Social Justice
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Why They Kneel: Denver’s Mile High Inequality Vs. Kansas City, the Chiefs of Injustice
To examine the injustice and inequality that prompted some NFL players to protest during the national anthem, each week, for the remainder of the NFL season, The Root will explore the data behind racial disparities in the two cities represented in the National Football League’s premiere matchup—Monday Night Football. Tonight, the Denver Broncos took on…
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For Decades, This St. Louis Jail Held Hundreds of Impoverished Black People. Activists Are Working to Shut It Down
“The reason why these men are in chains in the St. Louis Workhouse is because they are poor. Every lawyer in St. Louis knows this to be a fact. Probably many of them are innocent, but certainly every one of them is ‘broke’. There would be no more chance of a man with money having…
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Why They Kneel: Injustice and Inequality in the Land of the Steelers and Buccaneers
To examine the injustice and inequality that prompted some NFL players to protest during the national anthem, each week, for the remainder of the NFL season, The Root will explore the data behind racial disparities in the two cities represented in the National Football League’s premiere matchup—Monday Night Football. Tonight, the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to…
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South Carolina Refuses to Evacuate Prisons in Hurricane Florence's Path
Hurricane Florence has preemptively been called “the storm of a lifetime” for the Carolina coast, and officials have wisely taken heed, warning millions of residents to evacuate coasts and low-lying areas as the massive cyclone gets ready to make landfall. But while South Carolina has ordered a mandatory evacuation for the entire coast, there is…
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Domestic Violence Survivor Wins Settlement Against City That Evicted Her for Calling 911
Did you know that there are towns in this country that penalize people—even victims of crimes—if they call 911 too many times? Domestic violence survivor Rosetta Watson found this out the hard way in 2012 when the city of Maplewood, Mo., evicted her from her residence and barred her from living anywhere else in the…
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California Abolished Cash Bail But Created a New System of Inequality
California Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Tuesday that will make his state the first in the nation to abolish cash bail for suspects awaiting trial. But what looks like a victory for criminal justice reform on the outside is actually an opening for a new system of inequality. As the Washington Post reports, when Brown…
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Do Police Shield White Nationalists While Targeting Counter-Protesters?
When the Patriot Prayer group and the Proud Boys—two groups identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as hate groups with white nationalist leanings—decided to rally in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 4, counter-protesters made plans to have a presence there as well. From a First Amendment standpoint, both groups had a constitutional right to be…
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Florida High School Student Denied Lunch Because She Was 15 Cents Short
Florida continues to secure its ranking as the worst after a high school student was denied school lunch because she was short 15 cents. The girl’s mother, Kimberly Aiken, is furious at what happened to her daughter and wants to make sure other children don’t wind up going hungry too. Aiken told Click Orlando that…
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'Stand Your Ground' Is for White People: Markeis McGlockton’s Lawyer Says the Statute May Be Legal But It’s Not Moral
Like most of us, Michael McGlockton became familiar with Florida’s “stand your ground” law in 2012 when 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed outside his father’s home by an armed “neighborhood watchman.” “For the most part, that’s when I started paying attention to it,” said Michael McGlockton in an interview with The Root. He…
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How Memphis Police Created an Undercover Operation to Spy on Black Lives Matter Activists
A federal judge has ruled that the Memphis Police Department’s 2-year undercover operation violated a 1978 agreement against spying on protesters. The City of Memphis entered a consent decree in 1978 when it was revealed that cops had secretly created an entire division dedicated surveilling anti-war protesters and other citizens who hadn’t committed any crimes.…
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