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NY Fast-Food Workers Strike to Improve Wages
New York City’s fast-food workers planned to walk off the job on Thursday in what organizers promised would be the largest-ever strike against the fast-growing, virtually union-free industry, Salon reports. Will employers give in to their demands? The workers are demanding that chains like McDonald’s and Wendy’s raise their wages to $15 an hour and…
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Should Obama Take a Bigger Pay Cut?
(The Root) — On Wednesday, news broke that President Obama was doing something that a lot of Americans have done in recent years: preparing to watch his income shrink. Only, unlike most Americans, the president is doing so voluntarily. Because of the sequester, many government workers may be forced to take unpaid leave, known as…
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Inmates in Racial Brawl at Los Angeles County Jail
A racially charged brawl broke out at a downtown Los Angeles jail on Wednesday, forcing guards to fire rubber pellets and pepper spray to squash the incident, which involved more than 60 inmates and resulted in several being escorted to the hospital, Reuters reports. The altercation between Hispanic and African-American inmates erupted shortly after noon…
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Malian Photographer's Story Debuts in US
(The Root) — While many photography fans are familiar with images of sharply dressed Malians during the 1960s and 1970s, casual art lovers might not know about the man behind the lens, Malick Sidibé. However, this will change when a documentary about Sidibé’s life and work — Dolce Vita Africana, released originally in 2008 —…
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15 Iconic Black Celebrity Endorsers
With Mad Men back for its sixth season, one wonders if the progress that Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce — the fictional 1960s Madison Avenue advertising firm depicted in the AMC TV show — made last season in hiring a black secretary will be reflected in the ads it creates. Um, probably not. But with the…
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Ben Carson: Is He Wearing a Mask for the GOP?
In a stinging piece at the New York Times, Ta-Nehisi Coates argues that Dr. Benjamin Carson, the present darling of the right, is wearing a mask as he answers a call by white conservatives to challenge President Barack Obama’s policies after the failure of so many other “Conservative Black Hopes.” The present darling of the…
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End the Corporate Exploitation of Food Deserts
Writing at Ebony, food-justice advocate Tanya Fields says that big corporations intentionally create these areas in poor communities. If you have been following the conversation around the lack of fresh foods available in certain districts across the country, then you have probably heard the label “food desert.” More and more, this term is being used to…
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Does Tyler Perry Even Watch His Own Films?
(The Root) — Confession? I actually like really bad movies. Film reviews and criticism, though valuable to those who enjoy thinking, aren’t too helpful when you know going into the theater that once the lights go dim, you’re in for something pretty dumb. But boy, does Tyler Perry’s latest effort — Tyler Perry’s Temptation: Confessions…
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The Racket With Standardized Test Scores
Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson says that creating a situation in which teachers are more likely than children to cheat cannot be the right path to improving American education. It is time to acknowledge that the fashionable theory of school reform — requiring that pay and job security for teachers, principals and administrators depend on…
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He Knocked Her Up While Dating Me
(The Root) — “I found out someone I am dating has gotten someone pregnant while also seeing me. I feel like I’ve been hit by a freight train. I have no clue what to do. I don’t want to judge him. I’m far from perfect.” —S.U. Unfortunately, I’ve been in your shoes. And surprisingly, a…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
