by Tonja Renée Stidhum on The Grapevine, shared by T on (#5B1CN)
Black Hollywood has awakened from its Thanksgiving weekend ‘itis-induced nap and prepared itself for yet another awards show! This time, it’s the Soul Train Awards, presented by BET.
The Catholic Church has elected Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington, D.C. to the rank of cardinal, making him the first African American in history to hold that title.Read more...
After losing yet another court case to challenge the election’s results, not to mention requesting numerous recounts that have confirmed over and over again that Joe Biden received the majority of votes to be the next president, outgoing President Donald Trump is still shamelessly pushing the lie that all the facts…Read more...
In a strange match-up that only makes sense in 2020 (and even then, just barely), former NBA player Nate Robinson squared up in the boxing ring against YouTuber Jake Paul on Saturday night and lost.
by Ishena Robinson on The Grapevine, shared by Ishena on (#5AZES)
When I went to London for the first time, I thought it was Jamaica. As a nine-year-old born and raised on the Caribbean island, I thought of the UK in terms of what I’d seen on TV and read in the literature books set in Britain that were part of my primary school curriculum—as a place that was grey-scale and rainy,…Read more...
Donald Trump’s presidency has been one long nightmare come to life, in part because the administration he built has appeared hellbent on showing they are villains. From kidnapping immigrant children from their parents, to going to court over and over again to make it harder for people to access affordable healthcare…Read more...
The U.S. women’s national soccer team (USWNT) showed their support for racial justice by donning Black Lives Matter jackets and kneeling on the field ahead of their 2-0 winning game against the Netherlands on Friday.
For people who damn near use, “I was in fear for my life” as a catchphrase whenever they need to justify deadly use of force, cops don’t seem to understand that citizens—especially Black people—can be afraid and act out of fear, too.Read more...
Right about now, you’re hopefully on your third (or fourth) round of leftovers, giving new meaning to the term “comfort food”—and no judgments, since we can use all the comfort we can get as this tortured year comes to a long-awaited close. But as you’re feeding your body, don’t forget to nurture your mind and soul,…Read more...
In Ashland, Oregon, a white man was arrested and is suspected of fatally shooting a Black teen in a motel parking lot Monday morning following a heated altercation that, according to authorities, started over loud music.Read more...
Remember zines? Okay, maybe we’re dating ourselves, but younger versions of The Root’s Editor-in-Chief Danielle Belton and I (Managing Editor of The Glow Up, Maiysha Kai) were early fans of the format, maybe even producing a few zines of our own. (Okay, that definitely happened). Historically, zines organize various…Read more...
by Tonja Renée Stidhum on The Grapevine, shared by T on (#5AY36)
By the time you read this blog, you are probably overcoming the ‘itis—but it’s cool because we don’t have anywhere to go anyway! Sink back, lean into that ‘itis and enjoy your leftovers (they taste better because the seasonings had time to marinate, you know?) Want something to watch while you eat? I got you...
by Maiysha Kai on The Glow Up, shared by Maiysha Kai on (#5AY0Z)
There have been few bright spots to celebrate in 2020—and even those have often been bittersweet. Take, for instance, the unprecedented uptick in interest in Black-owned businesses and creators (something we’ve always been invested in, but we digress) since non-Black America suddenly seemed to wake up to the…Read more...
Every once in a while, I think to myself: “You know what? Maybe I use the word “caucasity” too often in my writing.” But every time I have that thought, a fresh white person surfaces and reminds me that it is not me who uses the word too much, it is white people who perpetrate acts of caucasian-flavored audacity too…Read more...
It’s easily arguable that American society isn’t very forgiving to people who have committed crimes. For Black people and people of color especially, it often seems like rehabilitation is a concept the criminal justice system accepts in theory—not so much in practice. It’s easily arguable that America is a nation that…Read more...
Dallas Cowboys strength and conditioning coach Markus Paul died Wednesday night at the age of 54 after suffering from a medical emergency at the team’s practice facility in Frisco, Texas, on Tuesday.Read more...
A former student has sued an Illinois high school, citing multiple racist incidents he experienced and observed during his time at the school.Read more...
Last year I spent Thanksgiving with—wait for it—17 people crammed into a two-bedroom, one-bathroom Jersey City apartment where the festivities spanned over the course of two days with enough food for each person to take home a to-go plate and still leave the host enough to last through the next week.Read more...
The first Black woman to serve as a U.S. senator, Carol Moseley Braun, has been out of public office for nearly 20 years. But she’s hoping to make a return to government—in President-elect Joe Biden’s cabinet, nonetheless—with an unlikely position: Secretary of the Interior.Read more...
