Shaneen Allen didn’t know it was illegal to bring the gun that she was legally licensed to carry in Philadelphia into New Jersey. When she got pulled over last October for a minor traffic offense, she told police about the gun and was arrested facing a mandatory three years in prison. Allen will be admitted into a pre-trial intervention program in Atlantic City.

by Jewanna T. Carver

My father’s first name was Henry. My mother chose not to give me his surname, though she never doubted I was his child. I don’t know how certain he was of his paternity, but the likelihood was strong enough to notify the Social Security Administration and have me added to a long list of his dependents. The process was nothing new for him. Though married, Henry had more than a few “outside children.” I wasn’t the first or the last of his indiscretions. However it’s been my mother who has dealt with the brunt of my judgment. How could someone so smart, make such a poor decision to have a child with a married man? Why did Henry have to be my father?

by Tracie Ricks

Sheryl Underwood opened a door of discussion about African American women and how we view one another by disclosing on THE TALK a conversation that she unknowingly listened in on where she was the topic of discussion. Sheryl disclosed the names of her fellow comedians that felt some kind a way about her appearance and character. Distraught and probably hurt by the negativity, Sheryl confessed that she ‘was bruised, but not broken’. In the days since Underwood’s confession, critics and fans alike have pounced on the salaciousness of the ‘secret’, the women who were named as the ‘back-stabbers’ and the inspirational aftermath. What we as African American women have yet to discuss and explore is the roots of such negative conversation and why engaging in it is harmful.

The video of a news anchor in Anchorage, Alaska, saying, "F*** it, I quit!" live on air went viral over the weekend. Charlo Greene walked away from her job as a KTVA news reporter, in favor of dedicating herself fully to being the owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club and advocating for the legalization of marijuana use in the state.

Marlene Pinnock, the 51-year-old woman punched repeatedly by California Highway Patrol officer Daniel Andrew on the side of a freeway in an incident caught on video, will receive $1.5 million under a settlement reached Wednesday night, and the officer has agreed to resign.

Raw Story reports that Oklahoma State Highway Patrol Caption George Brown had some interesting (meaning insensitive, maddening, and ludicrous) advice when he gave an interview with local news affiliate KJRH last week. The interview was set up to give women "tips" on how they can stay safe during a traffic stop, in response to the three current investigations of Oklahoma law enforcement officials sexually assaulting women while on the job.

Capt. Brown's "best tip" for women to avoid being sexually assaulted by cops is by "follow[ing] the law in the first place, so you don't get pulled over."

by Catherine Saunders

Remarkable author J. California Cooper was born in 1932 to Maxine and Joseph E. Cooper in Berkley, California. Cooper would spend most of her life in Northern California, leading a very private but prolific life. She journeyed home on September 20, 2014 in Seattle Washington, alongside her only child, Paris Williams.

Late last week, the worst fears of little Hiawayi D’iland Robinson’s family were recognized as law enforcement officials confirmed the body of the 3-foot tall and 45 pound minor to be found by a city worker behind an abandoned building on Rebel Road of Prichard, Al.

by Amber L. Wright

The question of how much privacy celebrities are entitled to has dominated the internet as the recent influx of leaked nude pictures from their hacked accounts hit screens all over the world. No matter if the celebrity were Black or white, mainstream or urban, in many conversations I was privy to about this issue, I saw the same commentary. Statements like, “Just don’t take nude pictures if you don’t want them leaked” or “They should have seen it coming because they’re celebrities” were plentiful and repetitious.

I want to be clear and explicit: I love my (natural) hair. I really do! Like most Black women, my relationship with my hair is a reflection of my relationship with my culture, my womanhood, and my journey. Each hairstyle and phase I’ve gone through with my hair is a marker for where I was in my life, what my values were, and how I felt about myself.

by Tamerra Griffin

I can’t say I wasn’t warned. Shortly after Alessandra Stanley’s piece of work on Shonda Rhimes as an “angry black woman” ran in The New York Times, I began receiving exclamation-heavy text and Facebook messages directing me to the story and inviting me to join the collective deep sigh side eye. One of my friends even told me to grab a glass of wine to help me get through it. I did not listen, but I should have.

