Big Brotha, Election 2020 / November 1, 2020 The road to restoration: reclaiming your rights as a once-convicted felon

By Samantha Chaney Every election season we are given a list of reasons why we should exercise our right to vote. We are told that voting is the opportunity to demand change and choosing not to vote is a choice to silence your voice. There has been a call to action this year echoing across...

Big Brotha, Election 2018 / November 6, 2018 Are Voter ID Laws the New Poll Tax?

By Jessica O’Donnell WASHINGTON — As more states move to pass strict voter ID laws, cries of voter suppression have grown louder. But that’s not really new: Voter suppression in the U.S. is as old as the nation itself. From the beginning, white women and enslaved black people were barred from the polls. After the...

A&E, Big Brotha / April 24, 2016 Strange Casting: On Zoë Saldana and Authenticity in Hollywood

By Marc Rivers Even if they don’t look the part, white actors usually do not have to defend being chosen for their roles — as Zoë Saldana is being forced to do for her starring role in the new Nina Simone biopic. The tall and glamorous Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty were hardly dead ringers...

A&E, Big Brotha, Music, Opinion / April 3, 2016 Black Actresses Ready for Love

By Marc Rivers Rita Hayworth serenades a nightclub audience with the Latin-tinged love song “Amado Mio” in one of the most famous scenes in“Gilda.” A spotlight caresses her body; the rhinestones on her pearly white dress twinkle like stars. The soft lighting makes her glow. The rest of the audience sits in shadow; all eyes...

A&E, Big Brotha, Opinion / February 28, 2016 The Complicated Love Affair With The Oscars

 won’t be watching the Oscars on Sunday. For the second year in a row, every acting nominee is white. It is the first time that there have been two straight years of all-white nominees since 1995 to 1996, just three years after I was born. Jesse Jackson called for a boycott of the 1996 ceremony....

A&E, Big Brotha, Music / February 14, 2016 TBT Radio – Podcast #3

We’re BAAACK for podcast #3! We are super excited and will keep it simple – All we talked about was Beyonce’s “Formation.”  

Big Brotha

Are Voter ID Laws the New Poll Tax?
Big Brotha, Election 2018

Are Voter ID Laws the New Poll Tax?

By Jessica O’Donnell WASHINGTON — As more states move to pass strict voter ID laws, cries of voter suppression have grown louder. But that’s not really new: Voter suppression in the U.S. is as old as the nation itself. From the beginning, white women and enslaved black people were barred from the polls. After the…

The Complicated Love Affair With The Oscars
A&E, Big Brotha, Opinion

The Complicated Love Affair With The Oscars

 won’t be watching the Oscars on Sunday. For the second year in a row, every acting nominee is white. It is the first time that there have been two straight years of all-white nominees since 1995 to 1996, just three years after I was born. Jesse Jackson called for a boycott of the 1996 ceremony….