With stories and constant updates regarding the coronavirus pandemic continuing to spread across media, it has become a rare thing that we come across news that isn’t bleak and anxiety-inducing.Read more...
Black people have a turbulent and often volatile relationship with law enforcement. Our white counterparts often view this conflict between cops and black folk through a lens of privilege, causing them to offer suggestions nobody asked them for, including their go-to proverb: “If you’ve done nothing wrong, you have…Read more...
It’s been trying times, folks. You would hope a crisis affecting every level of American life would put a temporary lockdown on the bullshit. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
For its importance in American history, the civil rights movement is not covered with great depth in many k-12 curricula. Case in point: “Bloody Sundayâ€â€”during which Martin Luther King, Jr. and scores of nonviolent protesters were violently attacked by police during their march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala.—is…Read more...
In light of this global pandemic, we’ve decided to come forward and admit that our claim that we respond to our readers’ correspondences each Friday may not be 100 percent accurate. After carefully contemplating this issue, we must admit that we have led you to believe a lie.Read more...
It’s a rare thing when black victims of police violence receive any semblance of justice. Well, justice still hasn’t exactly happened for 19-year-old Uwimana Gasito—who was involved in an altercation in front of a Lansing, Mi 7/11 in February that led to him being handled excessively by an arresting officer—but, he is…Read more...
by Maiysha Kai on The Glow Up, shared by Maiysha Kai on (#5117P)
Amid the global panic a global pandemic can inspire, it might be easy to forget that it’s still Women’s History Month—and the start of spring, but that’s likely cold comfort if you’re afraid to go outside. As we’ve tried to bright-side this socially isolating situation, we’ve increasingly been looking…Read more...
For years, a housing crisis in California has been coming to a head as skyrocketing rents have outpaced people’s wages. That crisis has led to a growing homeless population the state has struggled to assist. Now, with the coronavirus pandemic requiring Californians to “shelter-in-place,†homeless families find…Read more...
I completely understand that it’s now en vogue to heap praise upon Donald Glover’s musical offerings, but once upon a time, there were people like myself who were singing his praises and banging that drum to no avail. (Go listen to 2010’s “Do Ya Like†and thank me later.)Read more...
Crazy how much shit can change up on you in literally the span of a week. Things that sounded out of the realm of possibility now seem like very real solutions. Take, for example, canceling student loan debt.Read more...
Here’s how it works. Congress members are a part of a select group of folks who are entitled to privileged information. This information can obviously affect the stock market. Say, for example, you are a senator from North Carolina and let’s say that you’re a Republican and let’s just say, for the sake of…Read more...
by Panama Jackson on Very Smart Brothas, shared by Pa on (#5110F)
My real name, while not traditional, isn’t exactly unique. This means that I remember when Gmail first dropped, I did a mad dash (did you have to be invited back then? I can’t remember) to get my FIRSTNAME.LASTNAME@gmail.com account. And I did. I’ve had that email account for well over a decade now and,…Read more...
SPARTANBURG, S.C.—There are few political operatives who have turned the role of national press secretary on its head like Briahna Joy Gray. As Bernie Sanders’ top messenger, she speaks for the senator in ways he often can’t articulate himself. More directly, she not only speaks for the campaign, she defends his…Read more...
In these trying times, we could all use an extra grace period to get all of our affairs in order. Of course, there are those of us who wait until the last minute to get things done regardless of the times.Read more...
It has been 10 years since the Affordable Care Act was signed into legislation. Given the amount of bitching that’s been done around the law over the last decade you would think it was a deeply unpopular policy. Turns out, that’s not the case at all.
by Damon Young on Very Smart Brothas, shared by Damon on (#5110K)
When faced with a life-altering and potentially life-ending crisis—a cancer diagnosis, for instance, or a terrorist attack—the performance of resilience can be an anesthetic; an anxiety-engulfing balm that allows us to make space for an effective counter-punch. Also, it just feels good to tell ourselves and others…Read more...