This fall you'll more than a few opportunities to see the talents of Black women on the small screen. Black actresses are much better represented in this season's dramas than comedies, but if you're looking for a laugh, tune into Tracee Ellis Ross on ABC's "Black-ish."

Here's a calendar to help you plan you fall TV schedule!

by Nana Aduba-Amoah

Early Thursday morning, witnesses discovered the nude bodies of two black women lying dead on the side of a road in Jacksonville, Fla.

"They were naked, bound. They had, like, zip ties around their hands and their feet,” witness, Alton Soles, recounted to FOX 13 News.

by Nana Aduba-Amoah
Tracy Lewis is paving a way for black women in the public safety industry after being promoted to firefighter lieutenant at the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) ceremony held Wednesday morning.  Lewis, 41, is the second black woman in the history of the FDNY to be promoted in twelve years.

by Krista White

I sat there, sobbing on the counter, eating an entire bag of shredded cheese and thought, “Maybe I need to change something in my life.” So naturally I continued sobbing and finished the bag of cheese. Everyone’s depression is different. Some people turn to drugs. Some people have a gratuitous sex with strangers. And others retreat into themselves, only coming out of their messy dorm room to devour ungodly amounts of cheese. I almost wish I were the “make reckless choices” brand of depressive. That might have been kind of fun. But no, when I was deeply depressed for about half of my college career, I mostly cried, ate, slept, and watched LOST.

by Princess Gabbara

The final week I spent in my childhood home was surreal to say the least. I knew we were moving soon, but for an eight year old going on nine, seeing all my toys piled up in the corner of the room that my younger sister and I shared made it official.

by Crystal Tennille Irby

I love my son’s hands. I love to hold them/ kiss them/ help them trace letters. His hands amazed me at the tender age of 3 writing Hs on his own. Then minutes later horrified me transforming Legos into a gun which he aimed at me and said “Pow, pow Mommy.” He doesn’t know his cousin’s fibula will be shattered two days later due to a gunshot wound or a week later Chicago will register its 500th homicide. He doesn’t know he will never meet his Uncle because he was shot five times in the back at close range or during my 6th month of pregnancy with him a young Black male was killed in our county every weekend. He doesn’t know more than Kassandra Perkins, Javon Belcher is imprinted in my psyche because more than wondering how to keep my brown boy from falling victim to violence I wonder how to prevent him from becoming a perpetrator. He doesn’t know we’ve done everything in our power to insulate him from exposure to violence. He doesn’t know. He’s just a boy, all boy they say. Let him be. No. Not in this house.

I shouldn't have to wonder how quickly my parents would cut me off financially if I decided to come out of the closet, but I often do.  So goes the plight of being queer, Christian, and in the closet.

by Doris Agwu

“You need to let him go.” I’ve heard this statement so many times that it’s become quite predictable. Most family members and friends jump to it whenever I mention a particular man I dated once upon a time. No one could understand that two people who were once in a relationship could survive such turmoil yet still remain friends, best friends.

With books you have the ability to create for your child new worlds and show them new possibilities. That is why the books we read to them are so important. Teach your children about tenacity, courage,and brilliance with the stories of these women.

By now, many of us have learned about the case against Daniel Holtzclaw, the young Oklahoma City police officer accused of sexually assaulting eight middle-aged Black women. We know that he committed these crimes after pulling most of these women over for false traffic stops. He would then ask them to lift up their shirts, so he could fondle their breasts and force them to perform sexual acts for him. We know that he targeted his victims with great specificity, choosing women from lower-income backgrounds who had a history of “drug use and prostitution.” We know that he allegedly stalked some of his victims, coming into contact with them more than once. We know that he is even accused of illegally entering one victim’s home on more than one occasion.

by Tanya Allen
My oldest daughter is 9 and has a mane of long, thick curls. I, and almost everyone else she meets, think they are beautiful. Unique. She thinks  they are too ‘pouffy’ and hates how much time it takes to wash, condition, detangle and style. But I see the slight flicker of pride in her eyes when she is complimented on her hair. The way she flicks it around on the odd occasion she lets me leave it loose.  But it wasn’t always this way. A couple of years ago she hated her hair. She saw how easy it was for me with my straight (relaxed) hair in the mornings. How her friends could brush their hair in mere seconds in the mirror of the school toilets during break time. How they could go swimming and not have to worry about the long aftercare process. She wanted straight hair.

