culture
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The 7 Most Outrageous and Racist Acts Found in DOJ’s Report on Baltimore Police Department
The Department of Justice’s scathing report on the Baltimore Police Department spelled out in exacting detail how the BPD violated the constitutional rights of black residents through a series of brutal and abusive tactics that basically had a community under siege. Perusing the pages of the report is like reading some bizarro crime novel, where…
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How a Ga. Mom Is Promoting Social Awareness Through Black-Themed School Supplies
In a world where black people, especially black women, are underrepresented in many fields, one woman believed that this needed to change, and that it could start with something as simple as school supplies. And so Nneka, a young entrepreneur and military veteran who goes by one name, came up with the idea to start featuring black culture…
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Yes, We Innovate: These 8 Engineers and Scientists Are Creating the Future Today
Those of us working in down-to-earth jobs can only tip our caps to those working in more lofty professions like space travel, biotechnology and systems gaming. There is no doubt, in the age of autonomous vehicles and virtual reality gaming systems, that behind these innovations lies a talented group of engineers pushing the proverbial bar…
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Gabby Douglas Only Has 1 Job—and It Isn’t to Fix Her Hair to Please You
Let’s begin with what really matters: Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas, the first African American to win the individual all-around event at the Olympics in 2012, earned yet another gold medal last night as part of “the Final Five,” Team USA’s contingent of fierce, female gymnasts. This is Douglas’ third gold medal and her second…
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I Want to Travel Solo for My Birthday, but My Boyfriend Wants to Tag Along
I’m turning 30 this year and wanted to go away by myself. I told my boyfriend about it. He said, “OK,” then asked, “Where are we going?” Should I take it to mean he doesn’t want me to go solo? I made it pretty clear that I wanted to go by myself. I don’t want…
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Not a Victim: Korryn Gaines Was Standing Her Ground
Editor’s note: This article contains social media posts that some may find offensive. On Aug. 1, three police officers arrived at Korryn Gaines’ Baltimore County apartment to arrest both Gaines and her boyfriend, Kareem Courtney, 39. Courtney was wanted on an assault warrant. Gaines was wanted on a failure-to-appear warrant that started over traffic tickets.…
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It's Been 2 Years Since Ferguson: Where Are They Now?
It’s hard to believe it’s been two years since the killing of an 18-year-old unarmed black teen named Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. Brown’s death sparked protests in Ferguson and around the world. Black Lives Matter, which started as a hashtag after the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s killer in 2013, grew into a mass movement that…
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Dear Mike: Another Year Has Passed and We’re Still Fighting for You
I started my time at Advancement Project one year ago. My first big assignment came only three weeks after my first day: I was being sent to Ferguson, Mo. As the leader for our youth-criminalization work, I would manage the national media and communications efforts for the one-year commemoration of Mike Brown’s death. I hadn’t…
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‘It’s Powerful’: The State of the Movement Post-Ferguson in St. Louis
#Delrawn Small, #Alton Sterling, #Philando Castile, #Alva Braziel, #Korryn Gaines, #Paul O’Neal. These are just a few of the names of men and women killed during interactions with police over the last six weeks, but it all started two years ago with #MikeBrown. On Aug. 9, two summers ago, Michael Brown Jr. was shot and…