black lives matter
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A Community Reels After the Police Killing of 16-Year-Old Anthony ‘A.J.’ Weber in Los Angeles
There is a familiar grief ritual when a young person dies, especially from violence, especially in poor, black communities. It is communal, emotive and performative, as black people are wont to be, and much the same the world over. After news of the death spreads, people pour out of their homes to a common area—a…
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An Open Letter to the Mainstream Media Covering the Death of Black People by the Police
The presence of news media at Wednesday night’s Town Hall in South Los Angeles to address the deputy-involved killing of unarmed 16-year-old Anthony “A.J.” Weber could’ve been a blessing. The grieving family and community had an opportunity to be heard on a national level. An opportunity to say or do what they needed in front…
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Black NYPD Commanding Officer Accused of Celebrating ‘Hate Group’ After #BlackLivesMatter Tweet
A black New York City Police Department commander is receiving sharp criticism from other law enforcement officers after her police precinct’s account tweeted out the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on Friday. According to the New York Daily News, Deputy Inspector Janice Holmes, who commands the NYPD’s 100th Precinct in the city’s Queens borough, is facing backlash from…
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Let There Be No Mistake: If You’re Outspoken and Black or Muslim, ‘They’ Are Definitely Watching You
Because I am predisposed to take everything with a grain of salt and was born with the inability to have delusions of grandeur, when friends and acquaintances tell me, “You know they are watching you,” I usually dismiss it with the same relative inattention I pay to accusations of reverse racism or white oppression. After…
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Charleston, SC, Black Lives Matter Leader Dies After Being Shot in Louisiana
A Charleston, S.C., Black Lives Matter leader—who made headlines last year after being seen jumping over yellow police tape in an attempt to snatch a Confederate flag—has died after being shot in New Orleans. Muhiyidin d’Baha, whose legal name was Muhiyidin Moye, died Tuesday morning, the New Orleans Police Department confirmed, according to Live5News. Police…
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Maryland County Passes a Black Lives Matter Week of Action for All Its Schools
The Prince George’s County school board voted unanimously on Friday to pass a resolution (pdf) called the “Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Schools” so that the 128,000 students in the second-largest school district in Maryland will learn about and discuss the Black Lives Matter movement starting Monday. Fox 5 DC reports that the…
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Vermont High School Flies Black Lives Matter Flag to Signal Commitment to Inclusivity
Black History Month started off with a bang for one Montpelier, Vt., high school that began flying a Black Lives Matter flag Thursday in what officials are calling a commitment to make the majority-white school more inclusive. According to the Burlington Free Press, the flag-raising, which was led by students, is part of a series…
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Dear White People Cast, Crew Create Jordan Edwards Scholarship Fund
The cast and crew of the Netflix series Dear White People are honoring the life and legacy of Jordan Edwards with a scholarship fund created in partnership with Jordan’s family and the Black Alumni Association. The Jordan J. Edwards Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund was conceptualized “to promote the education of deserving undergraduate students who enroll…
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Missing in Action: Black Designers
Here comes New York Fashion Week, again. Everything is about to change—or so it seems—as designers present fashion shows featuring clothes generally intended to break the rules. But one thing rarely, if ever, seems to change, and that’s the absence of black designers occupying top spots in the fashion industry. Freelance designer and journalist Kibwe…
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Yara Shahidi Performing Assata Shakur Is More #BlackGirlMagic Than Our Hearts Can Stand
As media partners for the Blackout for Human Rights-produced MLK Now event at New York City’s Riverside Church on Monday, The Root found a lot to be inspired by this Martin Luther King Day. But at The Glow Up, we were pleasantly surprised to also find #BlackGirlMagic in full effect. From actress Lupita Nyong’o reciting…