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Itâs No SurpriseâStudy Shows Why Nonvoters Are the Voters Who Need to Vote the Most
When I was growing up in the Midwest, my father worked for one of the largest defense contractors in the United States. And he was exactly the type of voter sought after by politicians. Why? He worked for the largest employer in the state, he was part of the middle class, he was a married…
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Carmen de Lavallade Still Captivates Onstage at 83
Carmen de Lavallade calls herself a woman of her time. During her one-woman stage show, As I Remember It, the 83-year-old star dancer of stage and screen recounts growing up during the Great Depression and being raised by her father after her mother died in a sanatorium. She remembers listening to programs on the radio and…
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Why VH1 Gets to Be Black Without the Burden
When I first saw an advertisement for the made-for-TV sequel to the 2002 film Drumline, I assumed that it was airing on BET. After all, Drumlineâs star and one of the executive producers of the sequel, Nick Cannon, has a relationship with BET and is a regular on Kevin Hartâs Real Husbands of Hollywood. Yet around…
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This Isnât NewâVenus and Serena Have Endured Nasty Insults Throughout Their Careers
Over the weekend, Russian tennis chief Shamil Tarpischev apologized for calling Venus and Serena Williams âthe Williams brothersââthe least-funny insult in what for the Williamses has been a career filled with unfunny, sexist and racist insults for the sisterly titans of professional womenâs tennis. Ever since they stepped onto the court in the mid-1990s, the Williams…
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âCaptain Save-a-Broâ: Women, Stop Trying to Save Wayward Men
Real Housewives of Atlanta star Phaedra Parks recently told talk show host Ellen DeGeneres that all the rumors were true: She was planning to divorce her now-convict hubby, Apollo Nida. But there was no surprise. Parks skipped out on Nidaâs sentencing hearing in July. It was obvious for anyone to see that the marriage wouldnât…
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Not-So-Great Expectations: Teachers Expect Less of Black and Brown Students
A recent study by the Center for American Progress released this month highlighted what some might call the âsoft bigotry of low expectationsâ if there was a way to take a jug of Downy fabric softener and make old-fashioned implicit bias gentler. The study found that teachers can have a bit of a Pygmalion effect…
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How to Get Away With Dressing to Kill
Last week 12 million tuned in for TV producer Shonda Rhimesâ new addictive hit, How to Get Away With Murder, starring Viola Davis. Some of those viewers were immersed in the whodunit drama and murderous legal clientele; some were just in it for the clothes: For good ⊠https://twitter.com/andreanaclay/status/517903029811425280https://twitter.com/mstraciemorris/status/518180364381339650 And for bad ⊠https://twitter.com/mellyville/status/518145713650552832https://twitter.com/remylekun/status/518075579791208448 But we…
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Eric Holder to CBC: My Commitment Will Never Waver
In light of Thursdayâs surprise announcement that Attorney General Eric Holder is stepping down after six years, Holder addressed the shock and unease over his pending resignation at the Congressional Black Caucusâ Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. Holder joked that he was still the attorney general and wasnât gone yet during his opening remarks at…
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Eric Holderâs Resignation Brings Shock, Disappointment
The mood was one of disappointment on the second day of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundationâs Annual Legislative Conference when news hit that Attorney General Eric Holder was stepping down after six years in the position. Little is yet known as to why Holder is stepping down, but several CBCF conference attendees expressed sadness for…
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CBC Week: Donât Think Congress Can Get Any Worse? Think Again
Itâs looking rough out thereâpolitically, that is. President Barack Obamaâs approval ratings are at 46 percent. Congressâ are worse. Both ratings, and the general feeling of malaise, are attributable to the inability to get anything done in Washington, D.C., and the myriad troubles abroad. Meaning, itâs sometimes a bit more pleasant to fantasize about what…
