Arts & Culture

Black women march in multicolored coats and clothes while holding tan banner with black text reading "WE RISE" and "The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman" and "#MuteRKelly" in front of grey building and sky.
Kenrya Rankin  Jan 18, 2019 3:04PM EST

Sony Music Finally Drops R. Kelly

The singer has been accused of sexually assaulting Black girls and women for decades.
Porsha Olayiwola. Black woman with black hair in white outfit performs behind black microphone and stand in front of black background
Sameer Rao  Jan 17, 2019 4:39PM EST

5 Writers of Color Who Should Win the Poets Laureate Fellowship

The Academy of American Poets’ new grant program will support the poets who head arts initiatives for cities, tribes and states across the country.
Brown museum building with multiple elliptical layers and glass windows stands behind reflecting pool and green and brown trees and brown soil in front of gray sky
Sameer Rao  Jan 17, 2019 3:23PM EST

Initiative Aims to Diversify America's Museum Leadership

The American Alliance of Museums aims to help its members better reflect the communities they serve.
Marsai Martin, Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson. Black girl in maroon hoodie speaks to Black woman in pink sweater and blue shirt and Black man in brown sweater around brown table and in front of grey walls and multicolored appliances
Sameer Rao  Jan 16, 2019 3:56PM EST

READ: 'Black-ish' Writer Discusses That Epic Colorism Episode

Peter Saji writes that “Black Like Us” is the episode that “terrifies me the most.”
Clint Smith III and Josie Duffy Rice. Black-and-white images of Black man in glasses and sweater over plaid shirt and Black woman in white shirt in front of blue background near black and white text blocks that read "JUSTICE IN AMERICA" and "SEASON 2"
Sameer Rao  Jan 16, 2019 3:20PM EST

Justice in America Podcast Co-Hosts Shout Out Criminal Justice Reformers

As the show returns for a second season, Josie Duffy Rice and Clint Smith III talk to Colorlines about the activists and organizations fighting to remake the nation’s criminal justice system.
Ariana DeBose. Black Latinx woman with black hair in white outfit sings into black microphone on black stand in front of blue curtain and green lights
Sameer Rao  Jan 15, 2019 4:36PM EST

Meet the Latinx Stars of the 'West Side Story' Remake

Tony winners Ariana DeBose and David Alvarez will join Josh Andrés Rivera, newcomer Rachel Zegler and returning star Rita Moreno for the Steven Spielberg-helmed remake.
A Maya teen holds a portrait of herself wearing a traditional corte dress
catherine lizette gonzalez  Jan 15, 2019 4:21PM EST

WATCH: Teen Photographers Capture Generations of Maya Women and Girls

A new short documentary profiles six Guatemelan teen photographers who are tackling representation, racism and classism through their project Maya Womxn of LA.
Lin-Manuel Miranda. Latinx man with black hair and beard in dark suit with blue tie and shirt in front of blue wall with light blue text spelling "MARY POPPINS RETURNS" and white text spelling "Entertainment"
Sameer Rao  Jan 15, 2019 3:39PM EST

Lin-Manuel Miranda Uses Puerto Rican 'Hamilton' Run to Support Recovery

Ticket sales will aid the Flamboyan Arts Fund’s mission to uplift the island’s arts institutions.
KiKi Layne and Jenifer Lewis. Black woman with black dredlocs in blue top and white pants in front of dark red curtain and white text spelling "ESSENCE"; Black woman with black afro in blue jacket in front of red curtain and white text spelling "ESSENCE"
Sameer Rao  Jan 15, 2019 11:27AM EST

Essence Honors Black Women in Hollywood

Regina Hall, KiKi Layne, Jenifer Lewis and Amandla Stenberg each have their own cover.
Missy Elliott. Black woman with black hair performs while clothed in black and gold leather attire in front of Black back-up dancers and stage with purple lights and white set props
Sameer Rao  Jan 14, 2019 2:30PM EST

