race & politics
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Darth Becky With The Good Hair And The Not-So-Good Understanding Of Math Is The Real Terrorist
Last week, when explaining the history, etymology, and context behind “Becky,” I referred to Iggy Azelea as Darth Becky. Which A) she is (duh) and B) was one of those jokes that wasn’t really a joke. Because she’s not the only one. There really are swarms of Darth-ass Beckys out there — stealing swag, taking up sidewalk space, sabotaging conversations with…
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Will There Ever Be A Lemonade Moment For Black Men? (If So, Who Will Create It?)
Last Thursday, I sat on a panel at The New School with Jamilah Lemieux, Johnetta Elzie, Terrell Starr, and Chris Witherspoon to talk about how new media affects and informs social activism, art, journalism, writing, and our understanding of what it means to be Black. Oh, and Lemonade. We definitely talked a lot about Lemonade. Because it…
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A List Of People Ted Cruz Has Maybe Probably (Definitely) Murdered
Ted Cruz is no longer running for president of the United States. Which is good, because Ted Cruz is also maybe — actually, definitely — a murderer. But bad because not being president will give him more time to murder people. Which is what he (probably) does when he’s not running for office. Murder people. Of…
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DC Is Black As Fuck. Which Must Suck If You're A Racist On Vacation There.
Washington, DC, is a wonderful city. It also conjures up two distinctly different identities depending on who you’re speaking with. For instance, for the young, urban professional, when we think of DC we think of U Street, NW, (or what once was U Street, NW) and H Street, NE, Columbia Heights, 14th Street, NW, DuPont Circle…
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How The Reaction To Larry Wilmore's "Nigga" Drop At The WHCD Was Peak White Tears, Explained
Who is Barack Obama? From 2008 to 2015, Barack Obama was the President of the United States. Now, however, he is the Grand Supreme Wizard of Nofucksistan. He presides over a land encompassed of fields and fields and fields of no fucks as far as thine eyes can see; cities with names like “Nah” and “ILeftMyLastFuckin2014”;…
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Akiba Solomon Is A Writing Ass Chick We Love
Akiba Solomon is the shit. This goes without saying, of course. You don’t become an editor at The Source and the person behind the political humor column “What the F@#k” while there…and co-edit Naked: Black Women Bare All About Their Skin, Hair, Hips, Lips, and Other Parts…and work for Jane, Essence, and Vibe Vixen…and currently…
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Where "Becky" Comes From, And Why It's Not Racist, Explained
Who is Beyonce? Beyonce is a Creole surfborting maven who, if she was an athlete, would be tested for PEDs (performance enhancing drugs) right now. Why’s that? Because the difference between 2005 Beyonce and Beyonce today is like the difference between pre-steroid Barry Bonds and post-steroid, head the size of a Toyota Prius on 26-inch…
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The Easiest And Quickest Way To Make A Bunch Of White People Mad At You (Hint: Just Say "No")
Last week, when walking through the door at one of the four coffee shops/cafes in my “this is where I’m working today” rotation — a placement determined by an algorithm that includes a free and strong wifi signal, food, available parking, lukewarm toilet seats, nice people working there, and an average room temperature conducive to Black…
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Dear White People Who Write Things: Here's How To Write About Beyonce's Lemonade
Yesterday, to culminate one of the two or three Blackest weeks of my lifetime, Beyonce debuted Lemonade, a beautiful, haunting, brilliant, and Black as all the fucks hour-long visual rendering of her new album. The album, also titled Lemonade, was made available on Tidal (sigh) when the film concluded. Naturally, this film and the album dominated pop culture last…
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Prince Was Unapologetically Black Before It Was Cool To Be So
Thursday night, I attended a screening of the Roots reboot at the Tribeca Film Festival. While in the van on the way to the post-screening reception, I met Alondra Nelson — Dean of Social Sciences at Columbia University — and a conversation about Roots segued into a conversation about her work in genealogy, which then…