culture
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There Is Justice for 6-Year-Old Jeremy Mardis; There Should Be Justice for Black Children, Too
Jeremy Mardis did not deserve to die. I hesitated to write this piece because I did not want to politicize the 6-year-old’s death. I did not want to think about the five bullets that pierced his head and chest as he sat next to his father, Christopher Few, as Marksville, La., Marshals Norris Greenhouse Jr.…
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Black Athletes Who Protested Racism
It was a powerful image: black football players standing united against campus racism. The Missouri Tigers’ boycott of games and practices drew national attention. As the New York Times observed, after months of student and faculty protests, it was the team’s refusal to play that likely “dealt the fatal blow” that led to the resignation…
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This Tech Entrepreneur’s Got Game
For anyone who follows the tech sector, it isn’t news that black entrepreneurs struggle to attract investors to their ventures. In 2010 a CB Insights study found that less than 1 percent of venture-capital-backed business founders were black, and access to capital for black tech entrepreneurs hasn’t improved much in recent years. That struggle is…
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Am I Wrong to Question Him About His Sexual Orientation?
My boyfriend keeps asking me to have anal sex. Does that mean he’s gay? —Jacqui W. Not everyone who wants to have anal sex is gay. You are assuming that his sexual behavior has something to do with his sexual orientation or his sexual attractions. That is not always the case. However, you need to…
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Why the NFL Probably Won’t Fix Its Greg Hardy Problem … or Any Problem
Last week, Deadspin released images of the bruises Nicole Holder received when assaulted by then-boyfriend Greg Hardy, a star defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys, who, at the time of the assault, played for the Carolina Panthers. The images were included in an extensive and harrowing piece from Diana Moskovitz on the assault. And even…
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The University of Mo. President Just Got Burned by the Fires of Ferguson and Baltimore
“We’ve got to face the fact that some people say you fight fire best with fire, but we say you put fire out best with water. We say you don’t fight racism with racism. We’re gonna fight racism with solidarity.” —Fred Hampton, Black Panther Party Someone started a fire on Canfield Drive in Ferguson, Mo. I…
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University of Mo. President Resigns, Proving That #SportsLivesMatter
The University of Missouri football team just got the school’s president, Tim Wolfe, to resign. Usually when you hear about a college president resigning in relation to athletics, a scandal has occurred and a combination of money, drugs and criminal behavior by some college players has forced him or her to step down. In this…
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‘You’re Beautiful, Successful and Educated’ and Waiting on a Man in Prison
Sometimes, taking off your mask is the hardest challenge you will face in life. The allure of wearing a mask is the false sense of protection it promises. It shields your true feelings while providing an image that doesn’t fracture the world’s perception of you. The problem with wearing a mask is that you…
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Black Student Activists Stand Against Racist Cultures on Campus
Editor’s note: The Associated Press is reporting that University of Missouri President Tim Wolfe announced Monday morning that he is resigning, “effective immediately,” in the wake of student protests over his handling of racial matters on campus. The radical spirit of the Black Lives Matter movement touched college campuses this past week in high-profile demonstrations…