This was not the first time I'd been accosted by a straight woman wanting me to be her shopping pal, nor was it the first time I'd been told how oh-so-fabulous I, as a gay man, would make a straight woman's life.
The state of Texas told Isis Brantley that she needed to spend thousands of hours taking useless classes and thousands of dollars on useless equipment before she would be permitted to teach hairbraiding at her own school. On Wednesday Judge Sam Sparks told Texas that that was unconstitutional.
I want to offer three recommendations to all who believe in freedom and are praying that 2015 is the year that future history books and major motion pictures show that we stood as communities and as a nation for justice for all. Having worked with so many powerful voices in this current generation, I believe we can.
Top political leaders in France and Germany need to follow the example set more than a decade ago by Clinton and Bush when faced with terror attacks in this country and say in the strongest terms that they will wage war against terrorism, not Muslims.
To see the incredibly talented Quvenzhané singing "Tomorrow" in the trailer gives me hope. Maybe we'll see more starring roles for people of color in the future. Maybe a little girl will see the movie and see herself. Perhaps this will be the start of her career.
The greatest misconception that people have about Jamaican art, says Dr. Veerle Poupeye, Executive Director of the National Gallery of Jamaica, comes from trying to narrow down the definition of what, exactly, Jamaican art is.
Believe it or not, credit cards may be a tool you can use to achieve your 2015 resolution. In fact, there are a number of top travel, cash back and low APR credit cards that can help you reach your 2015 financial goals.
On a day terrorists attacked the soul and city of Paris, more than 500 educators came together on a bitterly, cold night in New York City for a private screening of the film Selma. Some traveled for more than 100 miles to watch the film and discuss "hope" and "healing."
If the industry is dominated by white men - as most very profitable industries are - that automatically means that others have a harder time breaking through and getting some of those riches. Women are already paid less in tech making it harder for them to get a piece of the pie.
Of course both Jean-Philippe and Thompson happened to be black. The lack of value assigned to black lives is itself a form of racist terrorism. Sadly, Jean-Philippe was not the only victim last week of either religious extremism or the racist terrorism that helps to foment it.
Nobody expected me to become a ballerina, much less a soloist for the American Ballet Theater -- the first African-American in two decades. But I did. And now I'm living the dream of so many girls around the world.
Selma offers profound and relevant lessons on leadership, power sharing, the role of faith, the value of white allies, and the role of the media for today's movement leaders. Perhaps the most profound lesson of the film was spoken by Oprah Winfrey on the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
In the tradition of investigative, watchdog journalism, that particular news story has since been credited for lighting the fuse that led to the creation of the national civil rights organization known today as the NAACP.
The other night, I watched The Real Housewives of Atlanta. I watched these women parade gay men around as nothing more than accessories. It left me with two feelings: rage and nausea.
A New Year has begun. But Black Philanthropy Month continues with #BPM365--a call to remember, mobilize and celebrate our giving and self-help traditions.
Eradicating the disproportionate use of force by local law enforcement in the United States should be the starting point. The finish line could be broader legal and policy reform ushering in true respect for human rights between communities of color and local, state and national governments around the world.
Police brutality is not a black problem, nor is it a white problem. It is a people problem, and due to our city's status as one of America's major urban hubs, it is a matter of utmost importance to public school educators.
In many ways, it is apropos that this book which focused on the secret bond that exists between twins was followed in 2009 by the equally masterful The Wonder, a novel rooted in the world of dance.