Trayvon Martin & The Black Boogeyman

"It's not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences." 

-  Audrey Lorde

Last Wednesday I attended the march for Trayvon Martin at Union Square in New York City. I was commuting from Brooklyn and didn't make it till well after it had already began. Even still, there were a few hundred people in the park with signs, letters, and faces of concern at what happened nearly a month ago. The case of Trayvon Martin is troubling at best, and as a black man, downright frighting at its worst.

Happy Birthday to the Queen

Queen Latifah is probably recognized more these days for her films than her rap career, but her music continues to leave an impact almost 20 years later.

Anthony Hamilton - Can't Let Go (2005)

Is an Oscar Win the Kiss of Death for Black Actors?

I rooted for both Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis during last Sunday's Academy Awards. I'm not one who usually cares for award shows, but this year's Oscars had the weight of history on its broad shoulders.

See, not only were two black women nominated for Oscars, they were favored to win. Both Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis had received critical acclaim for their portrayals as Minny Jackson and Aibileen Clark in Dreamworks' "The Help." The idea of black women playing maids and being awarded for it, is in itself nothing new. You can go as far back as 1940 with the case of Hattie McDaniel, who won an Academy Award for her portrayal as (you guessed it) a maid. 72 years later, it seems Hollywood has not come as far as one would expect in acknowledging black women (or women of color for that matter) for roles beyond that of domestics.