Thursday, September 14 2006
If You Love Tupac, Help Find His Killer
Because Tupac and Biggie were -- and are -- so famous, a massive cry for breaks in the cases would signal to the world that the Hip-Hop Nation, that amorphous band of young people blamed for all the ills of urban life from drugs in the streets to questionable taste in fashion, does in fact care about something bigger than bling.
Monday, June 5 2006
Coming Out of the Hazy Past
Even as black America continues to battle crime, violence, and death from within and hostile political and economic policy from beyond, it can be useful to occasionally look back through the haze and marvel at the richness of our individual stories. Two such stories: Floyd Patterson and Fats Domino.
Friday, March 10 2006
Modern Day Hottietots
There is much to be made of / on / about a black woman's backside.
Thursday, February 16 2006
Martin and Coretta are Both Gone Now. It Is Not Their Battle No More
With the passing of another leader from the civil rights era, it's up to us, whose songs of freedom come with a hip-hop beat, whose advocates preach online instead of on street corners, who live in a world multicolored beyond just black and white, to assume our awesome legacy and move the mountain some more.
Monday, January 9 2006
In the Time of B.K. (Before Kobe)
They didn't command big bucks and they'd never know the level of celebrity of today's counterparts, but the early black players transcended the sport and were vital to creating this legendary black cultural institution; otherwise known as basketball.
Thursday, December 8 2005
Good Night, Annie Lee Moss, and Good Luck
She knew the community and she knew the dynamics of life and activism in those perilous, McCarthy-era, pre-Rosa Parks days. What else did Annie Lee Moss know?
Thursday, November 17 2005
The Holy Grails of Jazz
With reissues of music past, so much of history lives on to be rediscovered, over and over again. Yet one can't help but wonder how much has been forever lost.
Monday, October 17 2005
Today the Hill District, Tomorrow the World: August Wilson
August Wilson now takes his place in the pantheon of black arts and letters for the dignity he gave the blues singers, mill workers, rooming house owners, ex-cons, neighborhood eccentrics, and 300-year-old matriarchs among us.
Thursday, September 1 2005
Ebony Then, Now and Later
With its founder, John H. Johnson passed, can Ebony adapt to the new era of black publications -- and live on?
Thursday, July 14 2005
Cleaning Up After the Train Wreck
When (witting and unwitting) celebrities make train wrecks of their lives, the crowd will be sure to be there to cheer them on. But in the aftermath, they're alone with nothing but a broom and one helluva mess.
