Very Smart Brothas
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America Owes Bresha Meadows A Debt That Will Never Be Paid
In just a few months, Bresha Meadows will finally be out of prison. However, it won’t be due to her case being dismissed, or being granted bail. Moreover, she will not be directly returning home. Instead, due to accepting a plea deal, a 15-year old Bresha will have her time served commuted and sent to…
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I Had A Crush On 1983 Michael Jackson In 1993 Because My Religious Parents Kept Me In A Pop Culture Time Warp
I grew up in a rather religious household to reformed Born Again, Evangelical Charismatic, Non-Denominational Christians. I know, that’s a mouthful, right? Like most folks, on Sunday we went to morning service. Unlike most people we were back later that same day for afternoon service or, “Church Part Two: Electric Boogaloo” as I mockingly referred…
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Root For LaVar Ball If You Want To, But Just Know You're Rooting For A Piece Of Shit
There’s so much to like about the idea of LaVar Ball that at times it feels like he was created in a Likable Nigga Generator. First, of course, is the fact that he’s the very involved Black dad of three star athletes, which contradicts both a stereotype about Black men and a stereotype about Black athletes.…
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Ok, I'll Admit It: I Kinda Sorta Want A Romper Now
After 18 months of fatherhood, I can pretty much say that it’s been what I expected it to be so far. The Feminist Octobus has been fun, funny, needy, autonomous, precocious, stinky, brilliant, and prone to frequent bouts of baby-ass shit, and the experience of watching her grow has been equal parts thrilling and fulfilling…
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Where Does Dru Hill Fit In The Pantheon of Great Male R&B Groups?
Sometimes, I feel like Dru Hill gets lost in the sauce. When having discussions about great R&B male groups from the 90s (and 2000s), Jodeci is typically the gold-standard, and while Boyz II Men is pretty much a snoozefest in retrospect, their accomplishments cannot be ignored. New Edition is, well, New Edition despite being of…
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The Christian Way To Respond To The Murder Of Terence Crutcher Isn't Forgiveness. It's Fury.
Back in September, Terence Crutcher, an unarmed black man, was walking to his car with his hands up when he was shot by Tulsa police officer Betty Shelby. This incident was captured on video by both a police dash cam and an aerial video from a police helicopter wherein Shelby’s husband, a fellow officer who…
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On Mother's Day, And Remembering My Daughter (Who'd Be 12 Years Old Today)
Sometimes it’s easy to forget it ever happened, to go about life and never have it surface in the forefront of my mind. Even when I am reminded by my naked reflection, the now barely-there line of a scar etched below my pelvis, a slight kiss from a scalpel in yesteryears past. The small Bs that were…
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The More Racist I Get, The More White People Love Me, And I Don't Know How I Feel About This!
While The Wife Person and I were sitting on our front stoop yesterday evening, a middle-aged White man on a scooter rode past, noticed me on the steps, stopped in the street, and screamed “Governor! It’s called a governor!” I replied. “Oh, ok. Thanks!” And then he rode away on his scooter. Clearly perplexed by…