Missy Elliott Honored as Songwriters HOF's First Female MC

Good news make you lose control.
Ken Jeong, Chris Pang, Nico Santos, Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina, Constance Wu, Gemma Chan and Harry Shum Jr. Asian women and men in multicolored formal attire smile around silver award statue in front of grey background with white logos
Sameer Rao  Jan 14, 2019 12:12PM EST

Critics' Choice Awards Honors 'Crazy Rich Asians,' 'Black Panther,' 'Beale Street'

The Broadcast Film Critics Association and Broadcast Television Journalists Association awarded several artists of color.
Illustrated image of the continental United States of America in green and yellow and red hues with black images of jail cell bars on gray background and in front of white text spelling "MASS INCARCERATION"
Sameer Rao  Jan 11, 2019 2:36PM EST

How Prosecutors Contribute to Mass Incarceration

A new animated video from Color of Change anchors the group’s 100 Days of Justice campaign to hold reform-minded prosecutors accountable.
Gary Clark Jr. Black man with black beard in brown hat and black shirt sings into black microphone with brown guitar strap on shoulder in front of blue and white screen
Sameer Rao  Jan 11, 2019 2:25PM EST

WATCH: Gary Clark Jr. Confronts America's Anti-Black Heritage in New Video

“This Land” indicts the racism the blues artist has faced since his childhood in Texas.
Kehinde Wiley. Painting of Black person in red shirt and black hat next to Black man in grey shirt with red Nike logo and text spelling "JUST DO IT" holding each other's hand and surrounded by red and yellow and green flowers
Sameer Rao  Jan 11, 2019 12:54PM EST

Kehinde Wiley's New Exhibit Confronts Art's Erasure of Black Humanity

The painter didn’t see many portraits of Black subjects on the walls of the St. Louis Art Museum. So he put them there.
Michael Jackson. Man with black hair and white bleached skin sits in black leather jacket and white shirt in front of brown wood courtroom wall
Sameer Rao  Jan 10, 2019 2:48PM EST

Sundance to Screen Doc On Michael Jackson's Alleged Child Sexual Abuse

“Leaving Neverland,” which revisits two men’s accusations that the artist abused them as boys, has prompted backlash from Jackson’s estate.
Niko Santos, Jake Choi and Vincent Rodriguez III. Three Asian men in black and white and red and brown clothing pose in front of orange and brown background and grey text that spells "THE ADVOCATE"
Sameer Rao  Jan 9, 2019 5:01PM EST

3 Rising Asian-American Actors Cover The Advocate

Jake Choi, Vincent Rodriguez III and Nico Santos talk about being young, queer and Asian-American in Hollywood.
Nina Simone. Black-and-white photograph of Black woman lying on side in dress and multiple necklaces in front of gray background
Sameer Rao  Jan 9, 2019 3:24PM EST

LISTEN: Nina Simone's Ode to 'Young, Gifted and Black' Children Still Matters

Meshell Ndegeocello and Somi discuss the enduring importance of Simone’s 1969 tribute to Black youth for NPR’s American Anthem series.
Grey text spells "SURVIVING R. KELLY" on black background with scrambled video
Sameer Rao  Jan 9, 2019 1:01PM EST

'Surviving R. Kelly' Boosts Ratings and Donations, Inspires Possible Legal Action

It looks like Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office were among the millions who watched the Lifetime docuseries last week.
Illustrations of Black women and men in red movie theater seats in front of a tombstone that spells "A HISTORY OF BLACK HORROR" in grey letters
Sameer Rao  Jan 8, 2019 4:43PM EST

WATCH: 'Horror Noire' Trailer Explores Portrayals of Blackness in Horror Cinema

The new documentary dives into the horror genre’s treatment of Black characters from “The Birth of a Nation” to the present.
Ryan Coogler. Black man with black hair and beard smiles in black blazer and orange shirt in front of grey wall with gold and red text spelling "AFI"
Sameer Rao  Jan 8, 2019 2:29PM EST

Writers and Directors Guilds Nominate Creators of Color for Awards

Ryan Coogler, Spike Lee, Alfonso Cuarón and Barry Jenkins are among the nominees.