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Family Receives $6.75 Million Settlement for Terrill Thomas, Who Died in Former Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke's Jail
In what’s been declared the largest jail death settlement in the history of Wisconsin, Milwaukee County has paid nearly $7 million to the family of Terrill Thomas, who died of dehydration in his cell in 2016. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the settlement was initially proposed in January and that the payments—approximately $5 million…
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'It's Okay to Be White' T-Shirts Yanked After Being Accused of Promoting 'Intolerance, Racism and Division'
Just when I was about to treat myself to a sumptuous “It’s Okay to Be White” T-shirt as an early birthday gift, comes the heartbreaking news that they’ve been pulled. Newsweek reports that the New Zealand-based online auction site Trade Me made the agonizing decision after Kiwis, the Human Rights Commission and other groups exploded…
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Missouri Dangerously Close to Becoming First State Without Access to Abortion Clinics
Last week, Gov. Mike Parson—in his efforts to position Missouri as “one of the strongest pro-life states in the country”—signed legislation that makes any doctor who performs an abortion within the state subject to up to 15 years imprisonment. But if the state’s health department has its way, abortions won’t even have to be banned…
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Lonnie Bunch III Becomes First Ever Black Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
Try as they may, black excellence can only be denied for so long. To that point, congratulations are in order to Lonnie G. Bunch III—founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture—who cracked the code and just became the first black person in the 173-year history of the Smithsonian Institution to…
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Meet Sydney Wilson, the 14-Year-Old Who Just Became the Youngest Student to Attend Spelman College
After conquering high school and leaving straight A’s in her wake, Atlanta native Sydney Wilson will be taking the next step in her academic journey by attending Spelman College in the fall. Did I mention she’s only 14 years old? WREG Memphis reports that the rumors are true: she’ll be graduating from The Wilson Academy—where…
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Dayton, Ohio on the Hook for $650,000 Security Bill After the Little Klu Klux Klan Rally That Couldn't
On Saturday, Dayton, Ohio, was inundated by a massive, belligerent mob hosting a Klu Klux Klan rally—and by “inundated” I mean inconvenienced. And by “a massive, belligerent mob” I mean only nine Klan members actually showed up. According to Time, the would-be shit-starters were actually drowned out by as many as 600 counter-protesters, who politely…
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Transgender Patients Could be Stripped of Healthcare Protections by the Trump Administration
Over the course of his two-and-half-year tenure, our alleged President Donald Trump has either enacted or enforced policies that make no secret as to where he stands on transgender and LGBTQ issues. Barely a month after taking office, his administration rescinded guidelines that protected transgender students under federal Title IX law. In 2017, the Department…
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God's Property: Florida Lawmaker Says God Told Him to Reintroduce Anti-Abortion Bill Modeled After Alabama's
Since passing its anti-abortion law—a law so reprehensible that cities like Los Angeles have subsequently banned travel to the state—Alabama has become the bane of the entire universe. Not to be outdone, the Pensacola News Journal reports that a Florida lawmaker is so impressed by Alabama’s commitment to punishing women for owning ovaries that he’s…
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Boston Museum of Fine Arts Apologizes for Racist Remarks, Profiling 7th Grade Students
Typically field trips are an opportunity for students to explore the world beyond the schoolyard, but unfortunately, nearly two dozen 7th grade students at Helen Y. Davis Leadership Academy Charter Public School in Dorchester, Mass., had their visit to Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts ruined by racist patrons and staff members. According to the Boston…
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Philadelphia DA Accuses Judge of Bias, Says Meek Mill Should Get New Trial
Meek Mill’s legal woes have not only been lengthy, but have provided a textbook example of just how deeply flawed our criminal justice system is. But after years of bad news, the Maybach Music signee might finally be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. USA Today reports that on Wednesday, Philadelphia District…