African American Issues

Who Invented Memorial Day?

Jim Downs | Posted 05.25.2012

Read More: Logan, u.s. History, Civil War, Culture, Memorial Day, Washington, South Carolina, U.S.A, Charleston, Americans, United States, U.S, Dc, African Americans, African-American Issues, Memorial Day Weekend, Politics News

As America recognizes the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War, we would do well to revisit the origins of Memorial Day among freedpeople in Charleston.

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Of Religion, Reproduction And Racist Incarcerations

Rev. Dr. Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder | Posted 05.28.2012

Read More: Religion and Politics, Mass Incarceration, Women's Issues, Women's Health, Reproductive Rights, African-American Issues, Race Relations, Religion News

If there is this 'movement' to put African American males behind bars, what is the point? What will such achieve?" Is it just a matter of supposedly keeping our streets safer? No.

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Eco Etiquette: Being Black In The Green World

Jennifer Grayson | Posted 05.14.2012

Read More: Food Stamps, Pollution and Asthma, Antonio Villaraigosa, Green Advice, African American Issues, Urban Environmentalists, Broccoli City, Eco Etiquette, Green Living, Green Movement, Brandon McEachern, White Environmentalists, Van Jones, Hip-Hop Culture, Food Deserts, Green News

Send all your eco-inquiries to Jennifer Grayson at eco.etiquette@gmail.com. Questions may be edited for length and clarity. Hope you don't take offen...

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The Systematic "Whorification" of the Young African Woman

Brigitte Sesu Tilley-Gyado | Posted 05.02.2012

Read More: Women's Empowerment, Politics, Women, Women's Rights, Youth, Violence Against Women, Sexism, Africa, Women Entrepreneurs, African-American Issues, World News

I care about this notion that a young woman is primarily a passive, dependent object. And I will stand up and be counted as a full, complete and powerful individual.

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'African American'? 'Black'? How To Identify Is Often A Touchy Question

AP | By JESSE WASHINGTON | Posted 04.06.2012

Read More: Racial Identity, African Americans, African-American Issues, u.s Census, Black Voices News

-- The labels used to describe Americans of African descent mark the movement of a people from the slave house to the White House. Today, many are re...

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We Must Win Back the American Dream for the 99% In 2012

Gerry Hudson | Posted 03.17.2012

Read More: Jobs Crisis, Unemployment Rate, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Economy, Economic Crisis, Seiu, Jobs, Unemployment, Economic Recovery, Medicaid, Medicare, Black Workers, African Americans, African-American Issues, Occupy Wall Street, Black Voices News

As we honor Dr. King's legacy this year, we must remember that working families deserve economic justice, including America's 13 million unemployed, the long-term unemployed and the 24 million people looking for work.

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Now Dig Kellie Jones Talking About Art and Black Los Angeles: Part 2

Dr. Tukufu Zuberi | Posted 03.13.2012

I recently visited an art exhibit chronicling the legacy of art in Black Los Angeles. The show is called "Now Dig This! Art & Black Los Angeles 1960-1980, " and I sat down to speak with the curator of the exhibit, Kellie Jones. Here's the second part of that conversation.

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Now Dig Kellie Jones Talking About Art and Black Los Angeles

Dr. Tukufu Zuberi | Posted 03.10.2012

I recently visited an art exhibit chronicling the legacy of art in Black Los Angeles. The show is at the UCLA Hammer Museum and is called "Now Dig This! Art & Black Los Angeles 1960-1980." I sat down to speak with the curator of the exhibit, Kellie Jones.

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"The Wire" Star Tray Chaney Promotes Fatherhood in New Music Video

Lamar Tyler | Posted 03.06.2012

Read More: The Wire, Tray Chaney, Fatherhood, The Wire Fans, Music Video, African-American Issues, Bv-Pop-Culture-Entertainment, Pop Culture, Video, Black Voices News

In a time when Fatherhood is a hot button issue in the African American community actor/rapper Tray Chaney releases a music video for his new song titled Fatherhood that hits the mark. Many will recognize Chaney from his role as Poot Carr on HBO's hit show The Wire.

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Are Gays Too Sensitive to Jokes?

Aaron Anson | Posted 01.31.2012

Read More: Gay Issues, African-American Issues, Homophobic Jokes, Lgbt, T.I. Gays, Tracy Morgan Gay Son, Gay Jokes, t.i. Gay, t.i. Vibe, Dangerous Thoughts, Gay Voices News

If we conclude that gays are overly sensitive to these jokes, then clearly the African-American community is overly sensitive about racism. Imagine the backlash if a public figure made a joke about killing a person because they were black.

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Transgender, Victimized and Black

Irene Monroe | Posted 01.07.2012

Read More: HIV/AIDS, Unemployment, Gay Rights, Transgender, Homelessness, Blacks, Gay Marriage, Gay Issues, African Americans, African-American Issues, Lgbt, Black Voices News

It's not easy for any person of African descent to be LGBTQ in our black communities, but our transgender brothers and sisters might feel the most discrimination. Transphobia in black communities has left these members of our community especially vulnerable.

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A Call to Consciousness

Matthew Lynch, Ed.D. | Posted 12.25.2011

Read More: Hip Hop, W.E.B. Dubois, Rap, African Americans, Booker T. Washington, African-American Issues, Black Voices Life, Black Voices News

Though the state of black entrepreneurship has progressed significantly in the past decade, successful entrepreneurs with businesses in urban environm...

