Chicago actress, singer, dancer, and playwright Rashada Dawan is lending her voice and heart to “karaoke for peace” in her city’s most challenging neighborhoods. Karaoke For Peace encourages residents to participate in positive neighborhood events and hopes to foster a
The United Nations’ Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent submitted a report on Monday, Sept. 26 raising concerns about the continued racial terrorism occurring in the United States. Leading human rights lawyers from around the world comprise
Robert W. Coleman Elementary School has been doing something different, incorporating spirituality when students act out. The school’s alternative to detention, the Mindful Moment Room, is filled with lamps, decorations, and plush pillows. Instead of punishment, misbehaving kids are encouraged
Once an addiction-snared woman, Shakeva Frazier was inspired by her great-grandmother’s dying wish for her to regain custody of her children and raise them in the church. The mother of four confessed to her children at the time she felt
“I felt a great disturbance in the Force as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened.” Perhaps Michelle Alexander, the highly acclaimed civil rights lawyer, author, advocate, and
Bishop Joseph Walker of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, has built a faithful congregation of 30,000 over the past 24 years. He is now trying to channel congregants’ current anger about police violence into something productive. The prominent
Though Charlotte is known as the Queen City – with a gleaming downtown, state-of-the-art stadiums, sparkling new mass transit, and the nation’s banking capital – recent events have thrust the city’s dark side into the spotlight within a matter of
“Good morning, young kings!” This is the typical way students are addressed at Ron Brown College Preparatory (RBCP), Washington, D.C.’s new boys-only public high school. One of only a handful of its kind nationwide, the school is a little over
Cam Newton is in a tough predicament. As one of the most recent NFL players to address social issues experienced across the United States, he expressed frustration during a press conference over the expectations he faces regarding his public stance
As many as 100 students gathered in the cafeteria of Gwinnett County’s Archer High School in suburban Atlanta on Thursday morning, staging what they’re calling a Pledge of Allegiance sit-in. The protest comes a day after the school’s principal sent
Laws, policies, and attitudes around marijuana all seem to be changing. President Obama has even reportedly said he believes marijuana to be no more dangerous than alcohol. In June 2015 the House of Representatives voted to slash the Drug Enforcement
With 2015 film Chi-Raq streaming on Amazon, Spike Lee is set to give another service a chance with a TV remake of his breakout 1986 feature film She’s Gotta Have It. Netflix reportedly ordered 10 episodes of a proposed She’s
For many decades, health officials encouraged Americans to reduce their fat intake, which led many people to consume low-fat, high-sugar foods that some experts now blame for fueling the obesity crisis. The sugar industry paid scientists in the 1960s to
Elijah Scott was forced to leave work by a manager at Kroger supermarket in Springfield, Ohio, after a customer complained about his Colin Kaepernick jersey. Last Sunday, Kroger sent out a memo to all employees that everyone could show their
Three news organizations filed a lawsuit Friday, Sept. 16 seeking to find out how the FBI was able to break into the iPhone of a gunman in the San Bernardino terrorist attack. The Justice Department spent more than a month
In a powerful editorial piece, and perhaps with a wink to Common’s brilliant 1994 song “I Used To Love H.E.R.,” Michael Harriot over at NegusWhoRead announced the death of the Black church last week. “…the Black church was born before
Bronx public school teacher Jade Greene-Grant solved three puzzles to win over $84K in prize money, a car, and a trip on “Wheel of Fortune.” The Yonkers resident narrowly missed out on a million dollar payout. In May, she and her
Chance the Rapper just keeps doing right. With so much negative news constantly trumpeting crime in Chicago, many see Chance as a promising beacon of light coming out of the city. He recently started the #BlackBoyJoy trend encouraging boys and
Ava DuVernay has been engaged in a secret labor of love for a long time, and she is now ready to deliver. Tickets are now available for The 13th―the director’s surprise documentary about race, criminalization, prison, and policing―which premieres September
Inmates across the nation have been protesting conditions amounting to modern slavery in a massive prison labor strike since last Friday. The September 9 date was chosen in honor of the 45th anniversary of the Attica prison riot of 1971.
