Very Smart Brothas
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Small Talk Is Trash and the World Would Be a Better Place if Everyone Just Stopped Doing It
There is a man right now standing in line at a place where he is waiting to get a quick meal, perhaps. Or maybe a small coffee. Just something to help him through the day. He is not having a particularly bad or good day—it’s a regular, run-of-the-mill, mundane Wednesday. Later that day, he might…
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Howard University All Up and Through This Is Us Is the Blackest Thing That Ever Happened This Week
This second season of This Is Us has been interesting. For starters, it’s nowhere near as emotional as the first season was, for better and worse. Until last night’s episode, “Number Three,” I’d only shed tears maybe once. That ALL changed last night, though, buddy. See, after dedicating episodes to the backstory for Kevin and…
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Racists, Ranked
You know the feeling. You’ve just walked into a fine retail establishment, determined to drive yourself further into debt by collecting more shit you don’t need, when you get that strange sensation: Somebody’s watching you. Really, it’s fucked up for two reasons: the first being that it feeds into the idea that vigilante white people…
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7 Great Reasons to Be a Petty MFer: The Holiday-Season Version
Way back yonder, we brought you the list of “7 Great Reasons to Be a Petty Motherfucker” in hopes of spearheading a #LoveYourselfEvenInYourPetty movement. While it looks like the movement is already in full swing, it’s always good to have some justification for one’s petty. Well, friends, Christmastime brings up a whole SLEW of other…
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Black Folks Who, Though Invited, Probably Wouldn’t Come to the Cookout
Ah, #TheCookout. That grand bastion of blackness where nobody ever reneges during spades, and the brown liquor, Popeyes chicken and red Kool-Aid or McDonald’s sweet tea never runs out. The cookout is a mythical place where all are gathered in both Jesus’ (and Allah’s and … well you get the point) and blackness’s names to…
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A Review of the Shrimp and Grits I Literally Just Ate an Hour Ago at Miss Shirley’s Cafe in Baltimore
I flew in to Baltimore this morning to speak at Morgan State University later today. But enough about that! I need to tell y’all about this meal I literally just finished eating, because I’m sitting here by myself and I need to tell someone about this shit! My talk is at 11 a.m., but my…
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Roy Moore Will Win Alabama’s Senate Seat Because Southern Folks Don’t Like Being Told What to Do
Let’s be clear: Nobody likes being told what to do. I hate it when my mortgage company sends me an email letting me know my payment is due on the first of each month. It’s set to autopay, but I ALWAYS consider disabling that option and paying it on, like, the 14th JUST because they’re…
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Everything You Need to Know About Meghan Markle’s ‘Level of Blackness,’ Explained
She’s my second-favorite alum of USA Network’s Suits, the possessor of an alliterative name that kinda, sorta sounds like the name of a women’s hosiery brand sold only at Macy’s and the new fiancee of Prince Harry. Gina Torres, of course. I sincerely believe they actually called the show Suits because of a pitch meeting…
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A Line-by-Line Response to the New York Times’ Response to the Backlash It Received for Publishing a Nazi Puff Piece
On Nov. 25, the New York Times published “A Voice of Hate in America’s Heartland”—a piece about the wedding registry, eating habits and eyebrow maintenance of an Ohio man who also happens to be a Nazi. This profile bothered quite a few people, who were somewhat annoyed that the country’s biggest and most important newspaper…
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The 10 Best Games for Black Families to Play During the Holidays
According to Andy Williams and everybody who has covered his famous song, it’s currently the most wonderful time of the year. For many of us, that means lots of gatherings of friends and family as we make our way to Christmas and New Year’s Eve. And what’s a great way to spend time with your…