alabama
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As a Kid, I Thought Huntsville, Ala., Sucked. As an Adult, It Looks Pretty Alright
In the summer of 1993, my family relocated from the major international metropolis of Frankfurt (really Bad Homburg), Germany, to the not-a-major-international-metropolis of Huntsville (really Madison), Ala. My father was in the Army at the time and was stationed at Ft. Campbell, Ky. Since my dad had a year left until his military retirement, my…
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Black Woman Manhandled by 3 Cops at Alabama Waffle House Found Guilty of Disorderly Conduct
Chikesia Clemons, the black woman wrestled to the ground by three Saraland, Ala., police officers at a Waffle House in April, has been found guilty of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. According to AL.com, the late-night trial took place in Mobile County, Ala., on Monday night. Judge Mark Irwin, delivering the ruling, said Clemons had…
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'We've Had Problems With Your Kind Before': Black Frat Files Racial-Discrimination Lawsuit Against Alabama Restaurant
A black fraternity filed a lawsuit in federal court last week, accusing a Tuscaloosa, Ala., restaurant of racial discrimination after they were denied the opportunity to rent an event space because, as the restaurant put it, “We’ve had problems with your kind before.” The incident actually occurred back in February and now the Tuscaloosa alumni…
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White Boy Scout Leader to Black Kid: It’s OK That You Were Called the N-Word. ‘I’ve Seen a Lot Worse’
One Boy Scouts of America leader might have let this whole “master” thing go to his Alabamian head. (Fun fact: Did you know that free black people were banned from the state of Alabama after 1834?) And if what is being alleged is true, he might need to get Djangoed up out of the organization.…
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It's 2018 and These Trash Bags Are Still Erecting Confederate Monuments
To see the ways in which a country views itself, and its history, you need look no further than its monuments and memorials. These civic markers act as modes of remembrance, imploring onlookers to remember great historical feats and figures (as the Lincoln Memorial does), or to reflect on a complicated past (as the Vietnam…
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School Board Member Blames Her Racist Facebook Posts on Michelle Obama, NFL Protesters
After being called out for a collection of racist social media posts echoing the sentiments of noted Twitter political pundit Roseanne Barr, a board member of Alabama’s second-largest school district passionately explained herself by citing Michelle Obama’s unpatriotic hate for America and kneeling NFL players’ insistence on disrespecting the troops. Donna Pike, a member of…
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Not All Cops: Unarmed Black Teen Not Shot and Killed by Police
Police unions, objective observers and whatever they call white people (I’m using “‘MAGA’ Yeezys” this week) often accuse the media of casting law enforcement officers in a negative light simply because some news outlets believe the public should know about police brutality and the disproportionate killing of black people. But The Root would like to…
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Young, Black and Progressive: Chokwe Antar Lumumba and Randall Woodfin Chop It Up in Birmingham, Ala.
What was billed as an afternoon with two brand-new young, progressive mayors recently elected to serve two of the blackest cities in America quickly turned into a perfect example of how new ideas, radical thinking and a new guard of black leadership are changing the political landscape for African-American voters. We should pitch this movie to…
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Glamour Magazine Shines the Spotlight on the Historic Number of Black Women Who Are Candidates in Alabama
Sisters are doin’ it for themselves, y’all. To date, approximately 603 black women are currently running for political office in the United States; in Alabama, a record 70 of the state’s 2018 candidates are black women (only two of which are Republican). Glamour magazine is featuring 18 of these hopefuls in its June/July issue, due…