I wasn't aware of Foxx's "troubles." He's one of my faves, but I don't pay a huge amount of attention to any celebrity, so I missed it.

Speaking of Foxx, and the importance of seeing things through the Black lens instead of the white, he was very helpful in the movie, "They Cloned Tyrone."

In my ignorance, I never really understood the use of the "n" word derivative that is popular in much of Black culture. I knew it was a way of erasing the power of its evil ancestor, but I didn't have much understanding of it, even after having it heard it used many times and in many places, both in real life and in the movies.

But something really clicked in that movie for me with the way they used it. Obviously, nobody will ever hear me using it, but it didn't get lost in translation for me in that movie, especially the way Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris) used it.

And this is how allied white people can fight against the current backlash against history — we read as much as we can from Black authors, including Allison here, and watch Black cinema. It's out there, it's good, and it promotes harmony, even when it seems subversive (actually, especially when).

White folks need to keep in mind what I saw once on a t-shirt on a beach in Chicago: "It's a Black thang. You wouldn't understand." That will always be true, but I enjoy the process of discovering why.