I tried to tell tell her how beautiful her hair is and that she should love it. But I was coming to realise that my words meant nothing if my example said otherwise. I loved my long, straight, thick hair. Couldn’t imagine not relaxing it and getting rid of the fuzzy regrowth. I couldn’t remember what my own natural hair even looked like, having had my first perm at around 9 years of age. At 14 I switched to relaxers and, apart from the inch or two of regrowth between touch ups, never saw my natural hair. How could I possibly teach my daughter to love her hair as it is, if I wasn’t loving mine?



This question bothered me. A lot. I had my last relaxer in August 2012 and during the months that followed, I struggled, with determination, to learn how to cope with the transitioning phase. I watched hour after hour of youtube videos of other naturals and their hair journeys. Sometimes it was the only thing that kept me from reaching for the nearest tub of relaxer. That and the knowledge that it is my duty as a mother to instill pride and self worth in my daughters.

In May 2013, I went for the big chop. I wish I could say that I loved it straight away. The truth is, I was kind of shell shocked! It was liberating in a way to have so little hair to deal with, but as my hair grew and all the various textures became apparent, I have had a hard time loving it. Some days I’d want to cry with frustration as I battled to make my hair do what I wanted it to. I felt less attractive and I missed long hair that I could tie back on a busy morning. My whole image was so different to what I’d always known and been used to. And not everyone could understand why I cut off my long, thick, healthy, straight hair. At times, neither could I!

But somehow, over time, as I have learned what works for me and what doesn’t, I have grown to love the thick, unruly, do-whatever-the-hell-it-wants hair that grows out of my head. And I have shown and taught my daughter something. That it’s ok to be different. To stand out. To wear your hair as it grows out of your head and love it, regardless of what society says. Even more, I’ve shown myself. This journey started out as something that I felt I needed to do for my girls - I didn’t realize that it was something I needed to do for me too.

My youngest is only three, but the other day she insisted on wearing her hair loose instead of in its usual plaits. “I want my hair like mummy’s!” she insisted. And all day, even when it got in her way, she refused to have it put up, preferring to toss it to and fro. We both wore our afros with pride. And my older daughter is much more involved in her own hair care as we try out new products together. She didn’t like my hair after my big chop, but she loves it now.

This is what natural hair means to me. My daughters growing up and loving who they are, and me loving and accepting who I am, naturally.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

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Tanya Allen can be found on Instagram: Britintdot and Twitter: @tanyathinkfresh

A New York City auctioneer and broker is feeling tired but satisfied after a billionaire's purchase of a massive collection of belongings of civil rights icon Rosa Parks.

For eight years, Arlan Ettinger, founder of the 39-year-old Guerney's auctioneers and brokers, was on a mission to find a home for the more than 100 cartons of writings, clothing and awards that belonged to Parks, who died in 2005.

by Neisha Washington

“My mother built my father on her back. . . I know she may have saved my life, but I’d rather kill myself than repeat hers.” Tatyana’s words cut a hole so deep those in the room could not find words to fill it. I knew her story well. She hailed from one of those two parent families lauded by black respectability proponents as the saving grace of a wayward people.  Her father a well-respected man in the community, was an awful SOB behind doors. No matter. As long as the family contributed regularly to the offering, the daughters kept their legs shut, and mother kept lifting her hands in prayer on Sundays all was well.

