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In Case You Forgot, Cops Are Still Killing Black People
Does Donald Trump go to the beauty-supply store to buy his Remy hair or does he send the Secret Service? Will Blue Ivy be the lead singer of Destiny’s Grandchildren, or will the BeyHov twins form their own rap group? When Republicans pass the Affordable Health Care Act, will you be able to purchase handguns…
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Leaked Documents Reveal How the NYPD Ignored Abusive History of the Cop Who Killed Eric Garner
On July 17, 2014, New York City Police Department Officer Daniel Pantaleo grabbed Eric Garner, wrapped his arm around Garner’s neck and—even though the NYPD banned the use of choke holds in 1993—squeezed. When Garner muttered, “I can’t breathe,” Pantaleo still squeezed. Pantaleo continued to press Garner’s face into the sidewalk as the victim repeatedly…
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This White Woman’s Painting of Emmett Till Belongs Under the Definition of White-Peopleing, Not on a Museum Wall
Sigh … must we go over this again, white people? In the latest case of habitual boundary overstepping and appropriation, painter Dana Schutz’s work Open Casket has sparked controversy and outrage at the Whitney Biennial in New York City. The medium-sized painting depicts the battered face of 14-year-old Emmett Till, who was lynched in 1955,…
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Has the NFL Blacklisted Colin Kaepernick?
On March 7 the National Football League began its free agency period—the time when teams can offer a contract to any unemployed player. In a league where it is impossible to win without a quarterback, teams usually throw bucketloads of money at veteran starting quarterbacks in an effort to lure them to their franchise. A…
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Everything You Think You Know About the Death of Mike Brown Is Wrong, and the Man Who Killed Him Admits It
Updated Wednesday, March 15, 2017, 3:45 p.m. EDT: Earlier today, Washington Post reporter Wesley Lowery, who uncovered the U.S. District Court document this article was based on, tweeted the following: And this: Lowery understandably disagrees with some of the conclusions found in our original article. It is not unusual for two parties to hear testimony…
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What Trump’s Tweets Teach Us About Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown and Emmett Till
Explaining racism is hard. When you’re illustrating the complexities of racial prejudice in America, it is difficult to bridge the gap between understanding and skepticism in a populace pretending to listen with its arms folded, ready to dismiss any reasonable, salient point that demonstrates the existence of privilege and bigotry. Sometimes it’s not that people…
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We Read All 123 Pages of Trumpcare; Here’s What You Need to Know
While Donald Trump presides over this poorly produced reality show that we call a presidency, we must admit that it has been extraordinarily entertaining so far. Although the thrilling tales about the administration’s secret Russian rendezvous and Trump’s paranoid schizophrenic late-night tweets about dead people voting and phone tapping keep us glued to our favorite…
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White People Don’t Know When to Quit
In the latest case of tone-deaf whiteness, a craft-beer lover in Birmingham, Ala., posted the above picture to Instagram. Really? Some people believe (and by “some people” I mean me) that most white people—and people in general—have tasteless jokes and stereotypes that they are comfortable enough to perpetuate in private or around their friends. But…
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What the Hell’s Going On at Morehouse?
Updated Tuesday, March 7, 2017, 1 p.m.: Earlier today, citing a story from HBCU Digest, we reported that Morehouse had fired President John Silvanus Wilson Jr. Apparently we were wrong. Or maybe we weren’t. This morning, Wilson sent a letter to students explaining that reports of his ouster were “not accurate.” But yesterday’s letter from…
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Exclusive: Preview Netflix’s Burning Sands Movie, an Exploration of Pledging and Hazing
There is a certain unspoken etiquette to which members of all families must agree. Whether they are blood relatives, football teammates or sorority sisters, they all understand the unwritten rule that applies to these bonds: Don’t put our business in the streets. Before Netflix has even released its newest movie focusing on a black fraternity…
