El Espada: In Django Unchained, the Damsel in Distress is Finally a Black Woman
By El Espada Quentin Trantino’s new movie Django Unchained is akin to Barrack Obama’s election to the White House the first time. The film broke through the ceiling of Hollywood’s limits that the hero, black or white, always had to go through h**l, damnation, and even death to “save the white woman, (SSW) or girl.” [...]
Dr. Wilmer Leon: From Paul Robeson to Dwayne “Lil Wayne” Carter
By Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III The one word to describe Paul Robeson is “giant”. He was born April 9, 1898 and died January 23, 1976. He was a person of extraordinary power, significance, and importance; a man of enormous strength and stature. Paul Robeson was an artist of the highest order; a singer, actor, [...]
Kirsten West-Savali: Django Criticism by Lee, Smiley and Others is Uninformed
Are Spike Lee, Tavis Smiley and others speaking of things they don’t understand when they criticize the film, “Django Unchained?” True or not, both men have gained reputations as being jealous egomaniacs who seek to monopolize dialogue about the black experience. Others say that they are righteous pundits who speak truth to power. In the [...]
Sil Abrams: Are Black People Responsible for the Rise of Reality TV?
Sil lai Abrams at TheGrio.com asks whether or not black people are the ones who are responsible for building up the television shows that we complain about. At the same time, black people are not one-in-the-same. We don’t all watch the same shows, we don’t all complain about the same issues. So, while one black [...]
Dr. Chenelle Jones: Django Unchained Doesn’t Deserve All Those Accolades
by Dr. Chenelle Jones After taking a moment to digest the movie Django Unchained, I felt compelled to write a few of my thoughts concerning the film and I must say, after hearing all the accolades received from movie critics and the general public, I must say, I was honestly disappointed by what I saw [...]
Samuel L. Jackson and Jamie Foxx Don’t See Eye-to-Eye on Sandy Hook
Some are openly speculating as to whether or not there will be a backlash to the release of the new film, “Django Unchained” as a result of the recent killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. One reason that some think there could be a negative public reaction is because one of the [...]
Tracy McMillan: Why You’re Not Married Yet
by Tracy McMillan You want to get married. It’s taken a while to admit it. Saying it out loud — even in your mind — feels kind of desperate, kind of unfeminist, kind of definitely not you, or at least not any you that you recognize. Because you’re hardly like those girls on TLC saying [...]
G’s, Us, and Peace: Questioning the Journey of Hip Hop Culture
by Herb T. As a middle-aged emcee and proponent of Hip Hop culture, I often find myself trying to be objective as a fan, when listening to the views exhibited by the youth (and not-so- youthful) in today’s Hip Hop and R&B. Though censorship may indeed be one of the most malevolent forms of mainstream [...]
NBA, NFL Players, Entertainers Hold Panel on Black Male Fatherhood in Harlem
By Doshon Farad With the public being constantly bombarded by negative images of black men, one might draw the conclusion that America has lost all hope for this particular group. To counter this, there have been several individuals and groups who have set up initiatives to salvage the image of black men. Syracuse University Professor [...]
The Confidence Gap on Campus: Why College Women Need to Lean In
Lean In, the new book by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, urges women to own their ambition as a pathway to leadership — and has inspired a vigorous backlash. Sandberg argues that women sabotage their potential by holding themselves back; her critics say she blames women for the sins of society. The leadership pipeline, [...]
March 13, 2013No CommentRead More