655 Search results for "black joy"

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYHguBEXkac I wrote this blog literally a year ago today. It was not a published blog because the Black Youth Project had yet to premier online. Well, I think my thoughts a year ago still resonate today as we honor Michael Jackson’s memory. The title of the blog is, “The Feasting of Michael Jackson’s Flesh: […]

The Kansas City School District works to erase a tragic history Rick Montgomery, The Kansas City Star, June 6, 2010 Teens face drought in summer jobs Kathy McCabe, The Boston Globe, June 6, 2010 Outreach program spreads its wings Monique Muise, The Gazette, June 5, 2010 Boys & Girls Club support literally opens new doors […]

This weekend I spent sometime up north in the Boystown neighborhood of Chicago. I usually don’t venture into the nightlife of gay Chicago (I’m just not big on clubs) but this particular weekend I figured I would deviate from the routine and explore a little. The first stop was Washington Park, a congregating area for […]

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W12cItlAx8M Daughters eased their mothers’ burdens – helping with the spinning, the grinding of grain, and the endless task of looking after baby boys, who were forever peeing into the corners of the tents, no matter what you told them. But the other reason women wanted daughters was to keep their memories alive. Sons did […]

So far I have been having a wonderful spring break. I got to see two plays (The Illusion and Rent), went to a comedy club last night and saw Robert Hines (hilarious), and best of all, I got to observe one of the greatest political moments in this country since I became old enough to […]

Part of the reason I’m so unproductive during the first quarter of the year is because of sports.  The NFL Playoffs are quickly followed by March Madness, which is followed by the NBA Playoffs.  I do most of my work during the summer when baseball season is well underway.  Watching nine innings of baseball on […]

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thzHCAjOgAI There is a “moral panic” that Keysha Whitaker highlights in “Latin Female Artist draws criticism for Times Square Mural” brewing on the streets of Times Square where Sofia Maldonado, a young Puerto Rican-Cuban woman, is under fire for creating a mural that for many embodies the sins of rap videos . . . big […]

I am surprised more and more each day at the growth of a small clique that bonds over their ruthless habit they’ve taken up before and after school, during lunch and at all other times they can manage to sneak away for a cigarette. In full view of my high school’s main entrance, a large […]

It’s only March, but Mo’Nique is indeed the frontrunner for the Best Year Ever Award.  In a little less than a week, the self-proclaimed queen of comedy and Golden Globe (and Screen Actors Guild) Award winner, will probably win an Oscar for her work in Precious, despite her reluctance to “campaign” for the little gold […]

Some of you are wondering what this word “prognosticator” means. Well, I’m glad you asked young grass hopper. Webster defines it as someone who predicts the future or as someone who speaks powerful insights. Perhaps, at one point Tavis Smiley and Al Sharpton spoke powerful insights on behalf of Black communities. Of course, this was […]

Concrete Jungle stuns, inspires and enthralls from beginning to end, and confirms without question that Nneka has the potential to be among the most vital and fascinating voices of pop music in the years to come. Believe the hype.

And all of this makes Scott-Heron’s new album, I’m New Here, all the more stunning; not since the Rick Rubin-assisted resurrection of Johnny Cash’s legendary (and, by the earlier 90’s, similarly derailed) career has an older, seemingly past-their-prime artist returned with something so haunting, so vital, and so unequivocably brilliant.