Very Smart Brothas
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Yeah, We Did That: The 7 Most Embarrassing Moments in Blackness
Before there was bottle service, there was the Bull. There was once a time in black history when we as a people consumed drinks with names like King Cobra, Colt 45 and Magnum voluntarily and without a hint of irony. We’d get loaded on high-gravity malted swill and spend an evening pointing out one another’s…
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Dating While Black and Atheist
There’s some internet rule that goes along the lines of “If you think it, it exists on the internet.” Maybe I’m confusing it with Rule 34 (If you think it, there’s porn of it). But ultimately, I’ve always thought of the internet as a haven for the congregating of niche and segmented voices and a…
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No Justice for Leon Ford as a Jury Fails to Convict the Officers Who Shot and Paralyzed Him During a Traffic Stop
Full disclosure: I know Leon Ford. He’s a Pittsburgher and I’m a Pittsburgher, and we occasionally see each other at events and on the street. We’re also both connected to the American Civil Liberties Union; he’s on Pittsburgh’s board of directors, and I’m on Pennsylvania’s. I wouldn’t call us friends, but we’re friendly. I’m sharing…
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10 Current Artists I Don’t Ever Want to Hear Sing the 1st Verse of ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ (Since That’s the Only Verse Y’all Know … Shit, Me Too)
Before we get going, let me be very clear: I’m a fan of every artist I’m including on this list. With that being said, c’mon, son. Also, I don’t believe that you have to be a “church-strong” singer to be considered a good singer. Being able to use your voice is just as important as…
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Stephen Miller Somehow Only Being 32 (!!!) Is More Proof That Terrible White People Age Like Day-Old Guacamole
The biggest revelation of the New York Times’ profile on White House Senior Policy Adviser Stephen Miller isn’t that he’s a raging and festering asshole, or a rogue sheet of single-ply toilet paper caught in Jeff Sessions’ belt after he shits on single mothers. Naturally, the Times piece reiterates Miller’s abject awfulness with stories like…
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Ask Agatha, or Don’t: Unsolicited Advice to a Woman Who’s Afraid to Be a Nag
On Friday I read a Harper’s Bazaar piece by Gemma Hartley about the burden of emotional labor, and it left me baffled. To be fair, living in Trump’s America, I find myself spending more and more of my time baffled, befuddled and downright confused. I often wonder if I’m drifting away from center or if…
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ESPN Hasn’t Yet Realized That It Needs Jemele Hill More Than Jemele Hill Needs It
The president of the United States and his administration are in a de facto state of war against anyone who isn’t male, anyone who isn’t straight, anyone who isn’t white, anyone who isn’t Christian, anyone who isn’t wealthy, and anyone who doesn’t place the interests of straight and wealthy and Christian white men above the…
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No One Has Ever Been or Will Ever Be Whiter Than Christopher Columbus: The Whitest White Man Ever
There’s a 30- to 40-mile-long stretch on the Great Allegheny Passage—a 150-mile bike trail stretching from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Md.—where you’re pedaling through nothing but woods. No landmarks, no cities and no sign of civilization other than the trail itself, the mile markers reminding you how much farther you need to go before you can…
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You Should Always Have Black People Around to Consult on Lotion (and on Pepsi, HBO, the New York Times … )
I don’t remember much from my collegiate graduation ceremony, but I do remember this highlight from our commencement speaker, the Oprah Winfrey: Growing up, my grandmother told me that if I worked really hard, I could find some good white people to work for. And I’m proud to say that today … I’ve got some…
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The Pittsburgh Steelers Might Be Better Right Now if They Had Colin Kaepernick Instead of Ben Roethlisberger
Last week the Tennessee Titans signed sentient dumpster juice Brandon Weeden as an insurance policy behind Marcus Mariota, their oft-injured starter. In Weeden’s defense, he might actually be a pretty swell guy, so referring to him as sentient dumpster juice might be a tad harsh. But as an NFL quarterback, he is known more for…