By Airielle Lowe Derek Chauvin’s first words defending his treatment of George Floyd came not facing the jury that convicted him of murder, but at the neighborhood intersection in Minneapolis where he’d kept his knee on Floyd’s neck until he passed out and later died. “We’ve got to control this guy because he’s a sizable…
Adding a Black Women’s Touch to Statehouse Power
By Airielle Lowe Last year, her first as Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, Adrienne A. Jones ushered through legislation to settle a lawsuit ordering the state to compensate its historically Black public colleges for years of inequitable funding. Gov. Larry Hogan refused to sign the measure, saying its price tag was much too…
Empowering Black Women, with Poise and Grace
By Naomi Johnson Misty Copeland, the premier ballerina, sees some potential good in the not so good moments. “With George Floyd and with Black Lives Matter,” Copeland said in a recent online interview, “in 20 years as a professional, though I’ve been saying these things very openly and publicly for 20 years, this is the first…
A Winter in the Red for Black-Owned Restaurants
By Kayla Hill Black Restaurant Week in the District of Columbia was supposed to give one more boost to businesses like Open Crumb, a West African-seasoned eatery in a resurgent neighborhood that many in the nation’s capital might describe as, you know, the other side of town. Earlier, when the weather was warm, governments around…
88th Academy Awards Predictions
Best Picture: “The Big Short” alt. “The Revenant” Best Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu (“The Revenant”) alt. George Miller (“Mad Max: Fury Road”) Best Actor: Leonardo Dicaprio (“The Revenant”) alt. Michael Fassbender (“Steve Jobs”) Best Actress: Brie Larson (“Room”) alt. Charlotte Rampling (“45 Years”) Best Supporting Actor: Sylvester Stallone (“Creed”) Best…