Last October a Rutgers University first year student named Tyler Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge to commit suicide. Tyler was not the first (nor the last) student to commit such a horrid act due to homophobia. The problem in this situation was not just one person who was bullying Tyler, but the real […]
So last week, the black blogosphere was ablaze about Fox News’ objection to rapper, Common’s appearance at the White House for an evening of poetry. (I blame spoken word’s roach-like ability to last so long on something incredibly jacked up I must have done in a former life.) Calling the “controversial” rapper “vile,” the right […]
In this corner stands President Obama and in the opposite corner stands— the specter of —Osama Bin Laden. These two men are the main event this week. A flashing headline: “Osama Bin Laden is dead and buried at sea.” The next moment, cameras are panning through crowds of people in the throes of celebrating this […]
I know the NBA playoffs are in full swing, and Derrick Rose and the Bulls are annihilating the competition, but I just wanted to take a brief moment to talk about baseball. Before you yawn and  press the little “x” in the top right hand corner of your window allow me to explain the importance […]
Although I’d like to put Dead Prez on blast–like I planned on doing last week–I think it would be most appropriate to follow up last week’s post. I can’t believe I’m about to force my fingers to type the following sentence, but here goes: I agree with the Obama Administration’s decision not to publish the […]
Before I begin this post, let me start off by saying that I do not have all the answers. If I did, gas prices would be lower, alternative energy would no longer be alternative, and discrimination of all kind would be a thing of the past. Although I’m not quite sure how to end bigotry […]
Dedicated to Theo Hike III, Lawrence, and Jalyn – One Love Adulthood feels strange and comes early when all your clubhouse friends (from kindergarten up) become institutionalized. We tell time by the progression of life’s complexity: homework piles up undone, small crushes that explode into sexual exclusivity, and before you know it your comrades […]
You heard me. Let’s pay college athletes? Pay them with what? Pay them how? Let’s face it, this will never happen and the perceived greed of the NCAA is not even the biggest obstacle keeping college athletes from reaping the financial benefits of their talents. There are legal and business issues that stand in the […]
If you don’t already know, time is a cruel mistress who demands her “pound of flesh” by yearly ripping away our youth and vitality.  Among my close circle of friends, all in our mid-to-late 20s, we have each begun taking action to thwart her evil plan. The telltale signs of aging are starting to become […]
How can you call yourself a Prince fan (for example) if you’ve only got “Raspberry Beret,” “Purple Rain,” and “1999” on your iPod shuffle? It’s just not enough. These are the 9 songs every Prince fan should know.
Today Show | March 23, 2011 Anaih Rucker, 9, talks about her courageous, split-second decision to push her 5-year-old sister, Camry, out of the way of an oncoming truck, which left her with an amputated leg.
By Justin Hill In 2008, when I first read “Gay is the New Black” on the cover of the Advocate, I CRINGED at its implications. Even as I write, “Gay is the New Black,” it is unsettling because it elides, obfuscates and erases many tensions and concerns. You may be asking, “Why speak about it […]
