Arts & Culture

White text reading "BLACK WOMEN ANIMATE" with play button logo and film reel embedded in letters on black background
Sameer Rao  Oct 12, 2018 3:01PM EDT

Black Women Animate Partners with Cartoon Network for Boot Camp

The group is working to get Black women in the door in the animation industry.
Roberto Clemente. Illustration of Black Latinx man in black and tan baseball uniform holding brown baseball bat in front of black text reading "GOOGLE" and a red white and blue Puerto Rican flag on tan image of Puerto Rico
Sameer Rao  Oct 12, 2018 1:54PM EDT

Google Doodle Celebrates Latinx Baseball Legend Roberto Clemente

Clemente’s batting prowess and humanitarian work made him a hero to sports fans long before he became the first Latinx player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Colin Kaepernick. Black man with black afro and beard stands in black suit with black t-shirt and necklace while holding glass award behind black microphone and stand and in front of blue and brown background and grey letters that read "Sports Illustrated
Sameer Rao  Oct 11, 2018 3:45PM EDT

Colin Kaepernick and Bryan Stevenson Honored With Harvard's W.E.B. DuBois Medal

The award celebrates contributions to Black culture across various fields.
Hasan Minhaj. Brown man with black hair and beard smiles while holding black and grey microphone and wearing blue shirt in front of purple and blue and orange screen
Sameer Rao  Oct 11, 2018 2:32PM EDT

Time Honors Hasan Minhaj and More 'Next Generation Leaders'

The magazine features Minhaj alongside Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Amandla Stenberg and other rising stars fighting for change.
Colson Whitehead. Black man with black dredlocs and glasses in navy shirt and black jacket in front of beige and black painting in gold frame on beige wall
Sameer Rao  Oct 11, 2018 12:36PM EDT

Colson Whitehead's Next Novel Explores Abuse of Black Boys at Reform School

“The Nickel Boys” will draw on the true story of the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, where many Black students died from ritual abuse.
Red and white house exterior on green lawn and gray driveway surrounded by green and brown trees
Sameer Rao  Oct 10, 2018 5:22PM EDT

John and Alice Coltrane's Long Island Home Deemed 'National Treasure'

The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s new designation builds on its work with the Coltrane family and supporters to restore the home. 
Jafar and Iago in Disney's Aladdin. Brown man in black and red turban and tunic grimaces as red bird sits on shoulder in front of blue and gold and brown background
Sameer Rao  Oct 10, 2018 4:02PM EDT

REPORT: 100 Years of Hollywood Islamophobia

A new report from the Pop Culture Collaborative details depictions of Muslims on screen—what the entertainment industry must do to uplift Muslim narratives that don’t damage the community.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Black man with grey goatee smiles while wearing brown shirt and blue and black checkered blazer in front of orange and black background
Sameer Rao  Oct 10, 2018 3:08PM EDT

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Leads John Henry Movie for Netflix

Johnson calls the folk hero his childhood favorite, but some are upset that a darker actor isn’t playing the part.
Mural depicting White man with blue eyes in White shirt holding hands of Indigenous and Latinx man without faces and in green and red shirts, respectively, in front of brown desert sand and blue sky
Sameer Rao  Oct 9, 2018 3:33PM EDT

University of New Mexico May Remove Murals that Ignore Indigenous POV

University leadership recommends covering four murals that center and celebrate White colonizers and marginalize Native and Latinx contributions and resistance.
Janet Jackson. Black woman with brown hair in black dress in front of charcoal wall with white text and man with black cell phone
Sameer Rao  Oct 9, 2018 11:59AM EDT

Janet Jackson, Chaka Khan Earn Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Noms

They join LL Cool J and members of Rufus and Rage Against the Machine on the new list of prospective inductees of color.
Redbone. Black and white photograph of five Indigenous and Latinx men in multicolored clothing in front of grey background
Sameer Rao  Oct 8, 2018 11:00AM EDT

Livestream Los Angeles' First Official Indigenous Peoples' Day Celebration

The United States’ largest city to officially replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day marks its first official commemoration with a series of events, including a concert by rock band Redbone.
Feet in red and white Nike shoes and legs in black jeans dance on grey pavement in front of Memphis skyline and blue sky
Sameer Rao  Oct 5, 2018 12:03PM EDT

WATCH: Bluff City's Jookin Scene Takes Center Stage in 'Memphis Majic'

The documentary uses the story of Memphis’ jookin scene to explore the city’s history of Black resistance.
The Reverend Dr. William Barber and Okwui Okpokwasili. Black man in black and purple clerical robes in front of white background; Black woman in green jacket in front of grey background
Sameer Rao  Oct 4, 2018 6:03PM EDT

Rev. Dr. William Barber II and Okwui Okpokwasili Earn MacArthur 'Genius' Awards

The minister and multimedia artist feature among several creators, organizers and scholars of color who earned the MacArthur Foundation’s annual honor.
Portraits of Black men on red brick background in brown building
Sameer Rao  Oct 4, 2018 3:20PM EDT

Philly Mural Project 'Portraits of Justice' Confronts Mass Incarceration

Formerly incarcerated artists working with Mural Arts Philadelphia created a new art installation in defiance of former mayor and police chief Frank Rizzo’s history of violence in the city.
Barry Jenkins. Black man in blue sweater and light blue dress shirt and brown glasses in front of yellow background and black woman in blue blouse
Sameer Rao  Oct 4, 2018 12:41PM EDT

Angela Flournoy on Barry Jenkins: 3 Must-Read Passages

The celebrated novelist profiled the Oscar-winning filmmaker ahead of the November release of his upcoming film, “If Beale Street Could Talk.”
Craig Hodges. Black man in red and black jersey stands before shooting basketball in front of black background and White men in black and white referee outfits
Sameer Rao  Oct 3, 2018 4:48PM EDT

Watch This Teaser for LeBron James' 'Shut Up and Dribble'

The clip features former Chicago Bulls player Craig Hodges as he pushes President George H.W. Bush to address systemic poverty in Black communities.
Tracy K. Smith. Black woman in black sweater and blue scarf and grey pants in front of brown brick wall
Sameer Rao  Oct 3, 2018 11:39AM EDT

Tracy K. Smith's Poetry Podcast Invites Listeners to 'Slowdown'

The United States poet laureate calls her new podcast and radio show “a perfect medium for talking about the very real and natural ways that poems speak to the daily experience of being alive.”
Two rows of four books including the titles we can't breather, looking for lorraine, black radical tradition, all you can ever know, ghosts in the schoolyard, unapologetic, citizen illegal and bunk
catherine lizette gonzalez  Oct 3, 2018 7:53AM EDT

The Race-Focused Books We're Reading This Fall

As the nights grow long and the warm weather recedes, let these books on race, history and culture offer you insight and reflection this fall. 
Alicia Keys. Black woman in black shirt and blouse with pink flowers and blue and red lines on sleeves smiles while holding onto black piano in front of black light stand and blue lights and brown building
Sameer Rao  Oct 2, 2018 3:04PM EDT

Alicia Keys, Esperanza Spalding to Perform at Brett Kavanaugh Protest

Artists and activists will gather outside the Supreme Court to protest Kavanaugh’s advancing candidacy for SCOTUS justice.
Rosario Dawson. Latinx woman with black hair in white t-shirt with red stripes and blue QR code in front of grey wall
Sameer Rao  Oct 2, 2018 3:00PM EDT

Watch Rosario Dawson and Chadwick Boseman Describe Their 'First Time'...Voting

Celebrities and youth activists appear in “My First Time,” a new public service announcement that encourages viewers to register to vote in the midterm elections.