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NYC Coughs Up $1 Million in Settlement With Black Teachers Targeted for Their 'Big Lips,' 'Nappy Hair'
In a perfect world, being an unrepentant racist would disqualify people like Minerva Zanca from ever working in the public school system. Sadly, not only was she gainfully employed, but she was the principal at Pan American High School in Queens, N.Y.—and her alleged racist behavior just cost the city more than a million dollars…
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Lamar Jackson Kicks Off Black History Month by Making It, Named 2nd Ever Unanimous NFL MVP
On Saturday, in what came as a surprise to absolutely no one, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player. After a historic season in which he accounted for 43 touchdowns, an NFL rushing record of 1,206 yards on the ground from a quarterback, and crossed up more defenders than Allen…
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Eric Bieniemy Is Good Enough to Win the Super Bowl, Just Not White Enough to Be an NFL Head Coach
As a lifelong Denver Broncos fan, part of me is disgusted that our division rival, the Kansas City Chiefs, won their first Super Bowl in 50 years on Sunday night. But the rest of me is elated for two very specific reasons: For one, a black quarterback—generational talent Patrick Mahomes—emerged victorious in an electrifying 31-20…
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50 Cent’s Star-Studded Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony Included Dr. Dre, Eminem
On Thursday, Curstis “50 Cent” Jackson received his much-deserved star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and to the surprise of those in attendance, he was joined by the visionaries who helped guide his career: producer extraordinaire Andre “Dr. Dre” Young and Shady Records co-founder Marshall “Eminem” Mathers. “I don’t think my career would’ve been…
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Neo-Nazi Slapped With $13 Million Fine for Targeting Andrew Gillum, Stacey Abrams With Racist Robocalls
If there were such thing as a Racist Hall of Fame, neo-Nazi podcaster Scott Rhodes of Idaho would be its latest inductee. The Orlando Sentinel reports that Rhodes is facing a $12.9 million fine for harassing Andrew Gillum supporters with a deluge of racist robocalls during his 2018 Florida gubernatorial campaign. According to the FCC’s…
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This Year’s NBA All-Star Game Will Pay Tribute to Kobe Bryant With New Format
As the tragedy of the death of Kobe Bryant continues to reverberate throughout the NBA community, the league has unveiled drastic changes ahead of its annual All-Star Game in order to pay tribute to the legendary Laker. On Thursday, the NBA announced that its All-Star game will abandon its traditional rules in favor of transforming…
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Twitter Wants Your Help to Report Voter Suppression and Andrew Gillum Knows the Perfect Place to Start
For better or worse, social media has a tremendous influence on American politics—ask Mark Zuckerberg, who sold America’s soul for a measly $22 million. And now, thanks to Twitter—the same platform whose CEO refused to do anything when President Punk Ass went on an Islamophobic crusade against Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar—users will now be able…
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About Damn Time: Instead of Tickets, Minnesota Police Department Will Now Issue Vouchers to Repair Broken Taillights
As a black man in America whose survival instincts require me to avoid police at all costs, I’ve heard plenty of horror stories about how a broken taillight or brake light can invite harassment, an introduction to our criminal justice system, or worse. Thankfully, police officers in Minneapolis have come to their senses—presumably—and will now…
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Twitter Isn't Here for Richard Jefferson's Lame Joke About the Coronavirus: 'He's Getting Fired for Sure'
I like Richard Jefferson—or rather, I want to. In a past life, he was an explosive scorer who routinely embarrassed defenders as a member of the New Jersey Nets. But all good things come to an end—including his knees—and he’s since blossomed into a valued contributor to ESPN’s award-winning NBA coverage. And now that he’s…
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I’m Not Saying the NYPD Is Racist, I’m Just Saying That 90 Percent of Jaywalking Tickets in the Bronx Go to Black and Brown People…And Now It’s Being Investigated
Earlier this month, Anne Branigin, The Root’s resident hot pot connoisseur, revealed some startling statistics: A recent StreetsBlog analysis found that, between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, 2019, NYPD issued 316 summonses for jaywalking—and nearly 90 percent went to black or Latinx people (as the article notes, this rate dwarfs the city’s black and Latinx…
