Very Smart Brothas
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The 15 Blackest Things About the New Trailer for Black Panther
1. The screen at the 0:00 mark right before the trailer started. I know black screens are standard before a film starts and after it ends, but this black screen was an extra, deeper black. A Maya and Amiri at the Schomburg black. I saw this black and immediately felt compelled to take a shot…
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The Best Argument for Why Morehouse and HBCUs Matter You’ll Ever Read
(This piece originally appeared on VSB on Oct. 8, 2015.) Editor’s note: One of my good friends from college is a teacher in Chicago. One particular student of hers has begun the college search, and in her attempts to convince him to attend Morehouse College or at least an HBCU, she reached out to me…
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Welcome to HBCU Week at VSB!
Homecoming season is upon us. It’s been in full swing for weeks now as several schools across this land of ours have gathered for celebration, shenanigans, revelry and family fun! This week at VSB, from Oct. 16 to Oct. 22 (or Oct. 20 for me—I’ll be in Atlanta for SpelHouse homecoming next weekend revelratin’ with…
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I Have Been Raped by Far Nicer Men Than You
One night when I was riding home to New York City’s Brooklyn borough on the C train, an older man started smiling, making kissy faces and, eventually, miming sexual acts at me. I pointedly tried to ignore him as my discomfort grew; there weren’t that many people on the train, and my stop was coming…
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What My Frayed Relationship With My Mother Has Taught Me About Grace and Mercy
On Wednesday morning I had the pleasure of being a returning guest on the WDET radio show Detroit Today With Stephen Henderson, who was here in Washington, D.C., recording from NPR headquarters. I was there to talk about the article I wrote a few months ago about my frayed relationship with my mother because of…
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20 Things We Pretend to Love That We Need to Admit Are Trash, Ranked
20. Postcards, greeting cards, business cards and just cards, generally (Trash communication stand-ins) 19. Stand-alone mustaches (Trash facial hair) 18. Democracy (Trash government) 17. Feet (Trash body part) 16. Neckties (Trash clothing) 15. High school (Trash schooling) 14. Nostalgia (Trash memories) 13. ’80s rap music (Trash music) 12. Selfies (Trash pictures) 11. Attending sporting events…
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#SoupOnRacists Needs to Be a Movement Because We Need to Throw More Soup on Racists
One of the most frustrating things about existing while black in America and dealing with white supremacy, white privilege, white tears and white people’s awkward casseroles is the process of determining exactly how to react to racism when faced with it. Should you address microaggressions immediately, or should you wait until a particularly egregious racist…
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Are You Enjoying This NFL Season? Ya Know, if You’re Watching It
In total, I’ve watched maybe six downs of NFL football this season. I haven’t actively been boycotting; somehow, the NFL just doesn’t seem as enticing to me as it used to, so I’ve made no effort to watch any of it. And I was an NFL stan. It’s my favorite sport to watch. Of all…
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Someone Broke Into My Car and Stole My Altoids but Left Everything Else and Now I Have Questions!
So before we get started, I have a confession: The headline is misleading because my car wasn’t actually broken into. I accidentally hit the unlock button on my key fob while walking my dog the night before the Altoid heist, forgot about it (I was distracted by the act of tracing dog shit in the…