by Syreeta McFadden, x-posted from Bellewether State. ”This is the spiritual capital of the African diaspora. Something had to be done.” IBO BALTON, the housing department’s planning director for Manhattan, on Harlem. February, 2001 Ibo wandered in my office and was flattered that I had a photocopy of his NYT Quote of the Day taped Read More
by Kiana, x-posted from ProperTalks. It’s been three years since my father’s mother, my Nana, died after a lengthy battle with AIDS. It’s been a year since I decided to write openly about it here for Worlds AIDS Day. And it’s been about three hours since I first attempted this post and allowed myself to go to that Read More
By Black Scientist. So it’s no secret that there is a default of whiteness in normative culture. That is: unless otherwise noted, people are white. I think this default can be challenged in communities that are predominantly of color on an everyday level (telling stories with an anonymous “she”), but when we engage with the Read More
by Kiana, x-posted from Propertalks. I absolutely love Serena William’s photo for ESPN’s “Body Issue.” Not nearly as much as I love Dwight’s, but it’s definitely worth a spot on my refrigerator door. I’m hoping it will deter me from all things fried. Okay, maybe not all things fried since Serena looks like she knows how Read More
(by Cindy Mosqueda, x-posted from at Loteria Chicana) The emotional complexity of that cultural changeover means that parents don’t just switch from Latin names to English ones in a single go. Rather, says Jasso, they may pass through a three-stage process, “with bilingual names becoming popular for a while. Those are names like Hector and Read More
(by Kiana, x-posted from ProperTalks) Sundance’s Brick City is the only reality TV show worth watching this week. The street soldiers, sheroes and heroes of Newark New Jersey along with Mayor Cory Booker are all attempting to renew Newark’s urban landscape but they are up against the city’s infamous reputation, earned mostly with blood and Read More
(by Jeremy Levine, x-posted from Social Science Lite) It would be an understatement to argue that the mass media has taken on racial analysis with unprecedented zeal since the election of Barack Obama. Unfortunately, in attempts to present fair and balanced news coverage, cable news programs have typically included panels with representatives from both sides Read More
(by Jeremy R. Levine at Social Science Lite) Last Spring, Brown University economist Glenn Loury presented at Harvard sociology’s Workshop on Race and Black Youth Culture. He titled his talk “Culture, Causation and Confusion: Why Bill Cosby is Wasting His Time,” engaging with the pervasive “rhetoric of responsibility” frequently applied to blacks in the United States. As Loury Read More
[from feministdonut, cross-posted from The Feminist Texican.] Over the past month or so, I’ve been seeing all kinds of articles on what a feminist show this is. Much as I lovelovelove the show (”Mad Men” and “Project Runway” are pretty much the only times I turn on the TV each week), every time I read Read More
by Invisman52, who blogs over at countykids.blogspot.com. This post is about Michael Vick and how his case provides occasion to talk about much larger issues than sports. I want to use as a point of departure because Vick gives me the opportunity to talk about so many issues at once: ethics, crime and punishment, business Read More
