From the NY Times…the resistance of the civil rights generation to Obama’s candidacy signified the failure of their parents to come to terms, at the dusk of their lives, with the success of their own struggle — to embrace the idea that black politics might now be disappearing into American politics…

Does Obama’s candidacy signify the end of “black politics”? A feature in the upcoming Times magazine explores the question. Read the article (click here) and chime in.

**Pictured here: Hiram Rhodes Revels, the first black to serve in the U.S Senate.

Watch what you watchin’/Fox keeps feeding us toxins/Stop sleeping, start thinking outside of the box and /Unplug from The Matrix doctrine/ But watch what you say Big Brother is watchin’

-Nas
“Sly Fox”

• Nas Speaks • Lupe Fiasco on Nas • MTV Nas Coverage • Nas on Colbert

From Roman infanticide, to the transatlantic slave trade, and the racial politics of Nazi Germany, people have long relied on biological justification for the subjugation, oppression and murder of other human beings. So when scientist set out to map the approximately 25,000 genes of the human genome they were doing more than drafting the blueprint of humanity. They were also working to tackle a belief that has plagued man’s social existence—the question of whether certain races are genetically superior to others. More »

Why is it that whenever the state of black America is discussed the conversation always resorts to the lack of black leadership? Yes, the struggle for black freedom has long produced influential figures, individuals who, through their stories, oratory and defiance captured the sentiment of the people and inspired the community to stand up. But it’s unrealistic to believe that one, or even a few individuals are enough to cure the ills that infect black America. More »

So, I was prompted to start yoga. And I must admit that I was like, “Man…yoga?” I can hear the whispers now, “You on that gay shit. That corny shit.” Having removed all the homo-feminine connotations around it, I proclaimed to myself, “Fuck it. This shit might change my life.” More »

I’m officially extracting myself from the Nigger debate, the back and forth quarrelling about the word in black America. I’m past measuring whether or not the scars left from its history are too deep for reconciliation, or whether today’s generation has effectively transformed the word into a term of endearment. It’s all a waste of time. More »

The activities of Native Americans rarely make the news, since most of us don’t think about them very often. Most people I know think of them as a dead society, or as a sad, romantic story from the past.

So, I was tickled to read a recent Newsweek article called Taking Back the Land. It was about Native American tribes using money from tribal casinos to reclaim their homeland. They are basically using white America’s greed to their own advantage, and using it to buy their land back! More »

To begin appropriately, who am I? Who are you? Are you what someone else classifies you as? Do we succumb to the mass images at large? Is there any way to change our destructive direction? Or are you just another bunch-o-niggas? To all these: yes and no. More »

The reality is true that Americans of Melanin (Black and Latino) have rarely been good employees. The truth of it is that we have always been marvelous indentured servants. Never have we truly broken through those barriers that keep us trapped like animals in a pen. The economic stopping power for people of color has never slowed pace only increased exponentially. More »

I had a conversation about a week ago with a fraternity brother of mine, discussing weight regimens and dieting tips (trying to work a few things out for the summer time). As the conversation continued, it turned into “Why are there never any black women in the gym?” The more I pondered the question, the more real it became. Initially, it was just a funny thing to say but as I asked more and more of my young black male friends, I began to notice an overwhelming consensus. More »