Here’s the deal: Sony Pictures has decided to turn the 70’s television sitcom Good Times into a feature-length film. Last week, Deadline reported that Sony has tapped producer Scott Rudin and writer Phil Johnston to head the project. (Before we go all Spike Lee and question whether a couple of white dudes should be in charge of this, let’s all […]
1. The state of Connecticut sentenced Tonya McDowell to five years in jail in part for sending stealing a free education. McDowell, who was homeless at the time, used a babysitter’s address to enroll her son in a school that was not in the district where she had last lived permanently. McDowell wanted to send […]
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Dennis Rodman (Photo by Jason Mojica, VICE) Dennis Rodman, fresh off his trip to North Korea, appeared on “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos to discuss his friendship with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un. Stephanopoulos proceed to take Rodman to task for supporting a man who, “presides over prison camps, allows millions […]
WASHINGTON, DC – Today – Tuesday, February 26th – the White House will honor ten leaders who have devoted their time and efforts to helping further education among African Americans. These individuals have provided exemplary leadership in the area of education in the African American community at the local, state or regional level. “President Obama […]
The family of the late Emmett Till have penned an open letter to Lil Wayne, challenging the Young Money emcee to address the controversy surrounding the lyrics, and imploring him to help educate others on the story of Emmett Till. Do you think Wayne should respond? Will he?
Today I would like to talk about a subject near and dear to my heart: community organizing. My entire life I’ve fought for justice  by helping groups galvanize support for their respective agendas. I’ve done both online and offline organizing, and even spent 9 months organizing for President Obama in Florida this past election cycle. […]
After much clamor and many entreaties, finally President Obama has decided to come to Chicago to address the rampant gun violence plaguing communities of color. Perhaps in a newfound fervor stemming from the security of a second term, Obama seems to have become more intentional and aggressive about addressing the issues that have a greater […]
By Rashad J. Smith The 1991 Superbowl rendition of the Star Spangled Banner sung by the late Whitney Houston had the entire Nation in an uproar. Either you loved and supported the performance or you despised it because the infamous accusation turned fact that Ms. Houston pre-recorded the audio. While the controversy couldn’t be ignored, neither […]
By Rashad J. Smith Every night the world tunes in to their local news stations anticipating a report about the young, the black, and their destruction to society. We’re guilty of being entertained by the captured crimes on First 48 and infested with the notion to remain silent about crimes. We enjoy the violent […]
Jasiri X and Pharoahe Monch at the Brooklyn Bowl for the Sandy Relief Concert (Photo by Paradise Gray) On “Our World with Black Enterprise“, hosted by Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, we discussed the current state of Hip-Hop and it’s future, with Hip-Hop artist Pharoahe Monch, Dr. Tricia Rose, chair of the Department of Africana Studies at Brown University and myself. […]
Megan Piphus, an upperclassman at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, recently appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. She’s using music, ventriloquism, and puppetry, to inspire youth to dream big and in color!
In the wake of the terrible massacre in Newtown, Conneticut, Democrats (and many Republicans) are pushing for the return of an assault weapons ban. Would such a ban go far enough?