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Maine Judge Recuses Himself From Black Lives Matter Hearing
A judge in Portland, Maine, stunned a courtroom full of people Monday when he recused himself from the court hearing of 17 Black Lives Matter protesters at the request of a defense attorney. The Portland Press Herald reports that Judge Paul Fritzsche did not offer an explanation when he abruptly recused himself from the court hearing…
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Muslim Teen Writes #BlackLivesMatter 100 Times for His Stanford Application Statement, Gets Accepted
Is your activism performative or substantive? One New Jersey teen knew exactly how to show his answer to that question when filling out his application to Stanford University. Asked “What matters to you, and why?” the teen could think of only one thing: #BlackLivesMatter. Ziad Ahmed wrote the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter 100 times, and that one…
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NC Rolls Back Offensive Bathroom Bill so State Can Stop Losing Money and Basketball Tournaments
The state of North Carolina made a step in the right direction Thursday, even if it was for a disingenuous reason, by repealing its disgusting bathroom bill, H.B. 2, which required transgender people to use the bathroom for the gender listed on their birth certificate, and not the one corresponding to their gender identity. NBC…
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Upcoming Episode of Underground Will Be Solo Performance by Aisha Hinds, Focused on Harriet Tubman
The sixth installment of the second season of Underground will be a solo performance by actress Aisha Hinds, focused on her portrayal of Harriet Tubman, the most famous conductor of the Underground Railroad, who led many enslaved black people to freedom. WGN America announced Friday that the April 12 episode will air at a special…
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NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio Endorses 10-Year Plan to Shut Down Rikers Island Jail Complex
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito will reportedly endorse a plan to be proposed by former Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman to close down the city’s Rikers Island jail complex within a decade. Lippman has been the head of a commission looking into the potential closing of Rikers, and…
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Mumia Abu-Jamal Wins Court Battle to Get Hepatitis C Treatment in Prison
Political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal won a major victory in his lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections on Friday when a federal court ruled that he can begin receiving treatments for hepatitis C while in prison. The decision, which was outlined in a status report from the federal lawsuit Abu-Jamal filed against the state, does…
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NAACP to Host a Hearing on New Orleans Charter Schools
The NAACP is hosting the sixth in a series of at least seven national hearings discussing the impact of charter schools on underfunded school districts. The National Task Force for Quality Education will take input from advocates, teachers, parents and policy experts in order to hone its policy on charter schools. Along with the NAACP…
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Portion of I-85 in Atlanta Collapses After Massive Fire
A major portion of Interstate 85 in Atlanta near Piedmont Road collapsed Thursday after a massive fire broke out under the highway during rush hour traffic, and now Piedmont Road and a portion of the Buford Connector remain closed. Fox 5 Atlanta reports that the Georgia Department of Transportation is diverting all traffic off the…
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Former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn Offers to Testify in Exchange for Immunity From Prosecution
Mike Flynn is looking to get himself out of hot water by snitching on his friends. As the Federal Bureau of Investigation and congressional officials continue their investigation into the Trump campaign’s potential ties to Russia, Flynn has indicated that he would be willing to be interviewed in exchange for a grant of immunity from…
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US Census Will Not Ask Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity Questions in 2020
On Tuesday the Trump administration submitted a report to Congress that listed the data it plans to collect in the 2020 census. In its original iteration, the list contained questions about sexual orientation and gender identity. In a revised version that appeared online, those topics were omitted. NPR reports that a Census Bureau spokesperson said…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
