QuestLove has more than 1 million followers, and today, all of us were treated to an inside peek at NBC’s homage to Black History Month.  It seems that the network’s cafeteria prepared a special treat, serving the items listed in the photo below.

Later, QuestLove tweeted that he would be taking a small break from Twitter, as it seems NBC wasn’t too ecstatic about his twitpic LOL.  What do you think, offensive or comical?

I stumbled across this social experiment that aired on ABC, showcasing a black actress and two store workers who all agreed to stage a scene at an upscale boutique in SoHo.  The scene goes like this; random shoppers come in and the workers begin to harass the black actress, making comments such as  “you can’t afford the merchandise” and “we know why you are here.” They even go as far as to frisking her before leaving the store.

Check out the shoppers’ reactions, or lack there of in some cases.  Thoughts?

While the entire world is busy tweeting about what the hell bubble boy is doing, an interracial couple was denied a marriage license today…and it almost went unnoticed.

Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in a Louisiana Parish was quoted as saying that he refused to marry Beth Humphrey, 30, and 32-year-old Terence McKay, because he was concerned about their hypothetical children. In his experience, ‘interracial couples don’t last’ and he doesn’t believe he’s mistreated anyone in this matter, or the four other times he denied licenses.  Bardwell was also quoted as saying this:

“I’m not a racist. I just don’t believe in mixing the races that way,” Bardwell told the Associated Press on Thursday. “I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else.”

What.the.hell.

And just in case you are as pissed off as I am…don’t worry, the ACLU sent a letter to the Louisiana Judiciary Committee, which oversees the state justices of the peace, asking them to investigate Bardwell, as well as asked that “the most severe sanctions available, because such blatant bigotry poses a substantial threat of serious harm to the administration of justice.” via Huffington Post

Electric Purgatory is a documentary that examines the struggles of black rock musicians and the industry’s ambivalence towards them. Following Cody Chestnutt, Fish Bone, Vernon Reid and many more, it’s definitely a must see.

Check it out here or pick up a copy from Amazon

The Adventure Cycling Association, a nonprofit organization who’s mission is to bring the love of biking to all people, put together an Underground Railroad Bicycle tour. At 2000 miles, it leads cyclists through the paths and hideouts that were used by slaves seeking freedom and the abolitionists who brought them along.

[Via NYTimes]

According to Essence:

Morris Brown College, a historically Black university in Atlanta, will more than likely not reopen its doors next month for spring semester, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. After continued financial problems for the last few years, the 127-year-old institution has no funds left to pay faculty and staff salaries. The school is sinking in $380,000 of unpaid water bills, along with a hefty debt of $1.5 million dollars, following embezzlement and other alleged crimes by former administrators. The city has cut off water to the college.

Remember the clip of Alvin Ailey featured a couple of months ago? Well, for all of you with children to gift to, turns out there is an Alvin Ailey Barbie. I hope they turn this into a full collection. It is a bit pricey, at $40 each, but in my opinion, well worth it. You can Pre-Order one now at Toys-R-Us.

14 copies of the new, popular game Animal Crossing: Wild World comes complete with racial slurs. While testing the demo game, a user had a sheep approach him and say, “How are you, nigga?” Nintendo recently released a statement regarding these copies:

“Previously played copies of the 2005 DS game Animal Crossing: Wild World were sent to 14 members of the media to demonstrate the ability of players to transfer items to the new Animal Crossing: City Folk for Wii,” Nintendo said. “We regret that an offensive phrase was included without our knowledge via a wireless function that allows user-generated catchphrases to spread virally from one game to the next.

“This version is limited to 14 copies created for media review purposes only and is not available at retailers. We sincerely apologize for the incident and are working with media who received the game cards to return them to Nintendo immediately.”

Thoughts? In all of the efforts to advance technology are we making the world of tech a little too social? This game is mainly marketed to children, which means that if people are able to insert their own phrasing, who knows what could be said?

[Via MTV]

The entire Typography is too big for me to post here, but here is a section of it. I BEG OF YOU to go over to WallStats.com and take a look at the whole thing. Download it [if you wish] and pass it on. It is both saddening and inspiring all at the same time.

[Via Wall Stats]

Of all the coverage I have seen thus far, Sherri Shephard of the View brought me to a hot mess with this. Mamas, grab your tissues.

I’m not sure what is more upsetting; this image depicted on a local Republican newsletter, the fact that it was a women’s group who did it, or the fact that the president of the group is noted as saying that there was no racism intended…it was just food.

Stereotypical African American Foods:

• Fried Chicken [though they got the branding all wrong]: CHECK
• Kool Aid: CHECK
• Watermelon: CHECK

Where’s the 40? Or the ribs? Hmph.

[Via ABC]

Ted Koppel is covering this touching news piece about the last lynching in America [1981] and how racism is still alive today. Premiering tonight on the Discovery Channel.