The history of the meaning of the adjective “woke” is a rather unique one. In the United States, there are few words that are comparably divisive. What all major English dictionaries and most English speakers once agreed meant “alert to injustice” is now up for interminable partisan debate. Largely, Americans who are left of center …
Grammy nominated rapper Cash Codie, whose real name is Cody Mason, will no longer be hosting the American Music Awards next month after being accused of significantly ramping up his “blaccent,” a portmanteau of the words “black” and “accent,” in recent weeks. Mason, the white 26-year-old artist behind the Billboard smash hit “Different Kinds,” is …
Recent statements by Maryland governor and Democratic presidential candidate Antonia Lee, along with some help from a particular newspaper of record, have accidentally spawned the nation’s hottest buzzword: “Lee-sawing.” To Lee-saw on an issue, a term popularized by a recent New York Times headline (“Lee-Saw: Maryland Governor Keeps Buttering Bread on Both Sides”), is to …
Industry leading truck manufacturer Hardy Truck and Motor Company has lost influence with much of its consumer base after a string of poorly received marketing decisions. Hardy, which manufactures and distributes light, medium, and heavy duty trucks, and is one of the few automotive companies in the world that sells both semi trailer and pickup …
His first solo studio album in eleven years, Killer Mike’s MICHAEL is the Atlanta rapper’s most personal endeavor to date. The fourteen-track record is an ode to both nativity and naiveté, its narrative being just as personal to him as it is to all those experienced in underprivileged Black life. From front to back, nothing …
Hood and Holy: A Review of Killer Mike’s “MICHAEL” Read More »
A South Carolina high school teacher made headlines last Wednesday for a controversial choice of disciplinary action. On Tuesday, his school district took a vote on whether he would face disciplinary action. Under South Carolina Board of Education regulations, public school teachers facing disciplinary action or termination maintain the right to appeal the reversal of …
Activism in the twenty-first century is unlike the activism of any previous era. Its most unique characteristic, of course, is the use of technology and social media to accomplish its goals. Surely, the Bolsheviks and Jacobins would’ve liked to have Instagram Live, but alas, thanks to social media, Internet search engines, and text messaging, the …
Looking out like a sentinel over the interior of Brightwood Park’s HR Records is a complex and imposing mammoth of an art piece. Composed of acrylic, collaged images, found objects, polyurethane, vinyl, and cassette tapes, “33 and a Third of Soul” by local artist Ellington Robinson is as busy as it is meaningful. Naturally, the …
I wrote the first installment of the Fake News series in October of 2020. Both the name and timing of the series attest to my inspiration: being three surreal years deep into the presidency of Donald Trump, in which he spurned the “fake news” that criticized him while welcoming “alternative facts” that improved his image. …
The story of civil unrest in America is one of persistence. It is a story of long, slow, unflagging battle waged against the powers of persecution. Generation after generation finds themselves fighting for the same causes and celebrating each small victory along the stony road to the final, ultimate victory. The underserved, underrepresented masses of …
