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AKA to Howard Plaintiffs: Membership Is Not Your Birthright
Two Howard University students who were not admitted into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority are suing the Greek-letter organization under laws including the D.C. Human Rights Act. The AKA hopefuls say that their rights were violated and they suffered emotional harm because the sorority allegedly “singled out” women whose mothers were members of the group by…
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The Other Harriet Tubmans
March 10, 2013, marks the centennial of Harriet Tubman’s death. Tubman, a runaway slave born in 1822, became the most famous “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, the secret network of safe houses used by runaway slaves to escape to freedom. To mark the anniversary of Tubman’s death and to celebrate Women’s History Month, we present…
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Enough of 'the Good, Racist People'
In a piece that begins with a reflection on the statements of the Manhattan deli employee who accused actor Forest Whitaker of shoplifting, Ta-Nehesi Coates writes in a piece for the New York Times that racism doesn’t just come from those who are “uniquely villainous and morally deformed.” Calling out its perpetuation by people who…
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Trayvon Martin: The Latest, Week 53
Thursday, March 7, 11:08 p.m. EST: “Witness Number 8” lied under oath (but not about what happened the night Travyon was killed): The state’s chief witness in the Trayvon Martin murder case lied under oath, prosecutors say. The young woman who says she was on the phone with Trayvon as he encountered Zimmerman the night…
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A Friend Told Her Man My Private Info!
(The Root) — “I’m torn, lost and confused. I was with my best friend-cousin recently, and she began arguing with her boyfriend, who I was just meeting. He was punking her, so I stood up for her. He replied with information that I have only shared with my cousin. I was at a loss for…
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Being White and Racist in Philly: A Response
Jamilah Lemieux takes on a controversial Philadelphia magazine piece on the plight of the white urban dweller. My first instinct upon reading “White in Philly” was to slam my head against my desk. My second was to fire off a takedown explaining why it was racist and terrible. Alas, I figured that lots of folks…
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Black Men in Brazil for Women? These Tired Conversations Have to Stop
Writing at Clutch magazine, Zettler Clay says that when it comes to male-female relationships, it’s a dangerous game to take one narrative and apply it as the default. Recently, a documentary made its way into my Gmail inbox. Frustrated: Black American Men in Brazil expounds on a piece published a few years ago in Essence about Black…
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Retire the Myth: Black Men, Jail and College
(The Root) — “There are more black men in jail than in college” is a line that has transfigured our understanding of persistent problems among black men in the United States. Many activists and scholars recite it to invoke urgency to fight unjust social structures, while culture critics say it to condemn the social failings…
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New Billboards, Same Stigma for Young Women of Color
“If you have your child, you’re shamed and seen as an irresponsible decision-maker. If you choose not to have your child and have an abortion instead, you’re shamed for that, too,” a reproductive-justice advocate says about a new campaign aimed at preventing teen motherhood. Jamilah King takes on the messaging in a piece for Colorlines.…
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Another Black Child Arrested for a Tantrum
Temper tantrums are by no means desirable or pleasant, but they’re definitely in the range of normal childhood behavior. These days they’re also treated like a criminal offense — and in too many of the cases that have made the headlines, it seems that the harshly disciplined “perpetrators” (we’d call them victims) are African-American kids.…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
