President Obama’s Morehouse commencement speech has reignited conversation regarding the idea that he might be unfairly holding black youth to a different standard. What do you think, was his speech problematic or was it necessary? Does Obama hold our community to a different standard?
The National Science Foundation has awarded Clemson University with a $5 million grant launch an initiative aimed at increasing black participation in computer science.
Chief Keef, the YouTube sensation whose song “That Sh*t I Don’t Like” landed him a record deal, was arrested in Atlanta. Just a few months ago, Keef completed a two month sentence for violating his probation.
The massive tornado that hit Oklahoma has left dozens dead and hundreds injured and without homes. President Obama has since declared Oklahoma a major disaster area, calling the tornado “one of the most destructive storms” in American history.
NYC bus tour Real Bronx Tours reportedly takes foreigners on a tour of the Bronx to learn what a “real ghetto” looks like. Past patrons say the tour guide, Lynn Battaglia, pokes fun at the borough and its residents throughout the tour; lambasting the Bronx as a crime and poverty-infested nightmare.
17 year-old Olympic champion Gabby Douglas is back in the gym training, after a whirlwind year of media appearances and projects. She’ll be training in a gym in West Des Moines, Iowa with her coach Liang Chow. They’re aiming for a return to competition next year.
Dozens were arrested yesterday, during the last of three protests calling for a moratorium on the mass school closings in Chicago. The Chicago Public Schools Board will vote on the 54 Chicago school closures this Wednesday.
In a recent interview, Saldana asserted that she wishes people would stop asking her about her race, and that “there is no such thing as people of color.”
14 year-old D’Asia Robinson was killed last Saturday after being shot in the head by a stray bullet while riding a city bus. Friends and family have created memorials and had vigils for the slain young lady, and the tragedy has sparked renewed calls from community leaders and residents for an end to the senseless violence.
During her commencement speech at Bowie State, The FLOTUS called out black youth for fantasizing about being a “baller or a rapper,” and called for a renewed hunger for education.
Reactions to Kanye’s new track “New Slaves” has been mixed. But what is undeniable is the song’s discussion of the prison-industrial complex; as it lays plain the impact of institutional racism and private prisons on communities of color.
The murder of 32 year-old Mark Carson in New York’s Greenwich Village is being investigated as a hate crime. Carson and a friend were reportedly being followed and taunted with antigay slurs by 33 year-old Elliot Morales. Morales fired a single shot from is revolver, killing Carson.
