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For Black Scholars at PWIs, Speaking Truth to Power on Social Media Can Be ‘Professional Suicide’
African-American scholars at predominantly white institutions are faced with a challenge that resonates from the streets of Baltimore and Ferguson, Mo., all the way to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.: Tiptoe lightly around white supremacy or face consequences. Saida Grundy, an incoming associate professor of sociology and African-American studies at Boston University, faced swift condemnation this week…
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Harry Belafonte on ‘Thugs,’ Capitalism and Women Controlling the Universe
On Wednesday night, approximately 1,000 community leaders and activists from around the country were able to “sit in circle” via telephone with legendary entertainer and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte for one hour as he shared his thoughts on the uprisings in Ferguson, Mo., and Baltimore, and the crippling poverty that victimizes too many communities…
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Report: George Zimmerman Hit in the Face During Road Rage Shooting
Updated Monday, May 11, 4:43 p.m. EDT: George Zimmerman was not seriously injured in Monday’s shooting incident, NBC Los Angeles reports. According to his attorney, Don West, the bullet shattered Zimmerman’s window and he was struck by flying glass from his windshield and other debris. The man who shot Zimmerman has been identified as Matthew…
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Chicago’s Reparations for Police Torture Victims Offer a Glimpse of the Power of #BlackLivesMatter
During a time when President Barack Obama and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake referred to disenfranchised Baltimore youths as “thugs” for failing to politely revolt against police brutality, Chicago has publicly condemned the real thugs in a police department that has abused its power with impunity for decades. In an unprecedented move, Chicago’s City Council unanimously…
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Errol Brown, Former Lead Singer of Hot Chocolate, Succumbs to Liver Cancer at Age 71
Errol Brown, former lead singer of British soul band Hot Chocolate, died at his home in the Bahamas on Wednesday after a bout with liver cancer, confirmed his manager Phil Dale to BBC News. He was 71 years old. “He’ll be sadly missed by his friends and family,” said Dale. “He was an extremely good…
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Ga. Sheriff Involved in Mystery Shooting That Leaves Woman Critical
An unidentified Georgia woman is in critical condition after, authorities say, she was shot by Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill around 7 p.m. Sunday, 11Alive.com reports. The incident took place at a model home in Lawrenceville, a suburb of Atlanta, according to Gwinnett County Police Sgt. Brian Doan, who called the shooting “accidental.” The woman,…
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When Will We Demand Justice for Natasha McKenna?
There have been no marches for her. Natasha McKenna’s name eased in and out of America’s collective consciousness before it could make an imprint, just like those of Aura Rosser, Tanisha Anderson and so many other African-American women killed by police before her. But the information that we do know is heartbreaking. McKenna, who was…
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R&B Legend Ben E. King Dies at 76
Ben E. King, the soul singer known for big hits like “Stand by Me,” has died of natural causes, according to his agent, who spoke to The Telegraph. The North Carolina-born singer was 76 years old. According to the BBC, King started his career in the late 1950s with the Drifters. Their midtempo love song…
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Angry About the Riots? Then Be Angry About the State-Sanctioned Killing That Caused Them
When Baltimore police officers left 25-year-old Freddie Gray with an almost severed spine and a crushed throat, they became the straws that broke black America’s back. Many of us feel righteous anger as we reach out to one another across time and space, reaffirming not just our collective humanity but also our individual right to…
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Dyson’s Cornel West Essay Was a Hit Piece Wrapped in Scholarly Words
I began reading Michael Eric Dyson’s lengthy essay for the New Republic, “The Ghost of Dr. Cornel West,” with some trepidation. By the time I finished it, I was sickened. Framed as an impartial assessment of West’s so-called steep decline as a scholar, public intellectual, thought leader and writer, Dyson backdoors into a scathing critique…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
