There’s racism on the high fashion runways. It’s so egregious, even the New York Times wrote about it. Rachel does a nice job discussing it over at the Tavern.

And, today in class, we’re screening Byron Hurt’s excellent film, “HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes,” which he describes as a “loving critique” of Hip-Hop music and culture. Most of the film is about the misogyny and homophobia in rap lyrics. Hurt does a much better job dealing with sexism and misogyny, which he’s clearly thought a lot about, than with homophobia, which he seems uncomfortable discussing. Lots of bonus points for trying though. The part about racism in the film is when he interviews white kids who are hip-hop fans. One of the white kids says that she listens to hip-hop so she can “experience another culture” that includes “drive bys” and, in perhaps the most telling white-kid moment in the film, a white guy refers to Byron Hurt as “colored.” Great moment to capture on film for all it says about white appropriation of Black culture and what the phrase “I’m not a racist” looks like on film. I’ll add this film to the video page later today. Definitely worth ordering for your library.