In Lima, Peru, there is a tradition among the rich and prominent to hire black pallbearers for family funerals. The presence of black pallbearers signifies wealth in the country. Wearing tuxedos and white gloves, the pallbearers make about $5 per funeral and around $70 a week. The practice started in Spain during colonial times when […]

President Barack Obama finally told his truth about being black and male in America, a powerful 19-minute testimony that black people have been waiting to hear and white people needed to know. In a deeply personal reflection about racial polarization, Obama used his White House bully pulpit to steadfastly align himself with black men in […]

Tavis Smiley refuses to contain his contempt for President Barack Obama. And here’s the pathetic reality: Obama didn’t attend Smiley’s “State of the Black Union” conference in 2008 because he was campaigning for the White House and five years later, Smiley still can’t let it go. On Sunday, during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the […]

Tavis Smiley is defending his criticism of President Barack Obama’s speech on Friday, telling David Gregory’s Meet the Press panel that he thought the president’s remarks were too little, too late, “as weak as pre-sweetened Kool-Aid,” as he tweeted on Friday. “I appreciate and applaud the fact that the president did finally show up,” Smiley […]

Actress Rae Dawn Chong is going hard after Oprah Winfrey personally. Their characters famously fought in “The Color Purple,” with Squeak saying to Miss Sofia, “You just a big ol’ heifer!” before the latter knocked her under the juke joint. Chong claims she’s a self-centered fat “biotch” who would have been a “house n**ger” during […]

Mail Online has reported that O.J. Simpson is suffering from a terminal case of diabetes and has only three months to live. Doctors say the case stems from his unhealthy life. According to the Daily Enquirer, Simpson has gained an enormous amount of weight and is now up to 300 pounds. Simpson’s extremely high blood […]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police were investigating a scuffle Friday between rapper Kanye West and a cameraman at Los Angeles International Airport, where paparazzi have been known to spend time in hopes of snapping shots of celebrities. Numerous witnesses were interviewed about the afternoon incident to compile a report for detectives to investigate, LAX Police […]

HOUSTON (AP) — Four men found living in “deplorable conditions” in a Houston garage on Friday told police that they were being held captive after being lured by promises of food and cigarettes so that their captor could cash their public-assistance checks, authorities said. Three of the men were malnourished and taken to a hospital […]

DETROIT (AP) — Aretha Franklin says Detroit’s future is bright. The Detroit native, known as the “Queen of Soul,” is reacting to her city’s bankruptcy. In a statement, Franklin says Detroit may be “bankrupt monetarily but we are well-funded in spirit and what it takes to come back.” Franklin says Detroit is a winner. She […]

AURORA, Colo. (AP) — Survivors of mass shootings in Colorado and Connecticut gathered with dozens of supporters Friday in a suburban Denver park to honor those killed in the massacre at an Aurora movie theater almost a year to the day after the attack. Vigil participants read a list of names of those killed in […]

EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) — Three bodies have been found wrapped in plastic bags in a Cleveland suburb and police will continue a search for possibly more victims Sunday, East Cleveland Mayor Gary Norton said. The bodies, believed to be female, were found about 100 to 200 yards apart and a 35-year-old man was arrested […]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Hours after President Barack Obama delivered remarks about Trayvon Martin and the George Zimmerman trial, Jamie Foxx and Samuel L. Jackson addressed the racially charged case at Comic-Con in San Diego. Foxx was at the massive pop culture convention to promote his role as the villain Electro in “The Amazing Spider-Man […]