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Are African Americans Losing the Race? Part I

Matthew Lynch, Ed.D. | Posted 12.19.2011

Read More: Racism, Revolution, African Americans, Black Unemployment, African-American Issues, Civil Rights Movement, Black Power Movement, Black Voices News

The selfless "by any means necessary" valor, that once ignited our passion to unite and conquer, has seemingly been eradicated by egotistic attempts to acquire a portion of the American "dream."

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Learning to Evade the "Black Tax" on Our Stories

Leonce Gaiter | Posted 11.07.2011

Read More: African-American Literature, Black History, African-American History, African-Americans, African-American Issues, African American Fiction, African American Literature, Black Literature, Writing Black History, Black Voices News

It appears that shame -- black and white -- can shrink us. In literature we've been historically reduced to a slither of a people. Writers like me self-censor for fear of offending, for fear of not finding an audience. We don't tell our stories in the context of this nation.

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Rebuilding the Dream of Homeownership for People of Color

Algernon Austin | Posted 10.08.2011

Read More: Latinos, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, American Dream, Homeownership, Home Foreclosures, African-American Issues, Black Unemployment, Latino Prosperity, Business News

A healthy economy and smart financial regulations are necessary for rebuilding the dream of homeownership for African American and Latinos. We know what steps are needed to get there. The question is: will our political leaders take them?

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Introducing HuffPost BlackVoices: Covering Black America's Split-Screen Reality

Arianna Huffington | Posted 10.04.2011

Read More: Huffpost Black Voices, African Americans, African-American Issues, Blackvoices, Black Voices News

I often feel that we are living in a split-screen world, where what part of the screen you are looking at will determine your perception of where things stand. And nowhere is this more pronounced than in the African-American community.

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Black Folk Don't Like To Be Told They're Not Black

Issa Rae | Posted 10.04.2011

Read More: Black Folk Don't, African American Culture, Awkward Black Girl, Awkward Black Girl Site, Defining Black Culture, Black Culture, African-American Issues, Black Folk Don't Movie, Black Voices News

It's one thing when other African-Americans try to threaten my race card, but when people outside of my ethnicity have the audacity to question how "down" I am because of the bleak, stereotypical picture pop culture has painted for me, as a Black woman? Unacceptable.

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The Debt Ceiling vs. the Job Ceiling in South LA: Lift Both Now

Laphonza Butler | Posted 09.26.2011

The real ceiling is in South Los Angeles, where the lack of jobs continues to hurt our communities with the continued overall rise in unemployment.

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Obama Losing Liberal And Black Support Over Jobs Record

HuffingtonPost.com | Alex Wagner | Posted 09.25.2011

Amidst new research showing historic disparity in wealth between whites and minorities, President Obama is facing plummeting approval over his jobs ag...

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Obama Harkens Back to Slavery With "States' Rights" for Same-Sex Marriage

Irene Monroe | Posted 09.05.2011

Read More: Michelle Obama, Gay Rights, Doma, Slavery, States Rights, Democracy, Civil Rights, Barack Obama, Gay Marriage, African Americans, African-American Issues, Politics News

As LGBTQ Americans, we're not in slavery, but we certainly will be in a civil war as each state battles this issue. Whereas President Lincoln acted on behalf of my ancestor's civil rights, we need to call on Obama to move on ours.

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Tracy Morgan's Homophobic Rant Was About Black Manhood

Irene Monroe | Posted 09.04.2011

Read More: Homosexuality, Gay Rights, Homophobia, Heterosexuality, Masculinity, Gay, Tracy Morgan Homophobic Rant, Manhood, Gay Issues, African Americans, African-American Issues, Dangerous Thoughts, Entertainment News

Morgan's homophobic rant is not about LGBTQ people, but rather it's about the tightly constructed hyper-masculinity of black manhood.

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Hallmark's Father's Day Card for Black Mothers: Way Off Base

Dr. Boyce Watkins | Posted 08.23.2011

Read More: African Americans, Black Mothers, Black Men, African-American Issues, Politics News

Hallmark's decision to create a Father's Day card for black women engages in the act of celebrating a dysfunction, increasing the likelihood that the dysfunction eventually becomes as acceptable as the normal state of affairs.

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Marriage Equality Film Comes to Harlem

Irene Monroe | Posted 07.04.2011

Read More: Harlem, New York Same Sex Marriage, Gay Rights, Harlem Renaissance, Gays and Lesbians, Same Sex Couples, Black Homophobia, Gay, African Americans, Gay Marriage, Gay Issues, African-American Issues, Same-Sex Marriage, New York News

African American lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) communities have always existed in Harlem, residing here since this former Dutch enclave became America's Black Mecca in the 1920s.

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Malcolm X Was "Gay-for-Pay," New Book Says

Irene Monroe | Posted 06.07.2011

Read More: Black Nationalism, Gender Stereotypes, Nation of Islam, Gays and Lesbians, Same Sex Couples, Black Homophobia, Gay, African-American History, Gender, Prostitution, Gay Rights, Blacks, Malcolm X Assassination, Black History, Malcolm X, African Americans, Gay Issues, African-American Issues, Books News

We need to closely examine the recent revelation that for a period in his life Malcolm X engaged in same-sex relationships.

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On Black Men

Rebecca Carroll | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Fences August Wilson, President Barack Obama, August Wilson Fences, President Obama, Black Americans, Barack Obama, Black People, Black Men, Blacks, African-American Identity, Barack Obamafences, Relationships, Black, August Wilson, African Americans, African-American Issues, Healthy Living News

Despite the hope, as a parent raising a black son in a country very presently immersed in the horrific beauty of racial change and evolution, I am careful to remind him that there are still fences.

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