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Travels With Panama: The Trying to Get to Miami for NABJ's Conference Edition
I’m not saying that somebody has it out for me when it comes to air travel, but I’m not saying somebody doesn’t either. I’ve made several trips in the past two months and they’ve all come with their fair share of shenanigans. I wrote about the one that ended my on-again, off-again relationship with American…
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Starting This Fall, Amtrak Will Make It Possible to Live Your Bestest, Blackest Bougie Black East Coast Life
For a solid stretch—probably from at least 2008 through 2014—I’m going to assert that Washington, D.C., was the Black Brunch Capital of African America. If you wanted to see bougie blackness at its apex, the U Street N.W. corridor was your spot. It was nothing to see young black professionals and politicos dancing on couches…
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I'm Glad the Harriet Tubman Biopic Is on Its Way, So Some of You Can Finally Learn About the Underground Railroad
The trailer for the biopic about Harriet Tubman—called Harriet—recently hit the internets; the movie hits theaters in November. The film (perhaps controversially) stars Cynthia Erivo in the role of the most famous Harriet of all time. I have no facts to back up that statement but I feel it in my soul so I’m going…
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Meek Mill's 2008 Conviction Has Been Thrown Out and He's Getting a New Trial
Meek Mill might be getting a new lease on life. According to the Associated Press, on Wednesday, a Pennsylvania appeals court overturned his 2008 conviction on gun and drug charges. A three-judge panel unanimously granted Meek a new trial because of evidence of police corruption. Additionally, the court overturned the parole violations that landed him…
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9 Thoughts About the New Podcast, Freaknik: A Discourse on a Paradise Lost
I listen to a lot of podcasts nowadays, the vast majority centered around true-crime, the NBA or history. I spend a lot of time searching for podcasts that tickle my fancy, though. My fancy is most frequently tickled by discussions about hip-hop, black cinema or great moments in blackness and/or black history. It’s that last…
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Dear American Airlines, I Hate You With My Whole Heart
Once upon a time, not long ago, when people wore pajamas and lived life slow, my wife and I were invited to a wedding in Dallas; ya know, deep in the heart of Texas. Because I believe that there’s nothing you should do today that you can put off until tomorrow—I don’t actually believe this,…
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Atlanta’s Airport Will Humble You
I recently took a trip down to Atlanta for a wedding. It was a joyous occasion. Since my wife and I were coming in from Dallas (more on this ordeal on a future talk show), we had to make our way through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, or more commonly known as Hartsfield, or simply, Atlanta…
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My 3-Year-Old is Potty Training. He Almost Ended Me
In my house, we are currently potty training my three-year-old. It’s the challenge all parents must face and possibly the most unreasonable of them all. Consider this: You must convince a child that his caution-to-the-wind, carefree, diapered lifestyle is actually inconvenient for him AND that he’d have much more fun if he stopped playing, did…
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A Black Revolutionary War Hero Finally Gets the Military Burial Honors He Deserved
James Robinson was a black Revolutionary War hero who also served during the War of 1812 under Andrew Jackson. During both of those wars, he was promised his freedom by those who enlisted him (and other black men turned into soldiers); but when it was time to collect on that freedom, he was returned to…
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Fatherhood 101 With Very Smart Brothas and the Dads of The Root!
Father’s Day is right around the corner and the one thing the men of VSB and The Root know how to do is procreate. It’s a talent really. Since we all love our children and love being parents, we decided to come together, talk about what fatherhood looks like and offer some tips for those…
