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How Instagram Made Basketball Fans See Black Dads

Players are providing lasting examples of loving relationships with their children that debunk decades of racist narratives about their absence.

David Leonard
David Leonard

The NBA, a league filled with young, wealthy black men, seems like the perfect place to celebrate black fatherhood. Instead, for decades NBA dads have been cultural punching bags, celebrity straw men for arguments about the pathology of black families. But this season, which concluded this week with the Golden State Warriors’ historic championship, a new story has emerged. Warriors star Steph Curry’s daughter, Riley, is winning the Internet. Derrick Rose’s son is a fan favorite. Chris Paul’s 6-year-old is appearing alongside his dad in TV commercials, and has more than 220,000 followers on Instagram. » More …

A History of Hate Rock From Johnny Rebel to Dylann Roof

C. Richard King
C. Richard King

What makes a young man a racist killer? Dylann Roof, the 21-year-old charged for the murder of nine people at a historic black church in Charleston last week, was “normal,” his cousin told a reporter, “until he started listening to that white power music stuff.” It’s not clear exactly what Roof was listening to or how it influenced him. But it wouldn’t be surprising if music were one of the channels through which his racism crystallized; hate rock is one of the most powerful tools white-power groups have to spread their ideology to young people. » More …

Research shows sleep loss impedes decision making in crisis

Paul Whitney
Paul Whitney

The difference between life and death in the operating room, on the battlefield or during a police shootout often comes down to the ability to adapt to the unexpected. Sleep deprivation may make it difficult to do so, according to a Washington State University study published this month in the journal Sleep. » More …

All lives matter: Pullman eighth-grade class discusses race

Marc Robinson
Marc Robinson

Lincoln Middle School students examine race, riots and privilege in America

Eighth-grade students at Lincoln Middle School asked and answered the tough questions Tuesday when Marc Robinson, WSU instructor of critical culture, gender, and race studies, and students from his Black Freedom Struggle class spoke to them about racial issues. » More …