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Detroit Bankruptcy Plan to Hit City Workers
In an effort to exit the largest municipal bankruptcy in the U.S., Detroit officials on Friday released a financial recovery plan that calls for cutting pensions for non-uniformed retirees by nearly one-third and repaying bondholders just $1 of every $5 owed to them by the city, the Washington Post reports. The proposal, filed in federal…
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Ole Miss Frat Suspended, 3 Students Expelled After Noose Incident
A national organization Friday indefinitely suspended a fraternity chapter at the University of Mississippi and expelled three of its freshman members because of their suspected involvement in hanging a noose on a statue of the first black student to enroll in the then all-white college, the Associated Press reports. Sigma Phi Epsilon said in a…
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Porn Charges Against Ex-Illinois Congressman Dropped in Africa
Zimbabwe officials reportedly plan to release former Illinois Rep. Mel Reynolds from prison, after he was arrested on charges of pornography and an immigration violation. Officials dropped pornography charges Friday, and he pleaded guilty to a visa violation, the Chicago Tribune reports. He could be freed and deported as early as Tuesday. The 62-year-old disgraced…
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12 Years a Slave to Be Part of Public High School Curriculum
Call it another win for 12 Years a Slave. The award-winning film will soon serve as another avenue for public high school students to learn about the harsh lessons of race in America, according to a news release. The National School Boards Association is partnering with New Regency, Penguin Books and the filmmakers to distribute copies of…
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Quote of the Day: Satchel Paige on Home
You can read this quote from Satchel Paige, which appeared in his book Pitchin’ Man: Satchel Paige’s Own Story (1948), in Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations. Read the quote in its full context here. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and founding director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. He…
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To Grow Our Future in Technology, Look to the Past
History doesn’t just happen. History starts with a vision. In the early 1980s, Rep. George T. “Mickey” Leland, who was then chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, envisioned a more inclusive telecommunications and media world. A decade later, the late Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown recognized that the power of the Internet could unlock a brighter…
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Oscar Hopes Aside, We Must Celebrate Our Own Achievements
The disappointing results of last month’s Golden Globes, with so few honors going to black actors and filmmakers—with the notable exception of 12 Years a Slave for best dramatic picture—begs a perennial question. How much should blacks expect of mainstream America to validate their arts, letters, films and other creative works? This is an old…
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Who Wants to Buy Pharrell’s Grammy Hat?
Remember the brilliant, supersized Buffalo hat Pharrell Williams wore to last month’s Grammy Awards show? The one that swiftly sparked an Internet meme and became its own Twitter personality? Of course you do. Well, “now’s your chance to own a piece of pop culture history!” Williams took to Twitter to announce that he’s parting with…
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Lupita Jokes About Jared Leto on Ellen Show
Award-season darling Lupita Nyong’o appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show on Friday, looking perfect—as per usual—in a sleeveless double-breasted vest and shorts. Nyong’o is also a dancing, smiling ball of charm and wit. She dished about that pesky rumor that she and actor Jared Leto are an item. She didn’t outright deny the claim, but…
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Why Joy Reid Will Be Real About Race and Politics
As she takes her seat on a television-show set that’s right at the center of any given day’s most contentious political and cultural debates, the vitriolic attacks against Joy Reid from faceless Twitter followers are guaranteed to increase. And it’s safe to say that critics on the right would cheer if her commentary were to…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
