| via | Between Mr. Gaines from A Different World passing away and me losing my BBQ sunflower seeds, this Black History Month was on a fast track to becoming one of the saddest in history. Until, that is, Twitter banded together, shed their shrouds of indifference, made some hot, sweet, sticky, witty love* and Read More
Harambee, brothers and sisters in struggle! With the blessing of another year comes another chance to celebrate our nappy ass roots and search the forgotten annals of black history. For the last few years, we’ve been bringing you the wildly informative and 100% true and accurate* series Know Your History, wherein we tell you the Read More
Got to love this song. Well no, you don’t GOT to…but at least appreciate what Lupe is trying to do in a genre where conscious rap–while it surely isn’t dead its constant balancing act between sellability and socio-political responsibility often make it a less-than-profitable venture record labels usually shy away from. Lupe evidently aware of Read More
William Andrew Short was born in New York City in 1953, but by 1974 he was known as Willie Dynamite, a driven, heartless pimp determined to be #1 on the scene. He was well on his way until his operation was brought down by Cora, a social worker who did her best to convince the Read More
The horror comedy Gremlins was released in 1984 to mixed reviews and allegations of racism from the black community. Per Wikipedia, “Patricia Turner writes that the gremlins “reflect negative African-American stereotypes” in their dress and behavior. They are shown “devouring fried chicken with their hands”, listening to black music, breakdancing, and wearing sunglasses after dark Read More
Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem were an interracial rock n’ roll band that broke racial barriers, headed by Dr. Teeth who was born of a black mother and green father. Originally, the band was known for its edgy, raunchy lyrics; banned in the UK, their 1960 debut album, Fur in Your Teeth, featured such Read More
Zack Taylor was the first African American Power Ranger and the only black fighter in the original founding five. A confident opponent, Zack also enjoyed playing sports and dancing, “especially to a fresh beat bumping out his homeboy’s boombox” (per Wikipedia). He enjoyed dancing so much, in fact, that he often incorporated it into his Read More
Actor Gary Coleman was born February 8, 1968, in Zion, IL. Shortly after his birth, he was adopted by a man named Kensuke Miyagi, an elderly gardener and karate master. Together, they developed a new form of martial arts called knee-fu, a style of fighting built around the disabling of an opponent with powerful kicks Read More
Stonewall “Stoney” Jackson was born in Richmond, VA, in 1960. A natural on the stage, he toured Europe with the Young Shakespeareans, a highly prestigious acting troupe that admits only 5 new members worldwide every 5 years. Stoney gained notoriety overseas as the Moor Othello by the time he was 8 years old, and to Read More
Born in 1928, Lamar David Little worked as a welder in Fort Wayne, IN. A fan of tasty snacks, he, like many black people both past and present, was a fan of eating the nutty kernels inside of sunflower seeds. Being a man of diverse taste, however, he soon tired of the lack of flavor Read More