“Back the Blue” advocates would have you believe that the “defund the police” rallying cry is a call to end policing in America outright. While there certainly are those who wish to abolish the police, “defund the police” is a call to take some of the funding normally granted to police departments and allocate them to…Read more...
by Tonja Renée Stidhum on The Grapevine, shared by T on (#5AW03)
We are coming up on Thanksgiving weekend and the streets are buzzing about another Saturday/Sunday namesake—The Weeknd (born Abel Tesfaye).Read more...
by Maiysha Kai on The Glow Up, shared by Maiysha Kai on (#5AW04)
Okay, okay, okay...we know this is a loaded topic this year, trust. Too many of us will not be partaking in the home cooking of our nearest and dearest this Thanksgiving (and arguably, too many are risking it all by doing exactly that, but that’s another post), and in an already incredibly difficult year, yes, that…Read more...
In 2017, 11-year-old Honestie Hodges made national headlines after a horrific confrontation with Grand Rapids, Mich., police, in which they handcuffed the little girl at gunpoint at her home. The incident led to a new policy dictating how the department would interact with minors.Read more...
by Damon Young on Very Smart Brothas, shared by Damon on (#5AVXX)
“It could be worse” seems to have overtaken the many versions of “I’m fine” on the list of the most common responses to “How are you doing?” Understandable, considering that we’re in a global pandemic and just responding with “I’m fine” feels both disingenuous and insensitive. But while “It could be worse” is…Read more...
Happy Friday-ass Wednesday, y’all! This Thanksgiving is going to be kinda meh as a result of the pandemic limiting our ability to gather. You know what isn’t meh though? Saving money on video games.
Thanksgiving hasn’t even come yet and one Black man in North Little Rock, Ark., has already been on the receiving end of racism over Christmas decorations displayed in front of his home.Read more...
A Michigan college professor has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into tweets that appear to show that, despite being a science professor, he hates science and has a bit of contempt for Jewish people. One thing he loves, though, is the n-word.Read more...
by Tonja Renée Stidhum on The Grapevine, shared by T on (#5AVHC)
Luke Cage creator Cheo Hodari Coker is set to write the film adaptation script for Forty Acres, based on the novel of the same name by Dwayne Alexander Smith. The film is in early development at Netflix and will be produced by James Lassiter, Jay-Z, Aaron Kaplan (Kapital Entertainment), Niles Kirchner and Bill…Read more...
In what can only be described as a vaudevillian act of racist proportions, President Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani, the dumber to the president’s dumb, are allegedly traveling to Pennsylvania on Wednesday for a meeting about election impropriety that didn’t happen.
by Shanelle Genai on The Grapevine, shared by Shanell on (#5AVHE)
In a Deadline exclusive, NBC announced the development of its new musical comedy, Dream. Former Glee star Amber Riley is set to headline as well as executive produce. The music-driven series comes from Black-ish writer-producer Lisa Muse Bryant and will also be produced by Neil Meron (who previously worked with Riley…Read more...
When it comes to living American presidents, it’s indisputable (and infuriating, if you’re Donald Trump), that President Obama remains the leader who retains the most influence and goodwill in the global sphere. On Wednesday, PEN America recognized the indelible impact of our favorite president to date, announcing …Read more...
This pandemic hasn’t exactly given us much to celebrate, so for the Memphis Grizzlies’ upcoming season, they’ll be relishing the team’s bright future by taking a bit of a voyage into the past.Read more...
by Maiysha Kai on The Glow Up, shared by Maiysha Kai on (#5AV8P)
In the crush of a year that began with “Megxit” (which now feels a million years ago) and has since devastated us in myriad ways, there has barely been a moment to catch our breaths between fresh onslaughts of grief (ironic, since so many of us have found ourselves with unprecedented time to reflect). But as Meghan,…Read more...
Man, Black folks have really kept their foot on history’s neck, and I love to see it. In the latest bit of history making, both of the Democratic caucuses in Georgia’s state legislative chambers will have Black leadership for the first time.
by Maiysha Kai on The Glow Up, shared by Maiysha Kai on (#5ATMC)
To say we’re ready to be done with 2020 would be an understatement—this year has been a ride on this crazy, careening planet called Earth. With the world seemingly on fire, it’s no wonder some of us have turned our attention to more celestial pursuits, whether losing ourselves in the less-than-earthbound fantasies of …Read more...
It’s incredibly sad to me that a cop being charged for on-duty homicide is a first in 2020, yet that’s exactly what happened in the case of a San Francisco cop who shot an unarmed Black man almost three years ago.Read more...
Another day, another instance of the legal system plainly disregarding the rights of transgender people. A trans woman has sued the Georgia Department of Corrections for the second time, alleging that correctional officers have failed to protect her from abuse.Read more...
In a recent conversation with People magazine about his new memoir, A Promised Land (maybe you’ve heard of it?), former President Barack Obama shared that his daughters, Sasha and Malia, were among the millions of Americans who participated in racial justice protests this past summer.Read more...
Steve King—the white nationalist who can’t understand why people keep calling him a white nationalist and won’t accept “BITCH, BECAUSE YOU’RE A WHITE NATIONALIST” as a credible answer—is a man who has quite the track record of reaching near-unprecedented levels of caucasity. This is a man who once essentially argued: …Read more...