Does this look like Barack Obama to you? A German manufacturer thinks so.

Does this look like Barack Obama? A Utah Couple thinks so. Or thought so. And they think “he’s so cute and cuddly.” TheSockObama doll, not Barack. Well, maybe Barack; they don’t say. But as of today they have stopped selling their odd lil’ [...]

On August 15th, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black and Ben Stiller are set to star in Stiller’s latest comedy ‘Tropic Thunder’.

According to reports, Downey Jr. plays a white actor who takes a role originally written for a black actor and dyes his skin to play the role as a black man. His character does all [...]

Contributor Carole McDonnell’s short stories and essays appear online and in print, in speculative fiction, ethnic, and Christian publications. She lives in New York with her husband, two sons, and their pets. Wind Follower, published by Juno Books, is Carole’s first novel. Her voice adds plenty to our discussion, so I welcome Carole and her [...]

Precious left this as a comment in the Open Thread and I think her story provides an interesting look at race as experienced by a biracial South African/Austrian.
Hi Carmen
I am a young woman living in Vienna, Austria now for 15 years. I thought I would like to share some thoughts with you, maybe it [...]

Looks like UNICEF’s latest campaign to support African children missed the mark. The campaign featuring white children with their faces covered in mud, has been pulled. No one would argue the fact that UNICEF does a lot of good work in a lot of forlorn places, but…

What were they thinking?
Hat tip to Black Women in [...]

According to University of Louisville Professor Joanne Rowe,
Blue eyed people are better strategic thinkers than brown eyed people. And while Brown-eyed people succeeded in activities such as football and hockey, lighter-eyed participants proved to be more succesful in activities that required skills in time structuring and planning such as golf, cross-country running and studying [...]

I believe we can change the world an action at a time. Some turns of events necessitate massive action by lots of people acting simultaneously in pursuit of a big idea. But, if we’re honest, most of us will only muster the resolve to modify our actions in “small ways.” That’s good. Aggregate a bunch [...]

According to American Lawyer magazine, the latest assault on natural black beauty by the fashion industry took place in the boardroom of prestigious Manhattan law firm, Cleary Gottlieb:
… A recent slide show by an unidentified Glamour editor on the “Dos and Don’ts of Corporate Fashion” at a New York law firm shed some light on [...]

According to Gawker, Andrew Morton’s latest tell all entitled Posh & Becks, includes the following passage:
Thanks to his taste in extravagant clothes and jewelry, penchant for rap music and his flash lifestyle, the blond footballer should be considered an honorary black man.
Gawker, David Beckham is an Honorary Black Man
Oh, well then, we should welcome [...]

As far as first impressions go, I try to never judge people by initial appearance. I’ve had enough experiences with bizarre scenarios like rough looking black guys that start into “Ahllo’ chap, top o’ the day” or Asians with thick Southern drawls to know better. I find these encounters most refreshing. On the other hand, [...]

The Riverdale Assembly of God took down their site and sent anonymous self-righteous comments to the blog of Tate Hill; the man who first posted photographic proof of their ignorant and racist school celebration. Supporters of The Riverdale Assembly of God claim they actually believe that boys wearing blackface make-up and dressing in mammy costumes [...]

ColumnistCarole McDonnell’s short stories and essays appear online and in print, in speculative fiction, ethnic, and Christian publications. She lives in New York with her husband, two sons, and their pets. Wind Follower, published this month by Juno Books, is Carole’s first novel. This is her post.
Because we live in the 21st century, everyone wants [...]

I always get a queasy feeling when any of the television networks declare that they have a show that is ‘thought provoking.’ That dull discomfort crests into full blown nausea when the thoughts they purport to provoke revolve around race in America. I have just watched a clip from ABC’s Fall series ‘Cavemen,’ and discussed the [...]

Yet another intriguing issue has been raised by Angelina Jolie. This time it’s Jolie’s portrayal of Mariane Pearl in the upcoming film ’A Mighty Heart.’ Already some in the blogoshpere have dubbed Jolie’s acting a performance in blackface. They’ve got this one all wrong.

I get a little rush whenever I hear that a role originally written with [...]

You might find this naive, but until several days ago, I had thought I would never again encounter anyone passing. Passing is the term used to describe someone who denies his or her racial, ethnic or religious heritage to enjoy the privilege or favor of the larger more accepted culture. During Jim Crow, some light skinned black [...]