A few weeks ago, Dr. Jim Taylor tackled the subject of Relationships 2.0 in The Huffington Post. He wrote:   Of all the areas of life that computer and communications technology seems to be impacting the most is its influence on relationships. Mobile phones, texting, facebook, and Twitter are just a few of the ways in which relationships are being redefined, established, and maintained by technology. We have entered a new era of Relationships 2.0. Read more...   That my two-year involvement... Read Full Story

[Here is a post from November 2007. As I read it this morning, it occurred to me that the problem I described two years ago has only gotten worse, though I do think there is a greater diversity of voices talking about race in the mainstream, which is good news.]Why was Don Imus vilified and fired for calling a group of young, black athletes "nappy headed hoes," but able to return to the airwaves months later provoking barely a stir? Why is Michael Richards' racist tirade in a Los Angeles nigh... Read Full Story

I was going to begin this post be talking about Mohandas Gandhi. I was going to chastise Bernice King, daughter of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., and new leader of the civil rights organization Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), for her hateful pronouncement, recounted in The Guardian: "I know down in my sanctified soul that [MLK] did not take a bullet for samesex unions."I was going to point out that Gandhi, who is said to have inspired MLK, did not take a b... Read Full Story

Today on Newsweek's "Human Condition," bloggers (including moi) were invited to share their thoughts on Allison Samuels' recent criticism of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's alleged neglect of their daughter, Zahara's, hair. My entry is an edited version of the post below. Also weighing in were Roslyn Hardy Holcomb and Nichelle Gainer. Visit the site and share your comments. Read Full Story

I once wrote about my natural hair:My hair is nappy. It is coarse and thick. It grows in pencil-sized spirals and tiny crinkles. My hair grows out, not down. It springs from my head like a corona. My hair is like wool. You can't run your fingers through it, nor a comb. It is impenetrable. My hair is rebellious. It resists being smoothed into a neat bun or pony tail. It puffs. Strands escape; they won't be tamed. My hair is nappy. And I love it. Read more...I may love my hair. But common wisdo... Read Full Story

Two conversations broiling on the InterWebs caught my attention this week and got me thinking about "choice." On Sunday, television personality Star Jones tweeted her thoughts on the "good hair" issue. On Monday, Feministe published a post about a recent study that found 70 percent of Americans believe a woman should change her name at marriage and that 50 percent believe women should be legally MANDATED to do so. (I still can't look at that stat without blanching.)On the subject of natural v... Read Full Story

Hat tip to Sociological Images What do you think of the cover of ESPN's "Body Issue," featuring a naked Serena Williams. Lisa Wade at Sociological Images writes:Why is it that a woman rarely makes it onto the cover of ESPN and, when she does, she’s freakin’ naked? And, of course (*sarcasm*), it’s for “The Body Issue” (because women’s bodies are where it’s at, right fellas?). I did a google image search for “espn cover” and the first page of results includes only two women. One is naked (Will... Read Full Story

In its Sunday magazine yesterday, The New York Times published an interesting article on the genesis of the title "Ms." I had always thought the title to be a result of the second-wave feminist movement, but it seems people were advancing the idea of a title for women not contingent on marital status as long ago as 1901.In the Nov. 10, 1901, edition of The Sunday Republican of Springfield, Mass., tucked away in an item at the bottom of Page 4, an unnamed writer put forth a modest proposal. "T... Read Full Story

[Editor's note: In a comment to my post on Steve Harvey's book, someone asked what I though about marriage, so I decided to revive this post from last year. See also "Love and Marriage...again" and "From a Married Lady to Young, Single Sisters."]Professor Tracey has me thinking...as usual. Over on Aunt Jemima's Revenge, she has launched a spirited discussion about black women and marriage. Rather than go the usual "why can't black women get married" route, hand-wringing over dire statistics l... Read Full Story

From the introduction to a hot New York Times bestseller about relations between black men and white men in the workplace:...I discovered this when my current career transitioned to radio with The Brad Jurgensen Show. Back when my show was based in Los Angeles, I created a segment called "Ask Brad," during which black guys would call in ask me, a white guy, about anything they wanted to know about race relations. At the very least, I thought "Ask Brad" would lead to some good comedy, and at f... Read Full Story