In an effort to better understand my body insecurities I spoke to two of the “biggest” Black pornstars in the industry. — I’ve been watching porn since I was a teenager. But not until I was an adult did I understand that I was steeping myself in racism at the same time. When my father brought the gift of AOL to my childhood home, I’m not sure how he hoped I would…

I was a man with no keys — Some years ago, I was headed into my West Village real estate office, worried about all the things a new business owner worries. Staff issues, overhead, clients, accounting were all weighing on my mind. Then, as I stepped off the F train at the West 4th station, I blindly walked…

It’s hard being left-handed in a society that caters to righties — It all started pretty innocently. I was playing around on TikTok (don’t judge me) and someone asked, “What is something you’ll get a lot of hate for if you say it out loud?” My answer? “Right-handedness is one of the worst kinds of supremacy out there.” The response was overwhelming…

After years of making us laugh at our pain, the most likable man in comedy focuses on the most painful thing of all: our jobs — Roy Wood Jr. is the kind of guy who makes everyone comfortable. He has a talent for making strangers feel as if they grew up with him on his street in Birmingham, Alabama. Even if you have dissimilar viewpoints and values, you’d still want to sit and have a beer…

Dave Chappelle’s latest (and final?) comedy special “The Closer” premiered on Netflix today. The comedian took this opportunity to double and triple down on his thoughts on race, gender, and sexuality — his opinions and jokes on these subjects have left many people raw. Chappelle’s Netflix curtain call has brought…

What happens when someone you love can't remember the trauma you can't forget? — I received a DM on Twitter that read, "Shane, not a review request, but I had to share our Black film about healing with you. Desmond's Not Here Anymore just opened the HollyShorts film festival at the Chinese Theatre this past weekend. It stars Emmy winner S. Epatha Merkerson &…

Sir, I’ll start with the prerequisite praise. You and the rest of Public Enemy played a pivotal role in centering my blackness. It is why the purpose of this letter is so disappointing. As we all know, R. Kelly, after two-plus decades of being a serial sexual predator, was finally…

In this episode, we’ll be talking about the danger of crying white women following the meltdowns of Abigail Elphick and Lindsey Shaw. — What Now? is a video series I have created to discuss relevant cultural issues. The videos are short (under three minutes) and shot in vertical format for mobile users. I’m posting them to Medium to test how well multimedia content will perform on this platform. [Transcript]

Tiktok has made a practice out of stealing from and suppressing black creators. What does this mean for the app long term? — What Now? is a video series I have created to discuss relevant cultural issues. The videos are short (under three minutes) and shot in vertical format for mobile users. I’m posting them to Medium to test how well multimedia content will perform on this platform. [Transcript]