English in a time of Eminem

Ibrahima Samb, 25, is my English language student. He is studying accounting and, unfortunately, really likes listening to Eminem. I promised to bring him some Amir Sulaiman and Mos Def our next class.

Africa is a country in the Jim Crow South

My grandmother's sister is not well. Ruth is her name but my family is from Mississippi, so we call her Ain't Bay Ruth (Auntie Baby Ruth). She is the oldest woman living in my family.

True story from Dakar

The power went out.

When it goes out at night, it's usually too hot to do anything but try to sleep. So I went to sleep and woke up about an hour later with a full bladder. But my apartment is literally pitch black when the lights are out at night.

Dakar Women’s Group Meeting: Art on a wall (21 September…

Dakar Women’s Group Meeting: Art on a wall (21 September 2010)

Dakar Women’s Group Meeting: Art on a storefront (21…

Dakar Women’s Group Meeting: Art on a storefront (21 September 2010)

Dakar Women’s Group Meeting: At the Terreau Bi Hotel &…

Dakar Women’s Group Meeting: At the Terreau Bi Hotel & Casino (21 September 2010)

Dakar Women’s Group Meeting: MLK Blvd (21 September 2010)

Dakar Women’s Group Meeting: MLK Blvd (21 September 2010)

Culture Finds: The wonderful world of art

The art world has been keeping busy. From film to photography to innovative projects about sustainability, the [art] block is hot.

Culture Finds: African cuisine, James Baldwin in San Francisco and art commemorating victims in China's Sichuan province

In this week's culture finds the existence of African cuisine is questioned, James Baldwin evaluates San Francisco's African American community and an artist remembers earthquake victims fromsouthwest China.

Quote #10: Sometimes in April

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." — Martin Luther King, Jr., human rights activist