During this global pandemic, Trump has displayed the steadfast leadership skills of children once the piñata breaks. He has literally told governors Prince’s lyrics from “Let’s Go Crazy,†in which the Purple One says:Read more...
by Maiysha Kai on The Glow Up, shared by Maiysha Kai on (#510P2)
Not all heroes wear capes; some of them design luxury sportswear. Nevertheless, as the fashion industry struggles internally to adapt to the drastic sudden changes wrought by the spread of the novel coronavirus—including an abrupt end to international Fashion Month, the indefinite postponement of the Met Gala, and, as…Read more...
If you scrolled through social media, it would seem everyone is working from home in the wake of America’s coronavirus outbreak. There are “WFH fit†selfies, guidelines on how to set teleworking schedules, and tips on how to separate your work and home life. But like much of American life, this, too, is a segregated…Read more...
In the days since Los Angeles issued an emergency order to shut down restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and pretty much anything involving social interaction or fun, the city I’ve grown to know and love since moving here in 2014 is completely unrecognizable.Read more...
While the president was busy telling America that the coronavirus was well under control, lying about the number of people infected and claiming that health experts’ data on the virus’ death rate was false because of a hunch, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee was warning a small group of rich donors…Read more...
The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t just a threat to our personal health, it has also presented a massive challenge to our economic well being. Many companies have already laid off workers, and those who are still working face shorter hours and possible exposure to the virus. Those who have been given paid leave for the next…Read more...
Two police officers at a historically black college in North Carolina have been placed on administrative leave after they were caught on camera forcefully arresting a student leader who committed the dangerous crime of being exactly where he was supposed to be.Read more...
by Jay Connor on The Grapevine, shared by Jay Connor on (#50ZCS)
With the entertainment industry decimated by catastrophic losses and indefinite delays as it endures the ugliest shutdown it’s ever seen, fan favorites like Lizzo and Anderson .Paak are calling on President “China Virus†to intervene.
by Maiysha Kai on The Glow Up, shared by Maiysha Kai on (#50Z3K)
Mere weeks after its first emergence into the global news cycle, the side effects of the coronavirus pandemic are already multifold. Aside from the as-yet-unknown longterm impacts on both physical and mental health and growing anxiety and misinformation about how the virus is contracted, spread and contained, we’ve…Read more...
by Panama Jackson on Very Smart Brothas, shared by Pa on (#50Z3M)
I went to Target today. Actually I went to PetSmart and Target today because one of our fish went to be with his ancestors and one of my kids was despondent over this fact. Now, we told him that because he was sick that Petco came to pick him up when the UPS guy stopped by a few days ago. We thought we were sparing…Read more...
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted, well, everything. The travel industry has already taken a hit and an upcoming announcement by the U.S. Department of State isn’t going to make it any better.Read more...
When I was a little girl growing up in Jamaica, my schoolteachers frequently recited the phrase: “No man is an island, no man stands alone.†The saying effectively transmitted to me and my peers’ childhood minds the message that we’re all in this together and that as humans, we need each other to survive, even though…Read more...
Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, Russia’s favorite operative not named Donald Trump, has officially dropped out of the race for Democratic presidential candidate. Gabbard is the woman who calls you three years into your new marriage to tell you that she’s moved on. Gabbard is the woman that wants the McDonald’s…Read more...
I believe it was the great poet laureate Talib Kweli who once said, “Life without knowledge is death in disguise.†And while that might hold true, there are plenty of black men scattered throughout Trump’s America and the rest of the world who feel the exact same way without access to professional sports.Read more...
The president of the United States—the same man who avoided war by claiming bone spurs and who has never served a day in his life yet harassed one of the most decorated and beloved senators who was captured and tortured during his time in Vietnam—is now referring to himself as a wartime president.
Life in the time of coronavirus has been scary, anxious and most of all, fucking bizarre. I didn’t think the latest Cardi B hit was going to be a remix of a rant about coronavirus but here we are. I also didn’t think the shit would kinda bop.
As more places across the country are coming to grips with the urgent and unprecedented nature of the coronavirus outbreak, school districts are mulling over whether to close for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year.Read more...
While Facebook seems to give less than a shit about the rampant racism crippling its platform, they at least appear to be vigilant in their quest to keep users safe and informed regarding the coronavirus.Read more...