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‘It’s Powerful’: The State of the Movement Post-Ferguson in St. Louis
#Delrawn Small, #Alton Sterling, #Philando Castile, #Alva Braziel, #Korryn Gaines, #Paul O’Neal. These are just a few of the names of men and women killed during interactions with police over the last six weeks, but it all started two years ago with #MikeBrown. On Aug. 9, two summers ago, Michael Brown Jr. was shot and…
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Earth Day 2016: 5 Black Communities That Are Fighting Environmental Threats
In America, communities in the most polluted environments are often poor and/or made up of people of color, with race being the dominant factor. A report published by PLOS One in 2014 indicates that nonwhite Americans breathe in almost 40 percent more polluted air than white Americans. The issue isn’t just the air we…
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13 Times Trump or His Supporters Got Ugly at His Events
He pledged to pay legal fees for a supporter who injured a protester. He threatened to curb free press by opening defamation laws. He said that he wants to surveil mosques. He mocked a reporter with a disability. He is being investigated for whether he incited a riot, has made violent comments about protesters, and said…
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Seeking Justice: 6 High-Profile Cases to Watch This Year
Thanks to the efforts of the Black Lives Matter movement and a seemingly never-ending stream of disturbing videos, police brutality was one of the biggest news stories of 2015. A Washington Post investigation found that last year, at least 980 people were shot and killed by police. One in 10 was unarmed, and a disproportionate…
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Get Stopped by the Police? There’s an App for That
They were tragedies caught on video. Almost a year ago, Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy, was shot and killed by Cleveland police officers within two seconds of the officers arriving on the scene; in April of this year, Freddie Gray died from an injury suffered while in police custody in Baltimore; in the same month, Walter L.…
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Where Are They Now? 10 Years After Hurricane Katrina, a Look Back at How 9 Key Players Responded
When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast 10 years ago, it would become the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history, causing an estimated $108 billion in damages. It would also be one of the deadliest. The storm caused approximately 1,833 deaths across five states, with the most casualties in Louisiana: 1,577. Katrina was a Category…
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A Year After Ferguson: 10 People Who Were There Talk About the Birth of a Movement
It has been a year since 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by then-Ferguson, Mo., Police Officer Darren Wilson. The teenager’s death on Aug. 9, 2014, sparked an uprising that helped put #BlackLivesMatter—which was created after the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin—into the national spotlight. As the movement that sought justice for Brown began…
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She’s Speaking Up for the Voiceless in Ferguson
As a child, Missouri state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal suffered from a severe speech impediment that prevented her from speaking clearly. “There was a disconnection somewhere. What was coming out of my mouth did not match what was in my head,” she told The Root. “R’s came out as W’s; O’s came out as ‘oos.’ I…
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Ferguson: ‘Nothing Has Changed From 1853. This Is the City of Dred Scott’
Ferguson, Mo.: Monday night, a grand jury declined to indict Ferguson, Mo., police Officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson on Aug. 9. In advance of the announcement of the grand jury decision, media, protesters, members of the clergy and organizations in support of the Justice for Mike Brown…
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Ferguson: Police Are ‘Preparing for War, and We’re Preparing for Our Safety’
St. Louis: It’s been more than three months since 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by police Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Mo. For several weeks, a St. Louis County grand jury has deliberated to determine whether Wilson should be held criminally liable for Brown’s death. Many believe that Wilson will not be indicted,…
