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The 9th Black Trans Woman Has Been Killed This Year
On Wednesday, the body of Chanel Scurlock—a transgender black woman—was discovered in a field in Lumberton, N.C. shortly after midnight. She was 23. The Advocate reports that the victim was identified by friends and activists after suffering an unspecified number of fatal gunshot wounds. Scurlock lived 20 miles away in neighboring Lumber Bridge and became…
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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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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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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…
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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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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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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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Chicago High School Reprints Yearbooks Due to Students Making One Too Many White Nationalist Hand Gestures
If you’re one of the lucky souls who purchased an original printing of the 2018-2019 Oak Park and River Forest High School yearbook, you’ve been treated to as many as 18 photographs featuring hand gestures associated with white nationalism. Because kids say do the darnedest things. Congratulations! However, the Chicago Sun Times reports that administrators…
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Lawsuit Alleges Buffalo Wild Wings Managers Gave the Green Light to Refuse Black Customers
Perhaps you’ve heard the stories about how black people don’t tip, without deconstructing the reasoning as to why that might be. Or perhaps you’re just one of many racist managers at Buffalo Wild Wings who’ve relied on this stereotype to justify refusing black customers. Either way, the Kansas City Star reports that a Buffalo Wild…
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Maxine Waters Rips Ben Carson, HUD for 'Actively Causing Harm'
Ben Carson’s stint as secretary of Housing and Urban Development has been marred by questionable conduct, his piss poor work ethic and an unprecedented degree of incompetence, but Congresswoman Maxine Waters is about to make things a lot worse for him. After unveiling his dastardly plans to evict undocumented immigrants and reduce rental assistance, Auntie…
