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  • The Unfinished Business of the Black President

    There’s a huge difference between having a president who’s black and having a Black President. With Barack Obama, we thought we hit the jackpot and we were finally gonna get both, but boy, were we wrong. Almost eight years into the Obama era, and we’ve still not grappled with some of the vexing issues of…

    By

    Corey Richardson

    Published

  • The Half-Woke CliffsNotes to Homophobia and Misogyny 

    I never used CliffsNotes. Not because I believed in some uncompromising code of ethics that made me reject shortcuts in favor of hard work and discipline. My mother just wouldn’t let me use them. When I was a rising 10th-grader, I tried to get her to purchase a copy of the CliffsNotes for Albert Camus’…

    By

    Michael Harriot

    Published

  • White Lives Matter and the Lost Art of Shutting the F Up

    I consider myself a practitioner of a dying art form that is slowly disappearing from society. Long before it was an internet acronym or a text message abbreviation, this unique skill was passed down to me as a man who was raised by a single mother in a house with three other sisters. I honestly…

    By

    Michael Harriot

    Published

  • A Dear John Letter to the Democratic Party

    Dear Democratic Party, First, I want to tell you that I appreciate all you’ve done for me, but I have just begun to realize that our relationship is abusive. I know that most relationships are based on what we see our parents do, and I watched mine get stuck in this same kind of toxic…

    By

    Michael Harriot

    Published

  • An Ode to Lisa Nicole Carson

    This past Saturday, while I was out of town and couch-crashing, I managed to come across a very interesting show on Centric TV. It was called Being: Lisa Nicole Carson and it chronicled Carson’s rise in the acting game throughout the ’90s up until her sudden disappearance throughout the 2000s and, now, her return. I…

    By

    Joel Philip

    Published

  • Open Letter to White People Who Are Obsessed With Black-on-Black Crime

    Dear Caucasian Brethren, I decided to sit down and write this letter to you because every time I try to have a nuanced conversation with you, I am interrupted by the same shrill refrain. Here is an excerpt from every conversation when I ask you to help me find a solution to a problem: Us:…

    By

    Michael Harriot

    Published

  • 10 Things I’ll Miss When the Obamas Leave the White House

    Although the Democratic National Convention was intended to be a celebration of Democrats, Democratic values, and (in comparison with the Republican National Convention) sanity and science, it was a bittersweet week for much of America, since it also was perhaps the last time we’ll see the Obamas on a national stage as president and first…

    By

    Damon Young

    Published

  • Kidz Bop Is the Best Hustle Ever

    For a vast many people who haven’t put birth control to the test (and failed), Kidz Bop isn’t a thing. If you don’t have children, there’s literally zero reason to know of its existence. But for a lot of us with kids old enough to comprehend, process and regurgitate what they hear, the music struggle…

    By

    Panama Jackson

    Published

  • I’m With Her: Kendall Jenner Says ‘Free the Nipple,’ and I Do Too

    Let me start by saying that I have a hard time remembering the difference between Kylie and Kendall Jenner. Before the youngest spawns of Kris Jenner officially embraced the Kardashian way and jumped the “celebreality” shark, they were like Thing 1 and Thing 2 to me, background players who were indiscernible from each other. Kris’…

    By

    Anslem Samuel Rocque

    Published

  • Relationship Hall Passes Are Dumb, Like Jordan-Playing-Baseball Kinda Dumb

    Warning: Sports analogies ahead … In theory, the concept of a relationship hall pass sounds like a novel idea. Getting actual permission from your partner to employ the services of a side chick or side dude for a set amount of time without any repercussions? It’s not my cup of tea, but if two consenting…

    By

    Anslem Samuel Rocque

    Published