Black gay youth face a unique set of challenges in coming out to family and friends, according to a recent study. How can we do a better job of affirming and supporting black gay youth?
I could use these next 787 words to lament my dissatisfaction with the myriad of “so-called” reputable news outlets that described President Obamaâs inaugural address as, ‘Obama Unchained’. Iâm nowhere near Spike Lee in my critique of the film, but I donât think it is appropriate to juxtapose the President of the United […]
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 […]
Illinois State Rep. Bobby Rush is calling for a special investigation into the death of 35 year-old Anthony Kyser, who was strangled to death after stealing toothpaste from a CVS in Chicago. The manager claimed self-defense, but surveillance footage seems to tell a different story.
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. Weâre 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 […]
Nailla Robinson, a 5-year-old Philadelphia girl who was abducted from her elementary school has been found alive. But the ease with which she was abducted from her school raises serious concerns about school policy regarding pick-up and drop-off of students. What should be done?
It’s awards season. And although I did not spend a tremendous amount of time in the movie theater, I learned a thing or two about what’s hot in Hollywood, which might be summed up in the following tweet from Erykah Badu: Judging from the trailers I sometimes catch while watching television, this observation seems […]
Beasts of the Southern Wild tells the story of a young girl struggling to survive in the Delta with her father as a massive storm approaches. The film’s star, 9 year-old QuvenzhanĂ© Wallis is now the youngest performer ever nominated in the lead actress category.
We can discuss the etymology of âratchetâ all we want, but long story  short, it is  one of the few words in the English language that can equally serve as an adjective (âThat club is pretty ratchet.â), verb (âWe need play some Fat Trel  so we can ratchet it up in here.â), and noun (âThis […]
The persistently high unemployment rates for youth and people of color remain sky high, and they must be addressed specifically and aggressively. What do you think needs to be done?
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!
While Iâm excited about the fact that a network created particularly for Black America is taking a stance and focusing on analyzing and potentially solving Black issues, Iâm bothered because I feel the network is afraid to bring this program in with full-force.
