culture
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French Assailant Appears in Video Justifying the Attack Against Charlie Hebdo
Amedy Coulibaly—one of the assailants responsible for the wave of attacks that claimed the lives of journalists, police officers and hostages in France last week—appears in a video released to the public on Sunday in which he attempts to justify the attacks. “What we are doing is completely legitimate, given what they are doing,” Coulibaly,…
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Va. Family Killed in Crash With an 18-Wheeler
Five members of a Virginia family, including a pregnant woman, lost their lives in a tragic accident Saturday morning after colliding with a tractor trailer en route to Maryland, the New York Daily News reports. According to the report, Travis Straton, 25; his girlfriend, Regina Ayres, 24; and Ayres’ two children, 7-year-old Jordan Ayres and…
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2 Tuskegee Airmen Die in Los Angeles the Same Day at Age 91
Two members of the Tuskegee Airmen, the renowned all-black group of military pilots who fought bravely in World War II, passed away the same day, both at the age of 91, the Associated Press reports. Clarence E. Huntley Jr. and Joseph Shambrey, longtime friends who had enlisted in the legendary group together, died Jan. 5 in their…
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Diversity Targeted in ‘White Genocide’ Billboard Near Birmingham, Ala.
Commuters driving along Interstate Highway 59, located near Birmingham, Ala., are once again being greeted by a billboard bearing a racially charged message steeped in segregationist belief, AL.com reports. It is the second time in less than a year that such a billboard has popped up in the area. This latest one reads, “Diversity means chasing…
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If You’re Mad That Selma Didn’t Win More Golden Globes, You’re Going to Hate Oscar Night
It’s great that John Legend and Common won a Golden Globe on Sunday night for their song “Glory,” featured in the movie Selma. It’s an excellent song and it deserved to win. But Selma’s shutout in the other categories for which it was nominated—best director for Ava DuVernay, best actor for David Oyelowo and best…
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NYC Cops Told No Vacation Time Unless They Issue More Tickets: Report
New York City police officers have been issued a stern warning from their higher-ups: Either get back to enforcing minor infractions or don’t expect to take vacation or sick days, according to several unnamed officers who spoke with the New York Post. The Post notes that officers are now being ordered to hand in “activity…
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Some 2,000 Feared Dead After Boko Haram Massacre in Nigerian Town
Last week Boko Haram entered the northern Nigerian town of Baga and began opening fire on residents. According to news reports, bodies were left bloodied across roadways, and those who fled into the bushes were chased and executed. Once the shooting stopped, some 2,000 people were reported dead in what Amnesty International is calling possibly…
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5 Years After Massive Earthquake, Where Is Haiti Now?
Around 5 p.m. Jan. 12, 2010, a 7.0 earthquake destroyed most of Haiti. Buildings were crushed, children were left parentless, and images of rubble and destruction became synonymous with the Caribbean country. In total, once all of the carnage was assessed, more than 100,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed, hundreds of thousands of people were…
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Selma: They Lived the History, Now They Watch the Movie
Selma, Ala.: In 1965, when nonviolent activists in Alabama made that valiant trek from Selma to Montgomery for the right to vote, the Rev. Frederick D. Reese was in the front row, leading the way with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and others. On Saturday the 85-year-old Baptist minister sat in a packed theater in…
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Glitz and Glam on the Red Carpet at the Golden Globes
If you missed the red-carpet preshows for the 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards Sunday night, here is a recap of some of the stars and fashion that graced the red carpet at the Beverly Hilton. David Oyelowo was nominated in the category Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture for Selma. Quvenzhané Wallis…