by Olivia Smarr

When I was five years old, I joined the new Youth Liturgical Dance Ministry at my church. In the dance ministry we explored how to use our bodies to serve the Lord and minister to the congregation. However, there were some rules involved. Most of the movements we did solely involved arms, hands, or legs—no torso or hip movements because they could be perceived as sexual. We were also restricted in our appearance. Our ministry garments were loose and oversized so that no figure could be discerned underneath. We wore pants under the skirts and dresses that we danced in and a full unitard under all of that. The only parts of our bodies exposed were our heads, hands, and feet. These guidelines were all intended to prevent our bodies from distracting from the message of the Gospel we were supposed to be sharing.

Whenever anybody asks about black women in comics, the immediate response is to bring up Storm. But Storm isn't the only black woman to rock superpowers and a costume. Here are 20 other black female characters in superhero comics who deserve more love and attention.

Actress Danièle Watts was wrongfully detained under the suspicion that she was a prostitute after being affectionate with her boyfriend in Studio City, California.

by Amber L. Wright

With news breaking of NFL star Adrian Peterson being indicted on charges of negligent injury to a child for allegedly hitting his 4 year old son with a switch, the internet is all abuzz with commentary on whether or not he’s wrong for his actions. Some say, “Hey, that’s how I was raised and I turned out fine,” while others say, “It doesn’t take all of that to discipline a child.”

by Amber Wright

When I read Pearl Cleage’s memoir, “Things I Should Have Told My Daughter: Lies, Lessons & Love Affairs,” I expected to learn more about the life of an author I’ve long loved and respected. What I didn’t expect was to so readily identify with her journey as a woman, wife, mother, and writer. The complexities of womanhood are left eloquently on display through each of her journal entries that are published in the book. I saw myself in so many of her words and experiences, and I found her to be all the more inspiring as a result. I am so glad she made the brave choice to share these things with her daughter and her new daughters like me, with the world. These are my five greatest nuggets of wisdom I away from her memoir.

by GaBrilla Ballard

I used to be one of the many who called women "stupid" for staying with
men who hit them. Wondered and shook my head, rolled my eyes and
looked down on women who would let a man "put his hands on them.” I
used to stand with a sense of entitled judgment, until a man I loved hit me.

by Queen Muse

This week, Vogue Magazine author Patricia Garcia declared that we've officially entered the "era of the big booty." And while many rushed to condemn the author for her failure to recognize the long history of big booty love in pop culture, the article made me think of something else: what is the purpose of a butt in the first place and why is our culture so infatuated with it?

I have always been good at making people feel uncomfortable by being extremely vocal about my views on political and social issues. This has also led to quite a few misunderstandings, especially with people not familiar with social justice praxis.

by Stephany Rose, Ph. D.

As a survivor of sexual assault, I know that the second most traumatic experience after an assault is reliving one’s assault over and over again. It’s beyond horrific to have lived through the abuse to begin with, but to loose control over how you come to reclaim your agency, your power, your self is just as life threatening as the assault. Thus, when the second video of Ray Rice’s assault against Janay Rice emerged on Monday, Sept. 8th, my heart ached once again for Janay. Here she was again being forced by capitalizing media interest to live on instant reply a fateful night that so many others are using to define her life.

by Osamagbe Osagie

"Beware of Respectability. It is a terminal disease." -Dr. Mark Naison

Shame. Guilt. Lack of necessary social resources. These are all the tactics employed by one of society's most notorious yet oft overlooked murders: the politics of respectability. Cultivated in a hetero-normative, Eurocentric, cis-male, middle/upper class, Christian based, hegemonic context, the politics of respectability thrives off of debilitating its prey in order to concentrate and maintain its power.

