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About Panama Jackson

Panama Jackson is a columnist at theGrio and host of the award-winning podcast, "Dear Culture" on theGrio Black Podcast Network. He writes very Black things, drinks very brown liquors, and is pretty fly for a light guy. His biggest accomplishment to date coincides with his Blackest accomplishment to date in that he received a phone call from Oprah Winfrey after she read one of his pieces (biggest) but he didn't answer the phone because the caller ID said "Unknown" (Blackest).

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thegrio, roy ayers, jazz funk, soul music, hip-hop, black music
March 6, 2025
The jazz-funk pioneer passed away in New York City at age 84; his catalog is essential to the experience of…
thegrio, Forever, Netflix, Judy Blume, Mara Brock Akil,
March 5, 2025
The series is a modern-day reimagining of Judy Blume’s 1975 book “Forever…” centering two Black teenagers set in Los Angeles…
thegrio, sterling k brown, paradise, hulu
March 5, 2025
The Sterling K. Brown-led show was an absolutely perfect blend of storytelling, suspense, doom, hope and upending the status quo.
thegrio, oak hill plantation, enslaved cemetery, Virginia
March 4, 2025
About 275 burial plots will be moved from the former Oak Hill Plantation to a new burial site about a…
thegrio, carol's daughter, lisa price, l'oreal usa, black hair care
March 4, 2025
Carol's Daughter, the hair care brand, founded by Lisa Price in Brooklyn in 1993, was acquired by L’Oreal USA in…
thegrio, marvin sapp, tiny desk, npr
March 3, 2025
Legendary gospel artist Marvin Sapp ran through a litany of hits that spanned his thirty-plus year career making a joyful…
thegrio, usher, emory univeristy, berklee school of music
March 3, 2025
The iconic performer and humanitarian will add to his list of stellar accomplishments in his address to the class of…
thegrio, tommie smith, john carlos, olympics 1968, protest
February 28, 2025
The picture (and actions) demonstrating the activism of the track stars at the 1968 Olympics cost them everything and gave…
thegrio, LEGO, because of them we can, most incredible studio, black history
February 28, 2025
The collaborative building block set pays homage to storytelling and legacy—two pillars of the Black Community’s footprint in America. 
thegrio, shaboozey, bar song tipsy, beyonce
February 27, 2025
The country star’s breakout single, "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" continues to dominate various music charts; oh my, good Lord. 
thegrio, gayle king, blue origin, new shepherd, space travel, oprah
February 27, 2025
The “CBS Mornings” co-host is joining a crew of five other women for Blue Origin’s next flight to the boundaries…
thegrio, michael jackson, thriller, rolling stone, the girl is mine, music journalism
February 25, 2025
Somehow the people who write lists at Rolling Stone forgot to listen to the worst song on “Thriller” — "The…
thegrio, roberta flack, hip-hop, donny hathaway, Black music
February 24, 2025
The legendary singer, who passed away on February 24, had some songs that laid the framework for some of hip-hop's…
thegrio, jaguar wright, american future, michael flynn, mar-a-lago
February 21, 2025
The often loud and wrong singer-turned-controversialist was recognized at Trump’s Mar-A-Lago resort with an award for truthtelling. 
thegrio, beyonce, blue ivy, kendrick lamar, naacp image awards
February 20, 2025
Before the Image Awards live broadcast on February 22, the NAACP held a two-night virtual ceremony where several awards were…
thegrio, chubby chicks, philadelphia, harassment, center city
February 19, 2025
The restaurateur alleges that rodents have been left at the eatery’s front door and she’s been harassed and bullied by…
thegrio, roots picnic, questlove thompson, the roots, black thought
February 18, 2025
The annual music festival curated by The Roots released their lineup that features D’Angelo, Lenny Kravitz, Glorilla, and Tems, among…
thegrio, kendrick lamar, super bowl, Billboard, hip-hop
February 18, 2025
The Compton MC’s Super Bowl halftime show had people digging back into the rapper’s catalog, pushing many of his albums…
thegrio, gene groove allen, house party, groove b chill
February 14, 2025
The rapper was part of the group Groove B. Chill, and also had roles in several popular movies in the…
thegrio, drake, partynextdoor, Some Sexy Songs 4 U
February 14, 2025
The two OVO artists released a very Drake album that sounds like every other Drake album I’ve ever heard —…