Politics
-
Black Women and Girls May Run the World, but They’re Not Safe in It
In black America during the 1970s, the portraits of MLK, JFK and Jesus hung on every family’s wall. Today, the new trinity of Oprah, Beyoncé and Michelle Obama could almost replace them. But the increasing power and cultural influence of black women don’t equal protection. Black women’s accomplishments, despite their continuing struggle, illuminate how sexist…
-
Should Black Folks Trust the FBI’s Russia Investigation, Given Its History of Targeting Our Communities?
Why trust the FBI or any intelligence agency on Russia? They targeted civil rights activists for years. We really don’t have proof of the Russians doing anything. Why trust these agencies now? These are completely legitimate questions that I hear from black folks from time to time on social media and in person. I get…
-
Ala. Mayoral Candidate Randall Woodfin Is a Sign of the Growing Progressive Movement in the South
Randall Woodfin believes any political revolution that takes off across the nation starts in cities like his hometown of Birmingham, Ala., where he is running as a progressive candidate for mayor. Sure, Donald Trump literally encouraged local police to abuse people in their custody, but the people with real power to ensure that doesn’t happen…
-
To White Folks Who Dance With Devils: ‘What Kind of Extremists Will You Be?’
In a press conference during which Donald Trump shed any pretense of being anything other than a white supremacist demagogue deploying his power in the service of fascism, hate-mongering and violence wrought from the desperate need whiteness has to preserve itself, he said this: Trump: Well, George Washington was a slave owner. Was George Washington…
-
Why Giving Birth Is Deadly for Black Women … and Why It Might Get Worse
Mothers dying during pregnancy and childbirth is a crisis most Americans believe impacts only countries experiencing extreme poverty with shortages of food, health care providers, medicine, water and housing. Most people think of developing or war-torn nations where there are inadequate hospitals and little government infrastructure. But when it comes to maternal health and mortality…
-
Houston Community Activist Throws Money at School Board: ‘Everything Is Money-Driven Around This Place … You Don’t Care About Those Kids!’
Gerry Monroe, community activist and executive director of United Urban Alumni Association, caused a stir at Thursday night’s Houston Independent School District meeting when he accused the board members of being money-hungry and uninterested in the welfare of HISD schoolchildren. “Won’t you give them people their money?” Monroe said, as if repeating what others have…
-
How Russia Used Racism to Hack White Voters
It’s easy to blame Russian President Vladimir Putin and the various intelligence agencies he oversees for the political discord hemorrhaging Washington, D.C., and the rest of the country. The intelligence community determined (pdf) in January that the Kremlin deployed a bevy of tactics to sway public opinion in favor of Donald Trump. Recent reports found…
-
Drug Policy Alliance Calls Out NYC Mayor de Blasio for Attempting to Spin Marijuana-Arrests Record [Retracted]
RETRACTED (6/12/18): This story has been removed because we have discovered it was in breach of our editorial standards. If you’d like to know more, you can read an editor’s note here. A cached version of the story is available here for transparency.
-
Respectable Negroes Can’t Advise Colin Kaepernick on Shit
Neither Michael Vick nor Ray Lewis is a coon. They simply have no interest in going toe-to-toe with white supremacy. And Colin Kaepernick has no interest in being a well-behaved, respectable Negro to get a job in the National Football League. Such behavior will not liberate black people, and he knows it. His stance is…