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Chris Rock seems to have tweeted up a bit of controversy over the July 4th holiday. The comedian, whose latest project is executive producing Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell for FX, ruffled more than a few feathers after sending out this message to his followers: “Happy white peoples independence day the slaves weren’t free but I’m sure they enjoyed fireworks.”

Rock is certainly no stranger to controversy, especially when it comes to explorations of racism and stereotypes. One of his most controversial bits, “Niggas vs. Black People” from his 1996 special “Bring The Pain,” is also one of his most beloved, though he has backed off of performing it since. As Rock later told 60 Minutes, “By the way, I’ve never done that joke again, ever, and I probably never will. ‘Cos some people that were racist thought they had license to say nigger. So, I’m done with that routine.” (more…)

Four-time gold medalist Michael Johnson believes the question of why black athletes dominate Olympic sprint competitions shouldn’t be taboo. In the lead-up to the London Games, he’s trying to broach the controversial topic. Johnson, who recently had his lineage traced back to West Africa as part of a British documentary, told the Daily Mail that slavery has “left an imprint through the generations.”

The eight men who ran in the 100-meter finals — all African-American or African-Caribbean — in Beijing are believed to have been descended from slaves, according to the documentary. “Difficult as it was to hear,” Johnson said, “slavery has benefited descendants like me. I believe there is a superior athletic gene in us.” (more…)