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Lowell Hawthorne, Founder of Golden Krust, Dead at 57 of Suspected Suicide
Lowell Hawthorne, the founder and CEO of the Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill, most famous for its Jamaican beef patties, has died of an apparent suicide, according to law enforcement. He was 57 years old. Hawthorne reportedly shot himself inside his Bronx, N.Y., factory about 5:30 p.m. Saturday, the New York Post reports. Many…
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The 1 and Only Copy of Wu-Tang’s Once Upon a Time in Shaolin Might End Up With the Feds Thanks to Martin Shkreli
Convicted “pharma bro” and supreme fuckboy Martin Shkreli may have to give the government the world’s only copy of the Wu-Tang Clan’s Once Upon a Time in Shaolin if federal prosecutors have their way. On Thursday they asked U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto in New York to seize $7.4 million in assets from Shkreli, who was…
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Senate Passes Major Tax Overhaul 51-49, Cutting Corporate Taxes and Gutting Student Loan Write-Offs
The United States may be getting a major tax overhaul after Senate Republicans scraped their way to a victory early Saturday morning, with a bill that critics say senators haven’t read and one that gives major concessions to corporations and the wealthy. The bill, approved just before 2 a.m. in a 51-49 vote, next heads…
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On This World AIDS Day, Where Do We Go From Here?
As we roll around to yet another World AIDS Day, it’s clear that the HIV epidemic, which is still very much an epidemic, has faded into the background in a lot of our activism. More than 35 years into the fight, the urgency of years past has faded—in large part because of the gains made…
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Victoria’s Secret Models Face Backlash for Singing the N-Word With ‘Bodak Yellow’
What could be more offensive than a group of women with ridiculously big tits and reality-defying waists parading around in their underwear? Maybe doing it dripping in traditional African beads and jewelry? Or perhaps singing the n-word backstage beforehand? Yes, I would agree—the third choice is the most offensive. But you got all three at…
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Who’s Surprised? April Ryan Not Invited to White House Holiday Party for 1st Time in 20 Years
April Ryan, the black woman the White House loves to hate on, will not be going to the scary White House white-walking winter wonder-klan for its annual Christmas party—for the first time in 20 years. The NAACP tweeted the news Wednesday morning, saying that Ryan was not invited. The veteran White House correspondent, who recently…
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Beyond ‘Other’: Meghan Markle Recounted Her Feelings When She Heard Her Mom Called the N-Word in a 2015 Essay on Race
Like many, we here at The Root have been having somewhat heated (I don’t know who was typing in all caps) discussion about Meghan Markle, the 36-year-old actress currently betrothed to Prince Harry, fifth in line to the British throne. And we got down to the real—like, if her engagement to Prince Harry is good…
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5 New Jersey Black Churches Vandalized but Police Determine It’s No Hate Crime
The vandalism at five suburban New Jersey churches has been determined not to be an act of racial terror but that of a man who lived in the area and acted alone, according to authorities. “As a result of the investigation, no evidence was obtained that would indicate this was a bias incident which legally…
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Grace in Action: Black Family of 7 Adopts 6 White Siblings
This spring, six Ohio foster siblings found themselves a home—together and without being broken up. That in and of itself is profound, but the fact that the siblings are white and their adoptive family are black—with five children of their own—is incredible. The judge in the case, Ralph Winkler, said that as long as he…
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Another One Bites the Dust: Rep. John Conyers Steps Down From House Judiciary Committee Over Sexual Harassment Claims
Rep. John Conyers, who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than 50 years, said this week that he was not going to resign his seat over accusations of sexually harassing female staffers. But on Sunday, the Michigan Democrat tweeted that he would be stepping down as the ranking Democrat on the…
