJ set up his own death to remove himself from the horrors of mankind forever. Of course, no…
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Happy Fourth of July, Or Not
I’m keeping it simple today. The week has been crazy. From meditating on the death of MJ to witnessing a 9 year old black boy getting handcuffed for stealing a wallet to wondering why the weather’s so unsettled in NYC, I’m ready to light a firecracker and just chill. Wait, that’s a huge contradiction… anyway.…
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Michael's Face: Self-Loathing or Mental Disorder?
Keith Josef Adkins is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter and social commentator.
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Black College Wants to Save Black Boys
African-American boys are dropping out of school. African-American boys are killing each other. African-American boys are entertaining Americans with songs about sexing pubescent girls and there’s not one worthy ounce of outrage. [Yes, I’m still salty about Lil’ Wayne’s horrid display of manhood at the BET Awards]. But there’s hope in the Heartland. Kentucky State…
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New Haven Firefighters: Are They Really Wrong?
The ruling yesterday to support the white firefighters in New Haven is certainly a win for whites. Particularly, it’s a win for whites that have been trying to articulate reverse racism and discrimination for years. Although I do believe reverse discrimination is possible, it remains an imbalanced issue. Why, you ask a brother? It’s what…
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BET Awards: A Big Disappointment
On Sunday I decided to celebrate the music and the man by seeking out a MJ Dance Party in Brooklyn. I went to Brooklyn’s trendy The Yard and was beyond disappointed. Not only was the place swarming with non-diverse urbanites with strollers and beers and who couldn’t dance if somebody moonwalked on their face, but…
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Michael Jackson: Genius or Pariah?
I woke up this morning feeling honest. I’m shocked by Michael Jackson’s death, yes. I’m numb and sad and anxious. However, here’s the deeper truth: Michael Jackson had not been part of my daily consciousness in years. I removed him. I removed his so-called ugly from my so-called clean mind. The removal started when MJ…