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It’s Becoming More Evident: The Stress of Racism Is Killing Our Babies…and Us
If A=B, and B=C, does A=C? Well, not always, but in the case of stress, racism and preterm birth, one researcher thinks there’s a definitive case to be made. The jarring statistics are already out there: African-American women are three to four times more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death than white women. Additionally, African-American…
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He Doesn’t Do Politics, He Does Fun: Shaquille O’Neal Joins With Embattled Pizza Pusher, Papa John’s, in New Deal
When we got word Papa John’s Pizza got a new (black) face, Shaquille O’Neal, the crew at The Root had a field day. “Ask Shaq about his obsession with being a cop and if he had trouble finding a cap and cane for his soft shoe routine …,” quipped one. “The same Shaq who just…
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Police Kill 29-Year-Old Black Man They Tried to Serve With ‘Mental Health Warrant’
Police have killed yet another black person in mental health distress, this time in State College, Pa. The most galling part of this tragedy, though, is that the officers were attempting to serve a “mental health warrant.” On Wednesday, State County borough police shot and killed 29-year-old Osaze Osagie in what Centre County Coroner Scott…
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In Baltimore, 6 Babies Died in Their Sleep in 6 Weeks. Most of Them Were Black
Baltimore, a city that has some serious disparities in almost every measure but remains a beautiful black city nonetheless, saw six infants die in their sleep in as many weeks, the worst rate of such deaths since a 2009 campaign to prevent these kinds of tragedies began. The Baltimore City Health Department confirmed to The Root…
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Counselors, Not Cops: New Yorkers Protest Millions Proposed for School Safety Budget, Saying Money Fuels School-to-Prison Pipeline
Guided by a coalition of 40 New York City social justice organizations, dozens of students, parents and advocates converged on New York’s City Hall Wednesday to protest Mayor Bill de Blasio’s proposed increase to the NYPD’s School Safety Division budget, saying those millions would be better used on student social supports and services. In an…
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Power: For Those Who Survive Police Violence, Their Black Lives Matter, Too [Watch]
Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Marie Cullors wears many hats: activist, author, abolitionist, white supremacy slayer. But one role many may not know of Cullors is that of “artist.” Cullors, currently a 2019 MFA candidate at the University of Southern California, has been flexing her creative muscles since before she came to international prominence as…
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Supreme Court to Hear Whether ‘DC Sniper’ Lee Boyd Malvo Deserves New Sentencing
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the appeal of Lee Boyd Malvo, who participated in one of the most notorious, murderous shooting sprees in U.S. history, to determine if he should be re-sentenced because he was a minor at the time of his crimes. In September and October 2002, 17-year-old Malvo and…
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San Francisco Man Gets $13M Settlement After Being Falsely Framed for Murder by Police
A San Francisco man will receive a $13.1-million settlement after being framed by police and spending years in prison for a 2007 murder he did not commit. As a young man, Jamal Trulove was tried and convicted in the killing of his friend Seu Kuka in a San Francisco housing project. A state appeals court…
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New Postpartum Depression Drug Offers Hope for Suffering Mothers—but Most Won't Be Able to Afford It
A new drug specifically for the swift and effective treatment of postpartum depression was approved by the FDA on Tuesday, offering a beacon of hope for the serious mental illness that affects about 1 in 8 new mothers. That’s the good news. The not-so-great news is that this new drug ain’t cheap; neither is it…
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Boeing 737 Max Fixes Delayed Due to Government Shutdown
The Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed 157 people is still being investigated, but what is becoming clearer is that there may have been issues with the make of the plane itself, the Boeing 737 Max 8, which also crashed in Indonesia in October of last year. In that flight, investigators determined that a faulty instrument…