culture
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College Student Dies in Ga. Jail Cell; 2 Officials Placed on Administrative Leave
Matthew Ajibade, a 22-year-old Nigerian native who was in the U.S. studying computer science at Savannah Technical College, died last week in a Georgia holding cell while he was in police custody. Two sheriff’s deputies have been placed on administrative leave without pay until the investigation into Ajibade’s death is concluded, CNN reports. Ajibade was…
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3 of the 4 Suspects Tied to Paris Newsroom Massacre Are Dead
On Friday, French officials announced that Cherif and Said Kouachi, the two brothers suspected of gunning down staffers in the Paris newsroom of the satirical publication Charlie Hebdo, were shot dead by police in front of a printing plant in Dammartin-en-Goële, a town outside Paris, CNN reports. French law-enforcement officials also described how they engaged another…
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Wanted: Anyone Who Is Young, Fabulous and Female in Washington, DC
Attention, all the young, black and gifted women in Washington, D.C.: The Root’s Young, Fabulous and Female series will kick off 2015 in D.C. on Jan. 27 with on-air personality and journalist Jummy Olabanji (Good Morning Washington, ABC7 News at Noon) as the event’s moderator. For those who are unfamiliar with YFF, join The Root…
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Md. Dump Truck Driver Charged With Attempted Murder in Attack on Police
Police have charged a Maryland dump truck driver with attempted murder, saying that he purposely hit two Prince George’s County police cruisers with his dump truck Wednesday morning, WUSA9 reports. Gene Thomas Brandon Jr. is currently being held without bond on two counts of attempted murder and two counts of first-degree assault. According to the…
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2nd Straight Week of Sharp Declines in NYPD Arrests
On Monday night a New York judge saw only 30 defendants come before him instead of the usual 60 to 90. One arraignment courtroom was used instead of two, the New York Times describes, and the judge closed down shop 45 minutes early because there were “no more cases to call.” According to the Times,…
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A Mother Fears for Her Daughter’s Lost Innocence
The news is littered with stories of people being killed by law-enforcement officials as well as by each other. Protesters have filled our streets demanding justice on both sides of the law. You would have to live under a proverbial rock to be unaware of at least some of the terror that lives within our…
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It Isn’t Wrong to Take Your Sister’s Child to Get an STD Test
My sister is mad at me for taking her 18-year-old kid for STD testing at the kid’s request. She said I took her “parenting choice” from her. I apologized. Was I wrong? —Anonymous No, you weren’t wrong. But I do get why the mother is mad, although her anger seems misplaced. I’m also glad that…
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Cosby’s Defenders Say There’s a Conspiracy. But Can Someone Explain It to Me?
Let me start by saying two things: First, I love conspiracy theories and am willing to speak for hours as to why, based on sound reasoning and valid arguments, Tupac could, in fact, have faked his own death and is living in Cuba. Second, I am a profound protector of black legacy. I believe that…
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The Price a Cop Paid for Crossing the Blue Line
If you are a “good cop” in the United States who has knowledge of what you perceive to be police misconduct or brutality, yet do nothing, then you are not only perpetuating cycles of mistrust and cynicism in communities of color toward law enforcement, but also aiding and abetting the extrajudicial killing of people around…
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Rain Pryor Embraces Life in Her Father’s Shadow
It’s the early ’70s, and a figure stands, bathed in light, telling jokes, forever changing the landscape of comedy to come. Behind him rests his shadow, this faceless, murky image, left behind, tracing his steps. Shadows are funny like that—these dark images that aren’t quite the original but mimic their owner in shape and stature.…