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This 'Cosby Show' Kid Doesn't Want To Be Called African-American Anymore. For A Pretty Great Reason.

It might seem like what Raven-Symoné is saying is needlessly incendiary. But this country is a melting pot, so why do we feel the need to label everyone in it?

And just as a note: While Raven-Symoné says things in this that I agree with 100% (like when people think of "an American," they're usually picturing someone white and male), her point about colorblindness is nice but unfortunately not realistic. I totally respect her reasoning for not wanting to be labeled, but rejecting labels doesn't create equality — it often just makes talking about inequality harder.

Update 10/8/14: Raven-Symoné's interview has sparked a lot of criticism for its overly optimistic view of race (check out a really great dissenting opinion here), so Symoné spoke to The Grio about her very controversial viewpoint and clarified a few things:


Symoné’s comments to Oprah sparked outrage from critics on social media and the blogosphere. In an exclusive statement to theGrio.com, Symoné addresses the criticism she’s received since her interview with Oprah and wants to make one thing clear; she’s still “black.”

“I never said I wasn’t black … I want to make that very clear. I said, I am not African-American. I never expected my personal beliefs and comments to spark such emotion in people. I think it is only positive when we can openly discuss race and being labeled in America.”


Time travel back to 1905.

Back in 1905, a book called "The Apples of New York" was published by the New York State Department of Agriculture. It featured hundreds of apple varieties of all shapes, colors, and sizes, including Thomas Jefferson's personal favorite, the Esopus Spitzenburg.






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Education

A dad's hilarious letter to school asks them to explain why they're living in 1968

"I look forward to this being rectified and my daughter and other girls at the school being returned to this millennium."

Earlier in the week, Stephen Callaghan's daughter Ruby came home from school. When he asked her how her day was, her answer made him raise an eyebrow.

Ruby, who's in the sixth grade at her school in Australia, told her dad that the boys would soon be taken on a field trip to Bunnings (a hardware chain in the area) to learn about construction.

The girls, on the other hand? While the boys were out learning, they would be sent to the library to have their hair and makeup done.

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Photo by Katerina Holmes|Canva

Mom in tears after another parent calls about daughter's lunch


People say having children is like having your heart walk around outside of your body. You send them off to school, practices or playdates and hope that the world treats them kindly because when they hurt, you hurt. Inevitably there will be times when your child's feelings are hurt so you do your best to prepare for that day.

But what prepares you for when the child you love so much winds up accidentally healing your inner child. A mom on TikTok, who goes by Soogia posted a video explaining a phone call she received from a parent in her daughter's classroom. The mom called to inform Soogia that their kids had been sharing lunch with each other.

Soogia wasn't prepared for what came next. The classmate's mother informed her that her son loves the food Soogia's daughter brings to school and wanted to learn how to cook it too.

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via Twitter

Everyone's childhood is different. But there are common objects, sights, sounds, smells, and memories from elementary school that most Gen Xers and Millenials share.

Personally, when i think back to being in elementary school in the '80s, I remember the taste of the chocolate ship cookie we got on Fridays (with the pizza). The humiliation of getting nailed in the back during nation ball. And the grumbling, grinding sound that happened when you slipped a disk into the drive on an Apple IIe computer.

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via Pexels

The Emperor of the Seas.

Imagine retiring early and spending the rest of your life on a cruise ship visiting exotic locations, meeting interesting people and eating delectable food. It sounds fantastic, but surely it’s a billionaire’s fantasy, right?

Not according to Angelyn Burk, 53, and her husband Richard. They’re living their best life hopping from ship to ship for around $100 a night, depending on the cruise. "Cruise costs vary quite a bit, our goal is to average about $100 per night, for the couple, or less across and entire calendar year," Richard told Upworthy.

The Burks have called cruise ships their home since May 2021 and have no plans to go back to their lives as landlubbers. Angelyn took her first cruise in 1992 and it changed her goals in life forever.

“Our original plan was to stay in different countries for a month at a time and eventually retire to cruise ships as we got older,” Angelyn told 7 News. But a few years back, Angelyn crunched the numbers and realized they could start much sooner than expected.

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The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon/Youtube

He makes it looks so easy!

Any fan of “Whose Line Is It Anyway” is well aware of Wayne Brady’s next level musical improv skills. He’s done it a million times, and yet each new on-the-spot performance seems as magical as the last.

In fact, it was this particular set of skills that landed Brady his breakout gig in the first place, which he recently explained on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”…just before going into a completely freestyle rap routine using random objects.

And since it’s Wayne Brady, he of course did not miss a beat.
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