569 Search results for "blackness"

In this election the GOP has gone from ignoring Black folks, to launching a full scale operation to stop us from being able to cast a vote. Add that to Mitt Romney’s race baiting Birth Certificate joke, and this whole theme that President Obama wants people to be lazy, unemployed and rely on the government, and you have […]

It surprises me how much of the city builds a fantasy in a larger reality of racism. Outside of downtown and the “hood” there’s an intense atmosphere of hatred and disregard for people-of-color. Maybe people-of-color provokes the idealistic bubble of a city person; in places like Buffalo, New York the black person is breathing scum […]

I’ve spent the last week treading in the liquid of a queer-flavored ambivalence, trying to determine why the Anderson Cooper and Frank Ocean coming out announcements mean less to me than other people. I have seen enough episodes of Coming Out Stories and foolishly subjected myself and my partner to the awkward anti-climax of telling my father […]

Even after her dismissal from The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Brainstorm blog, Naomi Schaefer Riley’s words continue to be debated, turned over, torn apart and even defended. Ineptitude aside, Schaefer Riley stirred up an interesting conversation around the legitimacy and relevance of black studies, women’s studies and gay and lesbian studies. These are academic disciplines […]

 Affirmative Action is soon to be challenged once again, and I find the debate around it particularly troubling. Not necessarily because of the political implications surrounding the debate, but because it begins to expose just how little people understand the complexities of Race in this country. The conversation around Affirmative Action usually begins to devolve […]

I recently watched an episode of The Cleveland Show, the satirical spin-off of Fox’s hit comedy Family Guy, which centers on the African-American character Cleveland, and his return to his home state of Virginia to be with his new wife and stepchildren. It’s a funny show, just as crude as Family Guy, and inherently problematic […]

The support for Trayvon Martin has been rather remarkable. The public has gone into their protest toolkit and hashtagged, blogged, marched, sent Skittles, and updated Facebook pictures accordingly. Even the POTUS, notoriously mum and/or known to toe borders on issues that concern race, went as far as to suggest that his male offspring would have […]

Nikki Giovanni is a world-renowned poet, writer, educator and activist. Her finest moment might be “Ego-Trippin’,” a funny and empowering ode to blackness that read and flows like a funkier “The Negro Speaks of Rivers.” Check it out at BlackYouthProject.com / @BlackYouthProj

                  While it should be commonplace to study, promote, and protect Black History each and every day of the year, I still find it rewarding to dig into our history during the month of February to highlight those of our predecessors, especially the lesser know ones, to […]

Late last week I caught a little flack for hatin’ on Obama’s incredibly brief rendition of the Rev. Al Green’s classic, “Let’s Stay Together.” I’m sure you’ve seen the clip. If not, here: httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6uHR90Sq6k   I hear he gave a speech after hitting the falsetto. Of course, that’s not the impression one would get. Those […]

A few weeks ago, writer slash (cultural) critic slash Twitter all-star, Toure published a piece in the The New York Times about the allegedly recent flurry of white women rappers. From rehashing black respectability in an article about Michael Vick, to considering the black middle class in a discussion of the Obamas’ vacationing tendencies, Toure is no stranger […]

*Spoiler Alert* On Friday, Dee Rees’ much lauded independent film, Pariah will expand its release from four theaters to eleven, increasing the opportunity for many to view this incredibly important Focus Features release. Rees’ debut work has deservedly generated a deluge of critical praise, and should at the very least garner a few nominations come award […]