By Rev. Dominique C. Atchison

I grew up hearing stories about the generational domestic violence that seemed to be ever-present in my mother’s family. As witness to that violence, my mother would always say, “I hate the way that the word ‘domestic’ gets put in front of the word ‘violence’. As if somehow it’s nicer because it’s domestic.” I never quite understood what she meant when I was child. But as I came into adulthood, I began to see what she is talking about. There is an assumption in our culture that if you are assaulted by someone with whom you share intimacy, it is somehow different or less problematic than if you were assaulted by someone you didn’t know.

by Doris C. Agwu

I am big. I am black. I am a woman. I am a big, black woman. Society has tried to teach me that this means that I have 3 strikes against me and that I should be out. But that is not what this is about. This is about how I tried to seek validation through the types of men I dated. From successful attorneys to reputable doctors, it seemed that I mentally told myself that I needed to date men of value in order to increase my value.

Speculation and misinformation about the realities of abusive relationships abound in light of the emergence of a video recording showing former professional football player Ray Rice striking his now-wife Janay in the elevator of an Atlantic City hotel. This misinformation not only inhibits productive dialogues about domestic violence, it potentially endangers and isolates those who experience it.

by Vivian Hee for the New York Times

Not much seems unusual about Judian and Kadeian Brown’s storefront in a tidy plaza off Church Avenue in Flatbush, Brooklyn, a neighborhood where every block seems to have its own African hair-braiding salon.

Posters of African-American women with long, sleek hair fill the window. Round jars of shea butter belly up to slender boxes of hair dye on the shelves. Wigs perch on mannequin heads.

by Kimberly Peeler-Allen for Higher Heights of America

In the weeks since the unconscionable killing of Michael Brown by Ferguson, Mo., police officer Darren Wilson, the media has produced a nonstop barrage of stories chronicling the tragedy’s effect on the mostly African-American community. But one casualty has received minimal coverage: Ferguson’s youngest residents were scheduled to begin a new school year just days after the August 9th shooting, but the ongoing unrest kept them out of class for more than a week and a half.

I have often been asked 'Do you think you're white?'. This is usually a weak reference to my demeanor, which can be misinterpreted as 'haughty' on one end of the spectrum, and 'refined' on the better end. I stopped entertaining the question long ago, it is blatantly foolish and problematic. However, yes! In some ways I did think I was "white"- just not in the way the questioners thought.

by Cherekana F.

The Natural Hair Movement is changing. We feel it, we sense it, and we’re angry about some of the changes taking place. As we should. In a lot of ways, the Natural Hair Movement is becoming more mainstream and whitewashed and Black women are becoming a less visible image of the movement.

by Bee Quammie

“It’s raining
My body’s calling
I’m in neeeeeed
Of my darling…”
- Lady Saw

I still remember my father bringing home that Lady Saw vinyl, putting it on his turntable in our basement, and feeling the bass pulse through our little house. I still remember Saw’s gritty voice singing about her sexual appetite and how she wanted to be satisfied. I still remember my mom fussing at my dad for playing that “slackness” around me. “What kind of example are you setting?” she asked.

Founded in 2011, Black Girls Code works across the country to expose young Black and Brown girls to the opportunities with growing tech sector. Kimberly Bryant, an electrical engineer by training, began the organization because of her own experiences in the field.

by Rev. Dominique Atchison

A few years back I made the hard choice to leave the majority African American church and denomination where I was raised. I left because I felt we were choosing misogyny and homophobia over the Spirit of the Living God. For the sake of my sanity, I left and joined another church and denomination. It was a majority white church and affiliated with a majority white denomination. That is where I was eventually ordained and that is where I still hold my membership.

After complaints, the crowdfunding site GoFundMe has removed a fundraiser for officer Daniel Holtzclaw.

Holtzclaw, a three-year veteran of the Oklahoma City police department, was arrested last month on charges of rape, forcible oral sodomy, sexual battery, and indecent exposure. Eight victims have come forward, and each of them are Black women between the ages of 34 and 48.

Blogger turned Author Doyin Richards is on a mission to change the way we think and talk about fatherhood. His first book, Daddy Doin' Work: Empowering Mothers to Evolve Fatherhood, is in stores now. I spoke with Doyin about his stereotypes about black dads and what we can do to not only change the conversation but change some of the potentially destructive family dynamics.