By Courtney Williams Five years ago, it was difficult to demonize Toni Morrison or her books. She was the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize, as well as the Nobel Prize in Literature. The Presidential Medal of Freedom had been bestowed upon her. She was a woman, and she was Black. Democrat Terry McAuliffe was governor…
By Chanel Cain This homecoming was extra special. It would not be the first time comedian Dave Chappelle would come back to Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, which had put him on the path to success and stardom. He’d returned before, often bringing along financial support and celebrities to inspire others as…
By Janáe Bradford Naomi Osaka seemed to sense that the optics were unsettling, and out of character. She was a top-ranked professional tennis player still a month before her 24th birthday, and she already had earned more money in one year than any woman athlete in history. Yet, there she’d been for all to see: banging…
By Brittney DeZwaan A Denver suburb’s decision to pay $15 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the family of Elijah McClain acknowledged the role police officers had in his death after they handcuffed and placed him in a chokehold. Three officers were indicted on murder charges in September. But two Aurora paramedics also were…
By Ryan Thomas Just last month, Greenbelt, a small Maryland suburb outside the nation’s capital, became the latest to join the movement for local reparations, as voters approved legislation to study ways to repair the damage past policies did to Black and Native American residents. Colin Byrd, mayor of the city of about 23,000, said…
By Nyah Marshall Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may have had the best of intentions when she showed up at the Met Gala in a white mermaid-style gown with “Tax the Rich” on the back in bold red letters. Her motive was to push those who have much, to share more with those who have less. “She wanted…
By Fatou Drammeh Bill Maher, the comedian, satirist and host of the “Real Time” talk show on HBO, spoke fully and forcefully of the disdain those on the political right may have felt after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez showed up at September’s Met Gala fundraiser wearing a custom-designed white gown with “Tax the Rich” in bold…
By Chanel Cain Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s debut at the Met Gala was rocky to say the least. The event’s theme, “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” offered opportunities to critique the nation’s faults. Not one to shy away from a challenge, AOC took a chance. Perhaps she could have taken a lesson from another fashion protestor….
By Janáe Bradford New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was hoping red, white and green could be colors for change at the Met Gala in September. She wore a custom white gown designed by Aurora James of Brother Vellies. The fashion statement was on its back: “Tax the Rich,” in bold, red letters. Green—lots of it—was…
By Aaliyah Seabrooks Aurora James wasn’t the one wearing the white gown with “Tax the Rich” in bold red letters on the back that caused such a fuss at September’s big-ticket fashion fundraiser in New York. But she did design the dress, loan it to Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and acknowledge that the dress and its…