By Miesha Miller April Reign, who spearheaded the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag, will be live-tweeting “The Wood” with some of her 22,000 Twitter followers during the telecast of the 88th Academy Awards tonight. As part of a nationwide series of protests and “tune-outs,” the Rev. Al Sharpton plans to lead a rally outside the Dolby Theatre in…
Does a Dollar Spent in the Black Community Really Stay There for Only Six Hours?
By Brookie Madison Two weeks ago, journalist Roland Martin, host of NewsOne Now, cited a figure that has often been used to show how little blacks spend in their neighborhoods compared to other racial and ethnic groups. The lifespan of a dollar in the Asian community is 28 days, in the Jewish community…
Does Filming the Police Drive a Wedge Between Cops and Blacks?
James Comey, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, gave a speech before the International Association of Chiefs of Police in late October, telling the group that those filming the police were “driving a wedge between African-American communities and law enforcement.” It’s an interesting statement since Comey is part of the Obama administration, which has called…
All Lives Matter *
Just because people want to save rainforests doesn’t mean that they’re dismissive of other forests, says political cartoonist Keith Knight. Similarly, the #BlackLivesMatter movement doesn’t mean that proponent don’t care about other lives, Knight said during “Drawn From the Headlines: Communication and Political Cartoons,” a discussion Wednesday night at the National Archives in Washington. “You’ve gotta think…
Can Ben Carson Help GOP Attract Black Voters?
Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson launched a new radio campaign last week — featuring a Carson-inspired rap, meant to grow his appeal among African-American voters, according to his campaign. The $150,000 advertisement, interspersed with rhymes from rapper Aspiring Mogul and bits from Carson’s stump speech, will air for two weeks in eight urban markets. The…
Between the World and Ta-Nehisi Coates
Ta-Nehisi Coates returned to home to The Mecca, where he spent the day interacting with Howard University students — some of whom he praised for stumping him with insightful questions. The MacArthur “Genius” Grant recipient participated in master classes and an evening event that filled Cramton Auditorium, where he discussed everything from history and identity to…