-
T.I., the Central Park Five, and Ebenezer Baptist Church Kick Off Summit to End Mass Incarceration
Anyone who thinks the black church is a bygone relic with no relevance to the social justice struggles of today may need to reassess. “The church” is obviously not a monolith and is taking on everything from mental illness and HIV/AIDS to voter suppression and mass incarceration. In that vein, Rev. Raphael Warnock and the…
-
Taraji P. Henson’s Groundbreaking Mental Health Summit Is Sure to Make an Impact on Black America’s Quiet Crisis
What Taraji P. Henson has been able to do with her first Boris L. Henson Foundation benefit and conference last weekend was nothing short of a revelation—and right on time. The Empire star and Oscar-nominated actress is a native Washingtonian and Howard University graduate. So, it was only fitting that her inaugural foundational event, named…
-
Activists Demand Justice for Layleen Polanco, a Black Trans Woman Found Dead in a Rikers Island Jail Cell
A 27-year-old black trans woman, Layleen Polanco, also known as Layleen Xtravaganza, was found dead in her jail cell on Rikers Island last week, and the LGBTQ community and her family plan to rally today to demand justice in her name. Polanco was arrested in mid-April for allegedly assaulting a cab driver in Harlem and…
-
Pose Actress Indya Moore Attacked by Trump Supporter in NYC
In the midst of Pride, the month when we celebrate, acknowledge and continue to resist the myriad oppressions that LGBTQ+ people face, Pose actor Indya Moore was apparently assaulted by a Trump-nut. LGBTQ Nation reports that Moore, a trans woman and activist, got into a dust-up with this person cretin outside of the studios where…
-
All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Black Queer Man Writes About Black Queer Life for Black Queer Kids
With All Boys Aren’t Blue, George Johnson is the latest at-bat in what is shaping up to be a burgeoning, yet bountiful genre, that of black queer men coming of age. Yet, unlike Darnell Moore’s No Ashes in the Fire or Michael Arceneaux’s I Can’t Date Jesus, or DeRay Mckesson’s On The Other Side of…
-
Can’t Visit Stonewall in NYC? You Can Still Get Get There Via a ‘Living’ Pride Monument
Today, New York City’s LGBT Community Center, Google and the National Parks Service launched Stonewall Forever, a “living” monument to 50 years of Pride, to half a century of resilience, and to many more years of resistance. When one enters the site, which went live on Tuesday morning, a camera pans over the Manhattan with…
-
New Survey Says: Politicians Don’t Care About Black People
Tired of politicians talking at, about, but never to, black people, a bevy of organizations joined to conduct the largest survey of black people in the United States since Reconstruction, entitled More Black than Blue: Politics + Power in the 2019 Black Census. The Black Census will be the first in a series of reports…
-
New Research Says That Identifying as a ‘Strong Black Woman’ Can Lead to Depression
In the last few years at least, there has been some pushback against the prevailing notion of the “strong black woman” as a good thing, as black women themselves have recognized that vulnerability and yes, selfishness, is an important part of a healthy mental make up. Like so many things that have gotten us through…
-
Rahm Emanuel Is a Liar
The outgoing mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, is preparing for life outside of municipal governance by rewriting Chicago history. In a May 9 op-ed in the New York Times, Emanuel argues that the city of Chicago leads in police reform because he let the CPD have a seat at the table while working with the…
-
Taraji P. Henson to Testify Before Congressional Committee on Black Youth Suicide
On the day that her “Can We Talk” Mental Health Conference weekend (June 7-9) is set to kick off in Washington, D.C., actress Taraji P. Henson will testify before the newly formed Congressional Black Caucus Taskforce on Black Youth Suicide. Henson, who has proven herself a fierce mental health advocate, will address the group at…
