Dori Maynard

Committed Fathers of Color: Everywhere and Nowhere

djmaynard — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:40:42 -0700

SOME YEARS my father's birthday fell on Father's Day. In many ways, that was appropriate. For all of his professional success, I think what gave my father the most profound sense of joy was being a dad.

How Different Media View Racial Controversies

alowell — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:24:01 -0700

No matter the medium, the subjects were the same. Jesse Jackson made some rather unwise remarks about Barack Obama and the New Yorker published a satirical depiction of the Obamas that many thought missed the mark.

Bloggers Demonstrate the Difference Diversity Makes

alowell — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:20:18 -0700

Two days after the election both UNITY and the National Association of Black Journalists sent out open letters urging the media to redouble their efforts to diversify staffs in the aftermath of the historic election of Barack Obama.

Ta-Nehisi Coates, from Politics to Poetry

alowell — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:17:13 -0700

Go to Ta-Nehisi Coates' blog and you don't know if you're going to find a post on politics, poetry, the NFL or the world of videogames.
A journalist who has worked at Time Magazine and the Village Voice, Coates started his own blog after being laid off from Time Magazine. Then, back in August, the author of the recently released "The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons and an Unlikely Road to Manhood," was added to the magazine's roster of bloggers at the Atlantic.com.

When is a Riot a Riot?

alowell — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:14:51 -0700

By now almost everyone knows that a group of demonstrators protesting against the killing of a young father by a transit officer splintered off and began a wave of destruction in downtown Oakland.
Mainstream media outlets called it everything from a riot to a violent protest. Some bloggers referred to it as a civil unrest, rebellion or both a riot and civil unrest.

As Newspapers Implode, Diverse Voices Move Online

alowell — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:11:55 -0700

In a few weeks the American Society of Newspaper Editors will release its annual census. The census, created to capture an accurate picture of the industry's diversity, will also tell us how many jobs were lost in this year of layoffs, buy-outs and shuttered newspapers.
As newspaper companies struggle with advertisers and audiences continuing to migrate to the web, the horrifying and at times mind-numbing rate at which the industry appeared to be imploding has take the question of diversity virtually off the table.

It's fabulous turning 51 on Facebook

alowell — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:56:53 -0700

This year for my birthday I got three calls. Two people sent cards. And I don't think I ever received so much attention in my life.

I have to say, it was fabulous turning 51 years old on Facebook.

Glimpsing the Worlds of Neighbors Online

hrashid — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:19:25 -0700

Over at TheRoot.com, Kim McLarin points out the ridiculousness behind the rumor that floating "out there" exists a tape of Michelle Obama using the term "whitey."

Election Day Could Be Our Own Pangia Day

hrashid — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:12:15 -0700

Coverage of Slaying Verdict Illustrates Lack of Cultural Diversity in Journalism

hrashid — Mon, 19 May 2008 16:58:12 -0700

Blaring red headlines on the Drudge Report announced to the world that the three New York City Police who shot Sean Bell 50 times, killing him, were found not guilty. Drudge, with his right wing reputation, it turns out was one of the only mainstream white blogs to prominently play the Bell verdict. In fairness, the Huffington Post did have a small headline about the verdict.

Things were different in the black blogosphere.