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Trump’s New Budget Threatens to Kick Millions Off Food Stamps
Although Donald Trump ran as a champion of the poor and working class (and many whites in those socioeconomic groups voted for him), the only thing the “president” seems to be draining is the federal budget for his golf outings. Adding insult to injury, a new budget resolution put forth by Trump and passed by…
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Houston Teen Sues After School Expels Her for Not Standing During Pledge of Allegiance
A 17-year-old Houston student is suing her high school after she was kicked out for not standing for the daily Pledge of Allegiance, indicative of a troubling backlash many African Americans are facing when they choose not to stand for the pledge or national anthem. The New York Daily News reports that India Landry, a…
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Richard Spencer and His Tiki-Torch Bitches Are Back; Media Calls Them ‘White Activists’
Like a cockroach that just won’t die, Richard Spencer and his white nationalist tiki-torch-bearing friends once again descended on Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday, the bicentennial of the University of Virginia. “It was a planned flash mob,” Spencer said Saturday night, according to the Washington Post. “It was a great success. We’ve been planning this for…
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Rapper Nelly Released From Jail Without Rape Charges, Pending Investigation
Rapper Nelly, born Cornell Haynes Jr., has been released from a Washington state jail and not charged after his Saturday-morning arrest for an alleged rape, according to reports. The rapper tweeted the news of his release Saturday night: As reported earlier by The Root, Nelly was arrested early Saturday morning after a woman accused him…
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Coroner Rules Death of 19-Year-Old Chicago Woman Found in Freezer an Accident
An autopsy has determined that a 19-year-old woman whose body was found inside a Chicago-area hotel freezer died of hypothermia from exposure to cold conditions and not foul play. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office says that toxicology tests found alcohol, caffeine and an epilepsy/migraine medication in Kenneka Jenkins’ system and that her death was…
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This Cipher With Method Man and Black Thought Proves That Real Hip-Hop Is Alive and Spittin’
Yes, contemporary hip-hop has been slaughtered by mumble rap, screaming and dumb-ass rap lyrics (see “Bad and Boujee,” “Panda” and “Bodak Yellow”—coincidentally, songs that I love, but SHE used to have both banging beats and a hot lyrical game). Yet, all is not lost. On Thursday, two of rap’s pioneers—Black Thought of the legendary Roots…
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University of Wisconsin System Passes Dangerous New Policy That Expels Students for Protest
It’s good to know that the First Amendment is protected on college campuses. Not. The University of Wisconsin recently approved a policy that will suspend or expel students who disrupt campus speeches and presentations—because they are infringing on others’ free speech—an ironic and dangerous threat to the right to protest everywhere. The Associated Press reports…
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Jeremy Lin Claps Back at Kenyon Martin About His Locks: ‘You Have Chinese Tattoos’
Although some have taken a strong stand against Brooklyn Net Jeremy Lin’s “dreadlocks” and others don’t see the big deal, wherever you fall in this brouhaha, it has clearly revived a long and fraught debate over cultural appropriation, especially as it relates to two nonwhite cultures. https://www.theroot.com/we-need-to-talk-about-jeremy-lins-dreadlocks-1819215082 Was Beyoncé being disrespectful when she wore a…
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Tyrese Being Investigated by Los Angeles Child Protective Services: Report
Tyrese Gibson, R&B crooner and actor best known for the Fast and the Furious film series, has an open case with the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services after his ex-wife claims that he abused their 10-year-old daughter, spanking her so hard she could not sit. TMZ reports that Tyrese’s ex-wife, Norma…
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Black-ish Taught Me More About Slavery in 22 Minutes Than My Entire Education (Plus, That Roots Cartoon Was Epic)
The whole issue of slavery is one fraught with a legacy of pain, trauma and, yes, white guilt, and this country didn’t even apologize for this mass tragedy until 2009. If you think I found out that little stat from a history book, nope—I learned it from the season premiere of ABC’s Black-ish, which produced…