Gov. Rick Perry is to sign a law mandating drug testing for some unemployment benefits recipients. The governor is holding a special signing ceremony Friday at the Capitol. Under current law, employers hold insurance policies to help laid-off workers survive on weekly payments of $62 to $440. Those fired for cause, including failing an employer-sponsored…
When it comes to the black church and same-sex marriage, the two become polar opposites for the black community. The division between equality continues to be a focus for change and congruent with the gay rights vs. civil rights movement debate. The documentary “The New Black” attempts to highlight the struggle between both communities. Throughout the film there…
Winona was raised pseudo-Catholic and I was raised Jewish, which means we understand the feeling of guilt intimately. Mostly, we feel it all the time about pretty much everything. And we were wondering, what would be able to accomplish in life if we weren’t constantly paddling in an Olympic-sized swimming pool of guilt? Existentially speaking, we…
Lee Daniels’ highly-anticipated film, “The Butler,” sparked a heated debate on social media after a photograph from the film made its rounds on the internet. A still from the movie, which follows Eugene Allen (Forest Whitaker), a head butler at the White House, displays Mariah Carey as a slave picking cotton in the field. The…
The internet is buzzing over a video of five young teenage boys rapping about oral sex. The disturbing clip shows the youngsters rapping about performing oral sex on men in graphic, explicit detail. One line from the rap goes: “Sucking on a díck fast, I never do it slow. Everybody know ’cause my job is to…
Since Oprah launched her cable network, OWN, back in 2011 many have wondered if the media mogul would be able to replicate the massive success of her powerhouse talk show. But the transition from Queen of Daytime to Network Honcho was a bumpy one. Despite her commitment to positive programming, viewers were unresponsive to the…
So So Def founder, Jermaine Dupri, recently conversed with renowned songstress Monica for his “Living the Life” web series. The Atlanta-natives converged in the studio to discuss everything from surviving in the music business to maintaining a peaceful marriage. One poignant aspect of their nine-minute conversation focused on Monica’s view of blended families. The “New…
A Baltimore nun who initiated the world’s first black Catholic order has begun the process to sainthood. The remains of Mother Mary Lange, who started the order in 1829, have been returned to the Oblate Sisters of Providence. The Haiti-born, Cuban-raised nun was initially buried in Baltimore, but was welcomed to the order’s cemetery this…
From The Grio – The current spying controversy at the National Security Agency has caught many Americans off guard and has conjured up images of Big Brother. The NSA has secretly collected the private phone calls and internet data of its citizens, allowing the federal agency to monitor people who were not suspected of any unlawful activity. Edward…
The Cheerios commercial that featured an interracial couple and their biracial child created a firestorm of criticism that neither the company execs nor the actors saw coming. The hateful and racist response on YouTube revealed that a number of bigots still hold deep contempt for interracial relationships. In light of the backlash, Kenji (Homo Thugs)…
My friend and I are all highly educated young women. We can talk for hours about the merits of Madame Bovary — so why are we so tentative about talking about risk?
And the reality TV trend continues to flourish… BET recently announced that the network is adding four new reality TV shows to diversify programming that also includes scripted shows like “The Game,” and “Being Mary Jane.” The most highly anticipated of the reality shows is “Hip Hop Sisters” which stars MC Lyte, Yo Yo, Lil…
Feminism(s) is an international movement. The issues are different in the United States than in Afghanistan, Nigeria and other countries, but the core of feminism(s) as a politic and responsibility is similar, no matter the location. One of England’s finest universities is using social media to spread feminist thought throughout the world. Male and female…
Danielle Powell had one month left in her undergraduate college career when Grace University administrators discovered she was in a relationship with another woman. A judiciary board convened to decide whether Powell would be permitted to finish her studies at the institution. The conservative Christian college in Omaha, Neb. suspended Powell in March 2011 for…
Somewhere in America, a racist white person just sh*tted a brick. They’re panicking. They’re finding their nearest blond hair blue eyed counterpart to procreate with. Why? Because they need to uphold their race. Ok, so maybe that was a bit of an over exaggeration. None of that is going on, yet. They’re just being racist…
