Parents of 82 schoolgirls kept captive for three years by Boko Haram in Nigeria were anxiously awaiting to see them as of Wednesday, May 10. The families have not been given any guarantees as to when they will be able to see the girls, who were released in a prisoner exchange between Boko Haram and the…
Nicki Minaj has promoted a number of causes over the years and has made some huge donations. Her latest act of philanthropy took place unexpectedly on Twitter this Saturday night. While tweeting about a lip-synching contest, she mentioned that she makes plenty of money, enough to fly a winner out from anywhere in the world. A user…
Veteran journalist April Ryan perfectly exemplifies the sentiment expressed by the actor Eddie Cantor that “it takes twenty years to become an overnight success.” Ms. Ryan has toiled for exactly 20 years as the White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks (AURN) – an outlet barely known outside the African-American community, but prominent within it as…
One of the most celebrated African-American novelists of our time, Colson Whitehead is now the winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his novel The Underground Railroad. With six novels under his belt, Whitehead is known for his genre-bending stories that focus on race, class, commercialism, and American history. Whitehead was born in New York City in…
A horrific incident involving an African player signed with an Italian Serie A club has unfolded into a call by activists and sports fans to stop the ugliness of racism in European football. The incident involved Sulley Muntari, a talented midfielder from Ghana who has previously played with AC Milan. In a recent match between…
Talk about “rockin’ it.” The 2017 MTV Movie and TV Awards was quite the bold and beautiful spectacle at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium on Sunday night. Stars strolled on to the red carpet in some sexy, unforgettable numbers. It was smokin’ hot as Taraji P. Henson strutted her stuff in a clingy, rose-gold sequined dress.…
A hugely significant event occurred in the world of marathon running recently, when Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge came agonizingly close to being the first man to ever run a marathon in under two hours. His time? Two hours and 24 seconds—less than half a minute from truly making marathon history. To put this into perspective, Kipchoge’s most recent…
The 143rd Kentucky Derby was held at Churchill Downs in Louisville this weekend. As always, the first leg of the Triple Crown was an exciting day filled with big hats and big bets. The favorite to win this year was Always Dreaming, ridden by John Velazquez, and the headstrong colt did indeed win the race.…
A cyber attack eerily similar to the one perpetrated against Hillary Clinton in the United States is being investigated by French law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Hackers apparently gained access to the email servers and computer network used by Emmanuel Macron, the former leading candidate and now French president-elect. Copies of the messages and other…
The good people of France have spoken against the nationalist and populist proposals of extreme-right politics. Emanuel Macron, a 39-year-old Minister of Finance and former investment banking firm executive will succeed President Francois Hollande, marking a departure from the political stronghold of the French Socialist party. Macron did not win by a landslide; nonetheless, early counting…
Known as Chef Fregz, Nigerian chef Gbubemi Fregene has become something of a household name in the Nigerian culinary world. His unique cooking style has also caught the attention of foodies around the world. Fregene grew up in Benin City, where he completed a few culinary internships during his youth. He started a successful catering…
After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival back in January, the film Mudbound has been receiving much attention, critical acclaim and plenty of Oscar buzz. In fact, there is already talk that the film may bring home at least a few awards. Some have already suggested that director Dee Rees could potentially win the award…
As one of the world’s most populous and majestic cities, Rio de Janeiro is home to over six million residents, and about a quarter of them live in favelas, low-income neighborhoods improvised from former shanty towns. The favelas are a reminder of the deep issues of inequality in Brazil; these are poor communities where Brazilian…
Millicent Nyong’o, an ambitious woman in her twenties, contested for political office in her local area in Kisumu. She lost, but keeps her zeal on. She was born and raised in Kisumu, the western-Kenya city famous for being a bastion of some of the longest serving opposition politicians. Kisumu can be rightly called the…
