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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, Drumline’s star and one of the executive producers of the sequel, Nick Cannon, has a relationship with BET and is a regular on Kevin Hart’s Real Husbands of Hollywood. Yet around…

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    Danielle C. Belton

    Published

  • This Isn’t New—Venus and Serena Have Endured Nasty Insults Throughout Their Careers

    Over the weekend, Russian tennis chief Shamil Tarpischev apologized for calling Venus and Serena Williams “the Williams brothers”—the 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 women’s tennis. Ever since they stepped onto the court in the mid-1990s, the Williams…

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    Danielle C. Belton

    Published

  • ‘Captain Save-a-Bro’: 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 Nida’s sentencing hearing in July. It was obvious for anyone to see that the marriage wouldn’t…

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    Danielle C. Belton

    Published

  • 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 “soft bigotry of low expectations” 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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    Danielle C. Belton

    Published

  • How to Get Away With Dressing to Kill

    Last week 12 million tuned in for TV producer Shonda Rhimes’ 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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    Danielle C. Belton

    Published

  • Eric Holder to CBC: My Commitment Will Never Waver

    In light of Thursday’s 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 Caucus’ Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. Holder joked that he was still the attorney general and wasn’t gone yet during his opening remarks at…

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    Danielle C. Belton

    Published

  • Eric Holder’s Resignation Brings Shock, Disappointment

    The mood was one of disappointment on the second day of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 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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    Danielle C. Belton

    Published

  • CBC Week: Don’t Think Congress Can Get Any Worse? Think Again

    It’s looking rough out there—politically, that is. President Barack Obama’s approval ratings are at 46 percent. Congress’ 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, it’s sometimes a bit more pleasant to fantasize about what…

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    Danielle C. Belton

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  • My Week at the CBC Convention

    This week I plan to drink more than normal, stay out later than I should, put on more makeup than I’d normally bother with and wear dresses that I only wear around this time of the year. Yes. That’s right. It’s time, once again, for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 44th annual Freaknik for old people: the…

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    Danielle C. Belton

    Published

  • How The Cosby Show Changed the Game for Blacks on TV

    Thirty years ago The Cosby Show changed what was possible if you were black and on television, that you didn’t have to play to type and there truly was a universality of the human experience. You could finally be anything—a doctor, a lawyer, a homeboy in outer space. With the right talent and support, any TV…

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    Danielle C. Belton

    Published

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Danielle C. Belton