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Rachel Jeantel Spoke Up for Trayvon — and Us
While some critics mocked the performance of Trayvon Martin’s 19-year-old friend Rachel Jeantel, who appeared as a witness during George Zimmerman’s trial this week, Brittney Cooper argues at Salon that the criticism is a perfect example of the cultural stumbling blocks navigated daily by some blacks. [George Zimmerman’s] trial might be intriguing, fascinating cultural theater to…
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Racists Hurl Slurs at 7-Year-Old Biracial Girl
The Mail is reporting that a biracial girl was subjected to monkey taunts by members of the far-right National Front in England after she accidentally stumbled into a meeting at the social club in Liverpool where her parents planned to hold their wedding reception. The seven-year-old had gone with her parents to a social club…
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Mensa Inducts Its Youngest Member
Mensa — the society for the smartest 2 percent of people in the world — has inducted its youngest member, Adam Kirby, the United Kingdom’s Express reports. How old is he? Two years and five months. Adam, who’s from London, was invited to join Mensa after showing his ability to read Shakespeare and comprehend Japanese,…
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Offensive Trayvon Facebook Pages Surface
(The Root) — Photos of the late Trayvon Martin’s body, broadcast during television coverage of the trial of the man accused of killing him, fell into the wrong hands and ended up on a slew of hateful Facebook pages. A page entitled RIPTRAYTRA, containing memes of Trayvon’s postmortem body photoshopped in various scenes and situations,…
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Louisiana's Impossible 1960s 'Literacy' Test for Blacks
Straight from our “SMDH” file comes a so-called literacy test unearthed by Slate that Louisiana used to administer to voters. It was supposedly geared toward whites and blacks who couldn’t prove a certain level of education, but it was really disproportionately administered to African Americans. Surprise! Here is an example of one of the questions:…
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Serena Williams and Andy Murray in 'Battle of the Sexes'?
Serena Williams has accepted a friendly challenge from reigning U.S. Open champion Andy Murray to a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ tennis match, EntertainmentWise reports. But Williams — even with her five Wimbledon championships — isn’t sure she’ll come close to winning the contest. “It would be fun,” Williams told ESPN. “I doubt I’d win a…
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Mike Bloomberg Pulls a Paula Deen
(The Root) — New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is known for his willingness to take controversial positions, say controversial things and shrug off criticism for doing both. From New York City’s smoking ban to its ban on large, sugary drinks to his aggressive national campaign for gun control, he has earned critics and fans…
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Witnesses Give Conflicting Accounts of Fatal Encounter
Friday, June 28, 2 p.m. EDT: Jonathan Good was dismissed from the witness stand after testifying earlier in the day about seeing Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin engaged in a mixed martial arts-style fight on the night of the fatal shooting, HLN reports. Prosecutors then called Jonathan Manalo, whose wife, Jeannee, testified earlier in the trial…
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Lauryn Hill Calls Out Critics and Reverse Racism
(The Root) — Embattled singer Lauryn Hill took to her Tumblr blog this week to address historical racism and her critics, calling the concept of reverse racism “flawed, if not absolutely ridiculous.” The screed comes on the heels of the release of her new song, “Neurotic Society,” which raised eyebrows among lesbian, gay, bisexual and…
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Ex-Wife Winnie Says Mandela Showing 'Great Improvement'
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the ex-wife of former South African President Nelson Mandela, told the press on Friday that he is showing a “great improvement” in his health compared with a few days ago, according to Yahoo News. The anti-apartheid campaigner has been in the hospital with a lung infection since June 8. Since then his condition…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
