Discussions about Black History Month have become as complex as discussions about race. Debating the labels ‘black’ and ‘African-American’ lead to debates about biracial identity and, recently, whether Senator Obama, Joe Biden’s “first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy” friend, is actually African-American. In the same vein, Black History Month has increasingly been relabeled African-American Heritage Month and African Heritage Month, terms emphasizing the present and future as... more ›

With the new Dave Eggers book receiving critical acclaim and with a new documentary, God Grew Tired of Us: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan produced by Brad Pitt, those that were relocated to the United States in 2001 from Sudan are giving a voice to a country that has long been ignored. The so-called Lost Boys are a group of 4,000 Sudanese who were sent to the United States in 2001. The... more ›

Spend enough time on the Internet and you’ll find someone making a Nazi metaphor, typically a flip comment about anyone inspiring enough wrath: strict parents, obtuse politicians, that guy who disagreed with you in an online chat. We can’t fathom how a blowhard political commentator or grandstanding Congressman merits comparison with a regime that killed millions of people in concentration camps, so we were relived when Senator Obama denounced this type of rhetoric in the... more ›

As the kids start heading back to school, it’s time to close the books on the summer movie season. We’ll leave it to the New York Times to do the post-mortem on Hollywood. Apparently some movies are not very good, which may lead to decreased attendance and box office receipts. In other news, scientists have learned that water is wet and children like candy. With the days getting shorter, there are a few notable screenings... more ›

Chicagoist has often wondered who would play ourselves in the movie version of our life (we're hoping our life looks more like fleshbot.com than i-am-bored.com). Sure, there's temporary fame to be found on TV by eating bat dung or inviting Mary Poppins to live with you, but we're shooting for historical permanence here and that requires the big screen treatment. Several films in the city this week provide looks at the famous, the anonymous and...the... more ›