On January 1, 2013, African American women will have a bible of their very own. Christian publisher Thomas Nelson brings forth The Sisters in Faith Holy Bible: Encouraging and Empowering African-American Women with God's Truth, "giving a black perspective on understanding the bible to those who seek it." The executive editors of the book, Michele Clark Jenkin and … [Read more...]
NY High School Students in Trouble for “Blackface” Skit of Chris Brown, Rhianna Fight
Students at Waverly High School in New York are in deep trouble after their jaw dropping skit during a pep rally, and not for good reason. White students made up with "blackface" did a satire skit on the domestic violence event involving Chris Brown and Rihanna. The "performance" was part of the school's annual competition for the title of "Mr. Waverly", but nobody's … [Read more...]
“Colored School” Historical Monument for Civil Rights or Bad Memory of Racism
Almost 60 years ago, the Brown v. Board of Education ruling that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal" overturned the 1896 decision of Plessy v. Ferguson that allowed state-sponsored segregation. Before the ruling, there were schools for white students and schools for colored students. One of those schools still stands in Wilmington, Delaware. But it may … [Read more...]
Florida Follows Virginia, Adopts Achievement Standards Based on Race and Ethnicity
When the school year was just getting started back up, Virginia was under scrutiny for a controversial move. They changed their standards so that students of different ethnic backgrounds had different expectations on passing school exams. As opposed to having a overall goal of how many students are expected to pass their tests, Virginia decided to have achievement … [Read more...]
BMWK Interviews Eve Wright Taylor, VP of the Miami Heat About Success And Family
Basketball season is returning soon, and fans are excited about what this season will bring. This past June, the Big 3 of the Miami Heat brought home a championship after a 4-1 series win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. There's no denying the talent of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, as well as the other supporting men on the team. But did you know a woman is calling … [Read more...]
Woman Fired From Black University For Being White
Shira Hedgepeth is a white woman who worked at a black university up until last July. Hedgepeth claims she was released from her position as Director of Academic Technology at North Carolina's Winston-Salem State University solely based on the color of her skin. Hedgepeth joined the university in 2008, and was promoted to her most recent position in 2010. However, she began … [Read more...]
Shonda Rhimes and Issa Rae Partner for New Comedy Series
You may be familiar with Executive Producer and Writer Shonda Rhimes, the creator of such popular television shows such as Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and most recently Scandal starring Keri Washington. Rhimes is now interested in diving into comedy, by partnering up with web series star Issa Rae of The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. Rae, also a budding … [Read more...]
Morehouse, Spelman Rank High in Top Colleges
Historically black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, have been at the forefront of some negative attention lately. With news of hazing at Florida A&M and Morris Brown College experiencing financial woes, it's good to see that some of our colleges have something worth cheering about. In a new national ranking of the top 177 colleges and universities in the country, … [Read more...]
Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry Partner on Content for OWN
Oprah Winfrey announced via press release that she and director Tyler Perry have struck a multi-year partnership that will bring two new scripted series to the Oprah Winfrey Network. The announcement comes after the network announces a double digit growth in ratings. The series will be the first scripted original content for the new television network, and are set to debut in … [Read more...]
The Morning After Pills Given Out to Students in New York
13 New York City schools have launched a pilot birth control program that allows teens to receive the Plan B pill. The program began last year and may be expanding citywide. Parents have the option to "opt out" of the program, by signing a form that is sent home with students. However, the city's Board of Health states only 2% of parents have chosen to have their child not … [Read more...]
Why Are Black Women Hurting Each Other?
If it was up to reality television, a lot of people of different races would probably think that black women couldn't get together without drink throwing, bottle chucking, and shoes coming off before someone's weave is snatched. We've debated that topic before. Many of us can accept that this is not our reality. We can get together and be civilized and not go through the … [Read more...]
Father-Daughter Dances Are Being Banned by School Districts
A single mother in Cranston, Rhode Island put pressure on the American Civil Liberties Union to stop all father-daughter and mother-son dances because she said it's unfair to her daughter, who cannot participate. After the complaint, the ACLU filed a complaint for the mom, and a school attorney chimed in saying the Rhode Island gender discrimination law also made … [Read more...]
Chicago Teacher’s Strike Finally Over: Students Go Back to School
Summer vacation is over, for real this time, for students in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Teacher Union voted Tuesday to end the strike, which will lead to a contract that will guarantee them a double-digit salary increase over the next three years that includes a raise for the cost of living. The raise isn't the number they were seeking, which was 30%, but the teachers are … [Read more...]
Mom Gets In Trouble for Letting Two-Year-Old Pee on Sidewalk
Potty training woes are back in the news. After a mom was berated online for the story of her potty training her toddlers in a restaurant, another mom has made headlines for a potty training lesson gone awry. Philadelphia mom Caroline Robboy was fined $50 and fussed at by police after her 2-year-old, Nathaniel, relieved himself on the sidewalk. The ticket for public … [Read more...]
Young Black Female Tennis Player Told She’s Too Fat to Compete
You may have heard of or seen 16-year-old Taylor Townsend, a tennis star that won the Austrlian Open as a 14th seed and also won the doubles tournament with her partner Gabrielle Andrews earlier this year. Or maybe you heard her name when she won the 2012 Wimbledon Championships. However, now she's making headlines for more unfortunate news. Townsend had dreams of competing … [Read more...]