Breaking News! History in the Making

Dying for a Menthol Cig?

African American Smokers at Higher Risk Than Whites

Black Americans are more likely to smoke menthol cigarettes, and research shows this ingredient makes it harder to stop smoking.

Jordan Shumate, 14 years old

High School Student Told To Read Langston Hughes Poem ‘Blacker

A Virginia English teacher reprimanded a Blac kstudent for not sounding Black enough when he read a poem by Langston Hughes.

President Obama's slave ancestry has been uncovered

Obama’s race speech 4 years later: Has America changed?

President Obama worked hard to fulfill his promise to increase diversity, and it earned him the ire of his rightwing opponents.

George Zimmerman

Black militia group wants to arrest Trayvon Martin shooter

One group is fed up with the authorites’ lack of action against George Zimmerman, who shot and killed Trayvon Martin.

Barry and grandparents at his high school graduation

As Black as We Wish to Be

Thomas Chatterton Williams opines about the value mixed-raced Black Americans offer to their community and, ultumately, their country.

Coke’s Not It: 16 Workers Sue, Call Giant ‘Cesspool’ of Racial Discrimination

A lawsuit against Coca Cola alleges racial discrimination experienced by employees in two of the company’s New York factories.

Racist Bumper Sticker

Bumper Sticker: “Don’t Re-Nig – Stop repeat offenders. Don’t re-elect Obama!”

This is only one of several racist anti-Obama bumper stickers sold by one company.

Bayard Rustin, strategist for Martin Luther King, Jr.

Centenial of Bayard Rustin, the most important civil rights leader you may never have heard of!

Activist Bayard Rustin worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr in the Civil Rights movement, yet his name goes unknown.

Birthday of Homer Plessy, early fighter against segregation

Homer Adolph Plessy’s birth year is unknown, but we celebrate the birthday of the man who fought segregation in March every year.

Dear White America by Tim Wise

Dear White America: New book examines anxieties of America’s dwindling majority.

Anti-racist activist and author Tim Wise is back with another witty and no-holds-barred take on race and America’s changing demographics. White Americans have long been comfortable in the assumption that they are the cultural norm. Now that notion is being challenged, as white people wrestle with what it means to be part of a fast-changing, truly multicultural nation. 

Trayvon Martin

Trayvon Martin Case Salts Old Wounds And Racial Tension

The murder of a teenaged Black boy in Florida has reminded the Black community of the discrimination and violence they experience.

Quincy Jones

Happy Birthday, Quincy Jones! Musician and Arranger Extraordinaire

The all-time most nominated Grammy artist with a total of 76 nominations and 26 awards, Quincy Jones has also received an Emmy Award, seven Oscar nominations, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

Blacks, Latinos Lose Major Ground In Home Ownership: Study

The results of a recent study by a Washington think tank are grim for Black or Latino Americans who desire their own homes.

Some Say Re-election Fear Is Driving Gun Sales In Texas, Elsewhere

“I’m constantly getting questions from people in the gun community about this [issue],” said Alan Korwin, author of nine gun law books, including Gun Laws of America. “People are concerned that if Obama wins, as a lame duck, he will go after firearms in a way we have never seen before. We saw a fire…

Sharecropper home in Mississippi, 1939

Rare photos depict lives of African-American sharecroppers during World War II

Buzzfeed has unearthed a cache of rarely-seen photos of Black farmers from the 1930s and ’40s that depict rural life at the time.

Viola Davis To Tackle Barbara Jordan Biopic

This time Viola Davis will tackle the life story of Barbara Jordan to be based on the 2000 biography Barbara Jordan: American Hero, written by Mary Beth Rogers. Paris Barclay will direct from a script adapted by Emmy-nominated writer Paris Qualles (primarily written for TV). “We’re hoping this becomes a movie that shows the world everything…

Michelle Singletary: Schools shouldn’t fine tardy students or their parents

Fining parents who already struggle to get children to school on time isn’t likely to get to the root of the problem.

America's Black Holocaust Museum

BET Announces: America’s Black Holocaust Museum Goes Viral

While the physical museum hasn’t always been open, the virtual museum allows visitors from around the world to connect.

McFerrin in 1982

Don’t Worry, Be Happy! Happy Birthday, Bobby McFerrin!

Most people know Robert “Bobby” McFerrin, Jr.’s famous catchy tune, but few know the man behind the infamous song.

Some blacks insist: ‘I’m not African-American’

Some Black Americans resist the label that was once considered politically correct when identifying themselves.

On This Date in History: Integrated School Established in New Hampshire, But…

An attempt to integrate education in New Hampshire was met with violence but not before it provided a glimpse of the future.