Gil Scott-Heron Dies

Gil Scott-Heron was a poet, musician, songwriter and author. Born in Chicago, he lived with his grandmother in Jackson, TN and after her death, he returned to his mother in the Bronx, New York City. Scott-Heron attended Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, as it was the college chosen by his biggest influence Langston Hughes. Although Scott-Heron never received his undergraduate degree, he had a Masters degree in Creative Writing from Johns Hopkins University.


Scott-Heron was the author of the song “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”, one of his most well-known compositions and contains hip hop elements such as rapping, cultural and political references, heavy drumbeats, and minimalist production. Be sure to take the time to check out the song. recorded in 1970 in Harlem.

Scott-Heron died in New York City at the age of 62.

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McCain, King Resolution to Pardon Jack Johnson

Sen. John McCain and Rep. Peter King again are pushing a congressional resolution urging a presidential pardon for Jack Johnson, who became the world's first black heavyweight champion a century ago.

"A full pardon would not only shed light on the achievements of an athlete who was forced into the shadows of bigotry and prejudice, but also allow future generations to grasp fully what Jack Johnson accomplished against great odds." The original resolution overwhelmingly passed Congress in 2009. McCain and King have introduced virtually the same resolution in Congress to pardon Johnson since 2004.

President Barack Obama refused to act on the call for a pardon in the last congressional session, even after the resolution passed both houses of Congress. The Justice Department told the lawmakers that such requests are best used for the living.

Related articles

• McCain, King again seek pardon for former heavyweight champ Jack Johnson (thehill.com)
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"Black Women Are Less Attractive": Psychology Today

Nearly 20 years after a black parent documented how hard it was to hear, "Mommy, I want to be white,"1 Psychology Today reinforced the false and hurtful sentiment that Black women aren't attractive.

Last week they published an article claiming it to be scientific fact that Black women are less beautiful than women of other races,2 penned by Satoshi Kanazawa, who is notorious for hiding behind pseudoscience to promote discredited racist and sexist ideas.3

By giving Kanazawa a platform and validating his ideas, Psychology Today dehumanized Black women and girls everywhere. After widespread public outcry, they removed the article from their website.4 But that alone won't erase the damage they've done by validating these discredited ideas — the editors need to apologize, explain how this happened, and let us know that it won't happen again. Please join us in demanding they do so immediately, and then ask your friends and family to do the same:

Related Articles

Colorofchange.com-It's a Fact that Black Women are unattractive

The Data's In: Satoshi Kanazawa is a Bad Scientist
ScientificAmerican.com

Satoshi Kanazwa's racist nonsense ...
Guardian.Co.UK

Bristol Palin's Plastic Surgery

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Jack Stuef, Wonkette blog reports that Bristol Palin had all the fat sucked out from underneath her face and suddenly has a new Jay Leno chin. This allowed her a chance to once again tap some food money from US Weekly, by denying the procedure was plastic surgery. The problem, she says, was that her snowbilly teeth were all screwed up and her jaw was about to rot off or something. Even better!

“Yes,” she admits, “It improved the way I look, but this surgery was necessary for medical reasons…so my jaw and teeth could properly realign…I don’t obsess over my face”

Still, “I am absolutely thrilled with the results,” she gushes. “I look older, more mature, and don’t have as much of a chubby little baby face!”

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• Bristol Palin Denies Plastic Surgery, Says New Face is From "Corrective Jaw Surgery" (thehollywoodgossip.com)
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Happy Birthday, Malcolm X

May 19 was the birthday of Malcolm X, (he would have been 86) and as someone who lived through the turbulent '60s I remember him as one of the driving forces in the civil rights era. His autobiography, written with Alex Haley, is was a compelling tale of his journey from street hustler to religious and civil rights leader.  His original name is Malcolm Little ; his Muslim name was el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz.

Democracy Now! hosts a roundtable discussion about Dr. Manning Marable's controversial new biography,Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention. Dr. Marable used material for his book that was recently made available, thus providing a new insight into the famed civil rights leader. His biography, however, has also refueled the debate on many controversial aspects of Malcolm X's life and interpretation of his politics and legacy.

Only minutes into the discussion, Amiri Baraka and Michael Eric Dyson spared off about Manning's research on the life of Malcolm X and conclusions about the political legacy of the famed civil rights leader.

Check out the excerpt of what Amiri Baraka, an acclaimed poet, playwright, music historian and activist based in Newark, NJ,  and Michael Eric Dyson had to say:

Denzel Gets Honorary Degree

Denzel Washington made remarks during the University of Pennsylvania's 255th Commencement Monday, May 16, 2011, in Philadelphia.

The 56-year-old star of "Malcolm X" and "Philadelphia" delivered a humorous speech with a sobering truth: Failure is inevitable. Yet instead of having something to fall back on, he said, graduates should "fall forward" -- learn from their mistakes and keep going.
Thomas Edison had countless failed experiments before succeeding with the light bulb, he said.
"Do you have the guts to fail?" Washington said. "If you don't fail, you're not even trying."

Washington received an honorary doctorate at the ceremony. In granting the degree, Penn President Amy Gutmann said that his moving performances have "entertained us, inspired us and often enlightened us." She also praised his off-screen work with charities and social causes, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

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Dougie Rapper Killed in Drive-by

M-Bone of the rap group Cali Swag District, which scored a hit last year with the song "Teach Me How to Dougie," was killed in a weekend drive-by shooting as he sat in a car outside a liquor store, police said Monday. The motive for Sunday night's shooting was under investigation, Lt. James Madia said.

The 22-year-old Inglewood man, whose real name is Mante Ray Talbert, was sitting alone in his car shortly after 10:30 p.m. "Another car pulled alongside, gunshots were fired, and the victim was struck twice in the head," Madia said.

Talbert died at a hospital. Talbert was "the victim of a random act of violence," said a statement from Cali Swag District's publicist, Greg Miller.

Cali Swag District's hit "Teach Me How to Dougie" is based on the Dougie dance, which first appeared in Texas and is noted for its leaning stances and shoulder and arm movements.

The dance was performed not only in dance clubs and the streets, but by celebrities as well, from Wolf Blitzer to Washington Wizards star John Wall. Even first lady Michelle Obama recently performed the dance as part of her Let's Move initiative.

"He was a hardworking, passionate artist and dancer that will be deeply missed," Miller said.

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• 'Dougie' Rapper Killed in Drive-By Shooting (abcnews.go.com)
• M-Bone Victim of Random Drive-By Shooting (tmz.com)