contributors - Mychal Denzel Smith
about Mychal Denzel Smith-
Eddie Long 'crowning': Why do black churches often put pastors on a pedestal?
12:12 PM on 02/03/2012
OPINION - Too often for comfort, as in the case of Bishop Eddie Long, this trust and power is abused and corrupted...
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D'Angelo comeback: Is neo-soul music stuck in the past?
8:51 AM on 01/04/2012
OPINION - More than a decade since his last full-length release, D'Angelo still has the ability to get people excited...
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Charles Barkley Weight Watchers campaign: Hall of Famer a role model for black men
10:15 AM on 12/28/2011
OPINION - Sir Charles, as he is sometimes called, sets an example for other black men who don't typically receive an anti-obesity/pro-health message...
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Can Kwanzaa be 'cool'? How to make the holiday hip
7:56 AM on 12/26/2011
OPINION - In its 45-year history, Kwanzaa, while definitely celebrated by some, hasn't gained any notable popularity. It tends to be either vehemently derided or made the butt of jokes by those who do not celebrate it...
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'If I Were a Poor Black Kid' column is just plain stupid
7:56 AM on 12/14/2011
OPINION - Gene Marks of Forbes wrote a column entitled "If I Wear a Poor Black Kid" (which has been "removed from their website)...
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Gingrich's poverty solution: Pay poor kids to be janitors
12:51 PM on 12/02/2011
OPINION - The former Speaker proposes that in poor neighborhoods, the 'schools ought to get rid of the unionized janitors, have one master janitor and pay local students to take care of the school.' Poverty solved...
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Can rap stars Occupy while watching their thrones?
8:50 AM on 11/25/2011
OPINION - Given the economic terrain back in August, boasts of 'planking on a million' felt hopelessly out of touch...
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No n-word, no cursing, no problem for Kid Cudi
8:44 AM on 11/21/2011
OPINION - Kid Cudi plans to release his upcoming third album, by his side-group 'WZRD', sans curses and the infamous n-word...
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Why did we let Sly Stone slip away?
8:45 AM on 11/17/2011
OPINION - Sly didn't make it easy. Unlike Clinton, or James Brown, or even Rick James, Stone disappeared completely from the spotlight, shunning the entire industry...
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Occupy Wall Street crackdown has consequences
8:36 AM on 11/15/2011
OPINION - They were trying to kill the movement. They've only set themselves up for an incredibly long fight...
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Backing out of Oscars a big mistake by Eddie Murphy
8:01 AM on 11/10/2011
OPINION - Though not explicitly stated, it's as if Murphy is giving a silent nod of approval to what Ratner had to say...
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Does Rihanna belong in Billboard's elite class?
9:51 AM on 11/03/2011
OPINION - She could have just as easily been one of those here today gone tomorrow types, but she has played the game better than all the others and won handsomely...
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Can 'In Living Color' make a comeback?
8:33 AM on 10/31/2011
OPINION - This is the ultimate dilemma an 'In Living Color' reboot faces: how does it recapture what made the original so special in a vastly different time?...
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Michael Kenneth Williams creates modern black heroes
9:03 AM on 10/24/2011
OPINION - His very appearance can be alternately menacing or tender, owing in part to a highly visible scar that runs across his face...
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Redefining rape: FBI finally comes to reality
6:00 AM on 10/08/2011
OPINION - Rape is not sex. Rape is violence. Let's start there and see if we can't begin having an honest discussion on how to end rape altogether...
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Does wardrobe discrimination keep blacks jobless?
8:37 AM on 10/07/2011
OPINION - Racism is much more deeply entrenched in the fabric of American life than a simple whitewashing of one's identity can solve...
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Michael Jackson murder trial brings back bad memories
8:34 AM on 10/05/2011
OPINION - We want the Michael that sang his song and danced his dance because he loved to see the smiles he invoked by doing so...
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Do nostalgic TV shows whitewash history?
8:41 AM on 09/26/2011
OPINION - While laudable for their realism and lifting the veneer of innocence and purity of the time periods they depict (some better than others), there is a possible drawback...
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Rap inspires revolution abroad; apathy at home
11:35 AM on 09/22/2011
OPINION - Since the end of the golden era, roughly around 1992, hip-hop has lacked any discernible political voice...
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Why we need student loan debt forgiveness
2:43 PM on 09/16/2011
OPINION - We need jobs now, absolutely, but if something isn't done about the student loan debt crisis, we very well could be looking at turning this Great Recession into a full on depression...
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Congress bans welfare recipients from using federal funds at strip clubs
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Tony Dorsett, Hall of Famer, suing NFL: 'They use you up'
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Komen won't cut breast-screening grants to Planned Parenthood
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TheGrio's 100: Bryan 'Birdman' Williams, Rapper-turned-business-mogul
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War vet denied benefits after being declared dead 4 times
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The 10 most memorable presidential campaign themes (SLIDESHOW)
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Angelo Dundee dead: Legendary trainer for Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard dies at 90
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Black stars shine at 2012 SAG Awards (SLIDESHOW)
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'Key & Peele' set to kick off: What are the best Obama parodies?
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Anthony Mackie in 'Man on a Ledge': Is he the next Denzel? (SLIDESHOW)
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The trouble with Trump's Romney endorsement: It's the birtherism, stupid
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Eddie Long 'crowning': Why do black churches often put pastors on a pedestal?
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Why Jan Brewer's disrespect will motivate black voters for Obama
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Trump endorsement may hurt, not help Romney
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Don Cornelius suicide should stir up mental health debate in black community
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