Culture
Black-owned distilleries are breaking barriers that once surrounded the Kentucky bourbon industry. By Josh Wood / Wash Post
The Black Woman Artist Who Crafted a Life She Was Told She Couldn’t Have. By Concepción de León / NYT
Charlottesville mayor’s poem about city, racism ‘hits nerve.’ By Ben Finley / AP and ABC News
Capturing how Aretha Franklin could “alchemize her pain into sonic gold.” By Melanie McFarland / Salon
Uncle Nearest Whiskey: A Black-Owned Brand With A Bold Plan. By Garin Pirnia / HuffPost
‘Sesame Street’ adds 2 Black Muppets to talk clearly about race and racism. By Kerry Breen / Today
HBO’s ‘Tina’ details abusive marriage to Ike Turner, ‘heroic’ survival. By Patrick Ryan / USA Today
Cynthia Erivo as Aretha Franklin Is About Introducing the World to Singer’s Journey of Becoming the Queen of Soul. By Angelina Velasquez / Atlanta Black Star
A new guide leads travelers through U.S. civil rights history. By Kate Silver / Wash Post
No, Kanye West Is Not The Richest Black Person In America. By Forbes
“Aretha” crowns the Queen of Soul in glory, thanks to star Cynthia Erivo’s own genius. By Melanie McFarland / Salon
Boston Institutions To Launch The Emancipator, Antiracist News Platform. By Rachel Treisman / NPR
Beyoncé Breaks Record For Most Grammy Wins By A Female Artist. By Cole Delbyck / HuffPost
Steven Yeun Is The First Asian American Nominated For Best Actor Oscar. By Marina Fang / HuffPost
Genre-busting musician Michael Kiwanuka on setting himself apart – CBS News
How Can Blackness Construct America? By Michael Kimmelman /NYT
Spike Lee Predicts the Future. By Kara Swisher / NYT
Harry Breaks Free From the Racial Contract—and Pays the Price. By Kali Holloway / The Nation
Imbolo Mbue’s ‘How Beautiful We Were’ Exposes the Human Cost of Capital. By Omar El-Akkad / NYT
Only Oprah had the empathy and interview skills to take on the damaging British media – and win. By Melanie McFarland / Salon
Why white supremacists and QAnon enthusiasts are obsessed – but very wrong – about the Byzantine Empire. By Roland Betancourt / The Conversation
My Mother Found the Dr. Seuss Book. By Michael Harriot / The Atlantic
“Coming 2 America” takes the crown, delivering a sequel worthy of & less patriarchal than the first. By Melanie McFarland / Salon
How ‘Insecure’ Star Issa Rae Is Changing Television: ‘I Just Wanted a Balance.’ By Melissa Leon / The Daily Beast
‘Judas’ Is the Latest Political Movie to Punt on Politics. By Maya Phillips / NYT
No wedge issue too stupid or racist for Republicans, as Dr. Seuss flap shows. By Laura Clawson / Daily Kos
