Historically Black colleges and universities are suffering in today’s environment as parents and students are electing to go elsewhere. The days of almost certainly attending a Black institution as our parents did are a thing of the past. College students today have more choices. Earlier in the month, President Barack Obama was critical of HBCUs […]
As Selma opens this weekend in theaters nationwide, a controversy has erupted about its historical accuracy, and whether then-President Lyndon B. Johnson’s actions were righteous or calculated. At the same time, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), the House majority whip, has acknowledged that he spoke at a gathering hosted by white-supremacist leaders while serving as a […]
The landscape has changed. A vandalized shell of a building is now a new coffee shop, a nice jazz club or a high-end clothing boutique. Places that were once known for drugs, crime and projects, now have city gardens and Whole Foods stores – and they now have white folks. For the past decade, gentrification […]
I am deeply suspicious of African-Americans who wish to separate from something they can never separate themselves from – being Black. I don’t care if you have light, dark or caramel skin, or even an interesting grade of hair, in the eyes of American society as a whole – you are African-American or Black. Obviously, […]
Manhood in the Black community is at a crossroads. Some would say it always has been. And as we become more and more removed from the days of “the man trying to keep me down,” Black men in America have to start asking the question – who are we? A Black man is not born. […]
This past weekend, the Congressional Black Caucus hosted its annual weekend extravaganza that included expensive dinners and lavish partying. Yet, Black politicians in the present day are standing by as the GOP and its right-wing zealots run amok in cahoots with local and state police departments. They have become the modern-day example of Alderman Fred […]
I am a daughter of women’s liberation. I am the offspring of the generation who believed that women could do any thing they wanted to do, be anything they wanted to be and go any where they wanted to go. So even if my mother stayed home part of my life and planned her career […]
Floyd Mayweather says he doesn’t care that 50 Cent and Manny Pacquiao call him uneducated. He says if it’s true, ‘It makes my story that much more interesting.’ I agree with Floyd 100 percent. Now, before you call me a hypocrite, let me explain. You know I’m a proponent of education and believe that everyone […]
A veteran police officer has some advice for everyone in the wake of unarmed teen Michael Brown being gunned down by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. “Even though it might sound harsh and impolitic, here is the bottom line: if you don’t want to get shot, tased, pepper-sprayed, struck with a baton or thrown […]
Life has a way of helping us keep things in perspective. If we aren’t cynical and listen to its lessons, hopefully we can learn and grow. For months, a high school friend was preparing for me to come back to St. Louis, not far from my hometown, for a book signing party. You can imagine how […]
The only way to get what you really want is to let go of what you don’t want.” – Iyanla Vanzant In order to get where you want and need to go, you must recognize what’s working well in your life, hold on to that and build it up. At the same time, you must […]
If you saw the study that found that couples that sleep naked are happier, you probably had the same reaction that I did. Well, duh! But before I throw shade on Cotton USA’s remarkable “discovery,” as a mom I can tell you doing anything naked or even partially naked can make for some awkward moments […]
