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Why Some Reactions to Kirk Franklin's Leaked Phone Call With His Son Are More Concerning Than These Grown-Folks' Business
Let me start by saying that I am not privy to the details or history of the relationship between gospel music heavyweight Kirk Franklin and his 32-year-old son, Kerrion Franklin. Though Kerrion posted audio on Instagram over the weekend of his father yelling, “I will break your fucking neck,” and calling him all kinds of…
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Derek Chauvin’s Lawyer Requests Delay of Trial After Announcement of $27 Million Settlement Awarded to George Floyd's Family
The murder trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd is gearing up to be quite a protracted one. In other words—the process of winning criminal accountability for the heinous killing of 46-year-old Floyd, whose neck Chauvin knelt on for nearly nine minutes last May, is unlikely to be smooth…
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North Carolina Elementary School Showcases #KeepSlavery and #SlaveryForever Messages From 4th-Grade ‘Historical’ Assignment
Anyone trying to claim that educational institutions across the U.S. are just innocently bungling the teaching of America’s history of slavery rather than deliberately continuing a centuries-long practice of justifying and diminishing the inhumane treatment of enslaved Black people in this country are, to put it plainly, pissing on our faces and telling us it’s…
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Meghan Dumped the British Monarchy for Its Racism—the U.K.'s Former Colonies Should Do the Same
Let’s get the obvious out of the way—we know the British monarchy is a racist institution. The U.K.’s royal family owes most of its riches (which currently amounts to over $28 billion, according to Forbes) to enslaving Africans and colonizing half of the world—including my home country, Jamaica, and, at one point, the nation that…
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3rd-Degree Murder Charge Added to Case Against Derek Chauvin
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin will face an additional charge during his trial in the killing of George Floyd. On Thursday, Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill—who is presiding over the trial—granted a request by prosecutors to reinstate a third-degree murder charge against Chauvin, according to NBC News. Chauvin was already facing charges of second-degree…
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Rep. Ayanna Pressley Reintroduces People’s Justice Guarantee for Wide-Ranging Criminal Legal System Reform
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) on Wednesday reintroduced a resolution aimed at driving decarceration and making the criminal legal system more equitable and just. The People’s Justice Guarantee, first introduced in 2019, is being put forward again by Pressley at a time when the Democratic-led Congress seems ready to acknowledge and address the intersections of racial…
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Family of Black 5-Year-Old Says Arkansas Teacher Made Him Clean Out Clogged Toilet With His Hands
It’s deeply despairing to be continually reminded of how inhumanely Black children are likely to be treated in this country. On the heels of the news that a 13-year-old middle schooler in Plano, Texas, underwent racist bullying—including allegedly being forced to drink urine by his classmates—comes an Arkansas family’s complaint that a kindergarten teacher made…
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Missouri Man in Custody After Post-Insurrection Lynching Threat Against Black Lawmaker
A 63-year-old man from Missouri is finally in FBI custody after continuing a years-long tradition of threatening legislators with lynching, as well as targeting them with racist and homophobic slurs. Kenneth Hubert of Marionville, Missouri, is charged with threatening to assault and murder Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Black lawmaker from the state. According to…
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First Juror Selected in Derek Chauvin Trial; Others Rejected for Views on Video of George Floyd’s Death
Jury selection for the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin commenced on Tuesday, following a delay prompted by the pending question about whether an additional charge will be added to the case against the cop. On Tuesday, Hennepin Court District Judge Peter Cahill briefed prospective jurors before allowing Chauvin’s defense lawyer Eric…
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University of South Alabama Professors on Leave Over Picture With Noose and Whip at Halloween: ‘This Attempt at Humor Clearly Failed’
Three professors at the University of South Alabama are facing heat for what increasingly appears to be something a disturbing segment of American educators enjoy practicing: racism. As reported by CNN, Bob Wood, Alex Sharland and Teresa Weldy, all professors at the university, have been placed on leave after pictures of them wearing slavery-themed Halloween…
