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Grammy Award-Winning Jazz Drummer Lawrence Leathers Dead at 37
Grammy-winning jazz drummer Lawrence Leathers died Sunday in New York City. He was 37. ABC News reports that Leathers was discovered unconscious in a stairwell of his Bronx, NY, apartment building before he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police believe he was a victim of domestic violence and confirmed that his girlfriend, 41-year-old Lisa…
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California Community Activists Respond to Blackface Video of High School Cheerleader: 'This is Not New'
Here we go again. Currently, there are a pair of videos circulating the Internet in which Paula Deen’s 14-year-old understudy—who may or may not grow up to become a judge or Linda Fairstein—is showing her complete ass by spewing racist epithets. It’s not every day a Bullard High School cheerleader adorned in blackface interrupts your…
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Baltimore Mayor Introduces Novel Idea to Curb Gun Violence: 'Put a Boxing Ring Up, Let Them Go and Box It Out'
You haven’t lived until you’ve had your ass whooped. Ask Cam Coldheart. Ask Fred and E. Ness. Ask Anthony Joshua. It might sound absurd, but until you peel yourself off the floor with a compound fracture in your pride and a busted nose, you’ve probably been out here wildin’, acting like you’re invincible. But a…
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Cop Detains Innocent Black Man, Answers 'Fuck You Is My Name' When Asked to Identify Himself
Police officers are well aware of the tremendous power and authority they wield, yet historically they’ve abused it at the cost of black lives. Time after time, instance after instance, we’ve borne witness to innocent black men who are harassed, demeaned or slaughtered simply for existing, while those who have sworn to protect them go…
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Raymond Santana Supports Boycott of Central Park Five Prosecutor Linda Fairstein: 'She Has to Pay for Her Crime'
With the release of the brilliant Netflix miniseries When They See Us comes renewed interest in the trial surrounding the Central Park Five and its standing as one of the most heinous miscarriages of justice in the history of the state of New York. In exploring how five innocent black teenagers—whose only crimes were naiveté—were…
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Boondocks May Be Returning. Only Question: Y'all Got Regina King Money?
I know, I know. That’s a great headline. It’s also one I had nothing to do with, because it was managing editor Genetta Adams’ reaction to the news that after five years of dormancy, The Boondocks will apparently be making its triumphant return. (Shoutout to fellow staff writer Tonja Renée Stidhum for suggesting it as…
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Teacher Placed on Administrative Leave After Being Accused of Selling Black Students in Mock Slave Auction
I’ve never participated in a mock slave auction, but I would imagine a fourth-grade classroom isn’t the ideal place to have one—especially in 2019. Yet here we are, admonishing another teacher for contaminating their learning environment with racist bullshit. On Thursday, a Watertown, NY, teacher was placed on administrative leave after being accused of making…
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Chamillionaire, E-40 Join Forces to Invest in Minority Startups: 'We Have to Create More Diversity in This Industry'
While recording artist and entrepreneur Chamillionaire might be laying low these days on the Billboard charts, he’s been making plenty of noise as an angel investor. And with a portfolio that includes investments in Lyft, Ring (acquired by Amazon for $1 billion), Cruise (acquired by General Motors for $1 billion) and Maker Studios (acquired by…
