Uncategorized
-
GOP Steels Itself for the Future
Read the washingtonpost.com Live Online discussion on MICHAEL STEELE AND THE GOP’s FUTURE with The Root’s deputy editor Terence Samuel. ***** Oh, what a difference a black president can make. If there was any doubt that President Barack Obama’s victory last November had completely transformed American politics, affirmation came Friday when Republicans—for the first time—elected…
-
A Meaningful Obama Book
We are now two weeks into the presidency of Barack Obama, and for many of us, the new reality is still what one blogger described as a “fragmentation bomb,” which keeps exploding in unexpected moments. It’s Obama’s smiling face being printed everywhere like currency. Malia’s twists. Visions of Grandma Robinson getting pampered by White House…
-
And the Super Bowl Champions Have Black Coach, Too.
Mike Tomlin, the youngest to ever reach the NFL championship game, led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a record sixth championship win Sunday, making him the second black coach to win the Superbowl. The New Times reports that there are not many football franchises that have so many great alumni who manage to show up on…
-
Ms. Jackson Will Be There
Earlier this week, Lisa P. Jackson, the former Chief of Staff for New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine, was sworn in as the first African-American to become head of the Environmental Protection Agency. The Buzz is excited about Obama’s pick for a number of reasons. She’s a Princeton University graduate, like our other favorite African-American…
-
A Veep Is A Terrible Thing To Waste
The Buzz gives props to Vice President Joe Biden (and to the nation’s Second Lady, Dr. Jill Biden). And Friday, President Barack Obama did as well—not wanting to squander the considerable abilities of Smokin’ Joe, the former U.S. Senate lion also known as Amtrak’s best customer, today he introduced Biden as Chair of The White…
-
Flipping the Script
A funny thing happened to the movie New in Town on the way to your local multiplex: Angela Bassett morphed into Gabrielle Union, who then became Renée Zellweger. This is not entirely shocking. “Colorblind” casting has been around for a while. Remember that the drill sergeant in An Officer and a Gentleman was slated to…
-
A Jury of Your Peers
Come 2015, the National Museum of African American History and Culture will be standing on the National Mall, 800 feet away from the National Monument. What exactly will be standing in that space, hasn’t been decided. But The New York Times’ Arts Beat blog says, six architectural teams will be duking it out for the…
-
Who Chooses the Super Bowl Host City?
On Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers will duke it out in Super Bowl XLIII. This year, the game will be held in Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.—far from the intense wintry weather in the North. The last three Super Bowls were played at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.,…
-
Black Coaches, Now What?
When Coach Mike Tomlin leads his Pittsburgh Steelers on the field Sunday evening for Super Bowl XLIII, he will be the third African American to coach in the big game in two years. In 2007, two black coaches, Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts and Lovie Smith of the Chicago Bears, led their teams into…
-
Redman’s Compass, Ever Steady
When saxophonist Joshua Redman arrived on the jazz scene 18 years ago, it marked a new phase in a healthy jazz revival that has propelled the music into Lincoln Center and other upper reaches of institutionalized culture. Redman’s latest release, Compass may, again, signal a new and important phase in jazz. The release is Redman’s…