Today, at age 75, Don Cornelius was found dead as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound authorities are calling a suicide. The tragic news jump-started Black History month. It was the end of the warm voice, the smooth cat-daddy composure, and the effortless swagger that was on full display for decades as the conductor of the Soul Train, the black community’s weekly TV party. For allowing us to ride on “the hippest trip in America,” Mr. Cornelius will always be remembered as the Afro-ed hero of a culture. Or will he?
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If you haven’t read this T.I. interview yet, do so. As for the backstory, some questions will remain unanswered until time sorts things out. What’s left is after the jump…
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Morehouse College, the historically black institution for men, and Martin Luther King’s alma mater, has a girl problem—a “mean girl” problem to be exact. Aliya S. King’s latest story in VIBE magazine explores the lives of gender bending cross-dressers who fight for their right to express themselves. The story has been causing quite a stir. Before the story hit stands, the President of Morehouse said he was “insulted by what is to be published. Addressing our young men as ‘girls’ is deeply disturbing to me, no matter what the remainder of the article may say.” Here—thanks to my extra special inside track—Aliya S. King responds to the Morehouse president and explains the story behind the story.
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