There's been a lot of discussion about whether or not it's an athlete's place to stand up for sociopolitical issues. Some people feel it's not their place, while others feel it's their obligation given the fact that their platform allows them to be able to reach the masses unlike the average citizen. There's been talks of possibly tainting their legacy, but taking a look at history, the athletes who did fight for issues particularly black athletes, they're often held on a higher pedestal. From Jim Brown, to Bill Russell, To Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, their stance arguably made them more important historical figures. The same can be said for John Carlos and Tommie Smith who's black leather gloved fists remain one of the Olympics most memorable moments. And of course we remember the late great Muhammad Ali and his refusal to fight in Vietnam, and being incarcerated in his prime because of that. This football season, in addition to all of the eagerness to watch what's happening on the field and keeping track of your fantasy stats, there will be more attention than usual placed on a few guys while still on the sidelines. One of which is Colin Kaepernick.

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“Buy less, but better.” That’s the code menswear designer Kai D. Fan, better known as simply Kai D, operates by. His vintage clothes are designed to emulate styles from fifty years to nearly a century ago, all while holding their own test of time with their durable construction and fine materials. The emphasis is on quality, but where Kai D.’s line really shines is in the detail.

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Someone once told me that “it’s not what people say you are that makes you, it’s what people say you aren’t.” Some of the world’s greatest leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Maya Angelou and Albert Einstein were once considered losers, rejected and irrelevant, but they didn’t allow this to cloud their paths. They turned their pain into power and impacted the world with their God given talent. Many young artists and activists today have followed in their footsteps and contributed to making the world a better place. His last name says it best. Multi-talented artist Darryl Hurts expresses his pain, pleasure and life experiences in various forms of art.

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In times like these with a recession looming and hopes of mending what’s been torn to pieces, a question always remains. In every interview, every casual conversation, someone just has to know: Why fashion? People don’t just buy couture when they’ve lost their jobs. A pair of Chanel shoes are replaced with paying rent. So, why fashion? For designers like LaQuan Smith, fashion isn’t a choice, it’s a calling.

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It usually only takes me a few seconds of listening to a song before I decide if I want it on my playlist. Generally, if I’ve heard a few minutes of a song, then I’ve heard them all. However, when you listen to A Day to Remember, you’ll need to play a track completely through in order to hear every element, because it might just change up on you.

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“I’m not stupid.” Jane Elliott said to her candor during our twenty-minute phone conversation, during which Elliott spoke with her well known level of straightforwardness regarding a myriad of topics concerning the future of America: the 2016 election, colorism, and the ever-changing cultural demographic of the country. She continued, “The fact that a person has a penis instead of a uterus, or the amount of calcium someone has in their skin, does not make them superior.” At 83 years old, Elliott is just as intensive and feverous as she was almost 50 years ago when she first constructed the “Blue eyes - Brown eyes experiment” as a third grade teacher in Riceville, Iowa.

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