CULTURE

It may only be mid-summer, but HBCU homecoming chatter is already taking over the timeline! On July 17, North Carolina A&T officially launched its 100-day countdown to the legendary "Greatest Homecoming on Earth," when a record-breaking 200,000 visitors are expected to flood Greensboro for the university's historic centennial celebration, setting the stage for one of the biggest Black cultural events of the year. From NC A&T's landmark 100th anniversary celebration to massive citywide takeovers at Howard University and Jackson State, HBCU homecomings continue to generate multi-million-dollar footprints, evolving into major corporate marketplaces year after year.

Amber Rose explains why she won't teach her children they must work twice as hard because of their race, sparking a parenting debate.

Amber Rose explains why she won't teach her children they must work twice as hard because of their race, sparking a parenting debate.

Zendaya wore a pair of massive, shimmering gold disc earrings surrounded by a halo of diamonds to the London photocall for her film The Odyssey, but the accessories have historians and activist groups absolutely screaming because they are actually 3,000-year-old ancient Iranian artifacts that critics claim were sourced through undisclosed means and essentially looted from the Global South.

July is officially National Watermelon Month—a U.S. Senate-approved celebration of one of summer's favorite fruits. But behind those family backyard BBQs lies a piece of history that was left out of the textbooks. Long before the fruit was hijacked and weaponized as a racist stereotype, the watermelon was actually a powerful symbol of Black freedom and economic independence.