culture
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Mentally Ill Cleveland Woman Was Killed by Police in Front of Her Family, Brother Says
A Cleveland man is grieving after police killed his mentally ill sister outside her family’s home, Cleveland.com reports. Tanesha Anderson, who reportedly suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, was declared dead at a clinic Thursday, two hours after a dispute with officers, during which they allegedly slammed her to the pavement outside her house. “They…
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Atlanta Real Estate Titan Herman J. Russell Dies at 83
Renowned Atlanta entrepreneur and developer Herman J. Russell died on Saturday at the age of 83 after a brief illness, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reports. “He made his transition in a peaceful way,” his youngest son, Michael Russell, said in a family statement on Saturday. “We know he’s at rest.” The founder and former CEO…
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Brooklyn Toddler Kept on Life Support as Parents Battle Over Organ Donation
Thaiya Spruill-Smith was declared legally dead in Brooklyn, N.Y., last Friday, but her body is still being preserved by medical equipment as her parents battle over what to do with her organs, the New York Daily News reports. According to the Daily News, the 2-year-old girl’s father, 26-year-old Terrell Smith, believes that his daughter should…
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St. Louis Woman Who Tortured Her Kids Gets 78 Years in Prison
A St. Louis woman was sentenced to 78 years in prison for repeatedly abusing her children in what prosecutors called “systematic torture,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. According to the Post-Dispatch, Lakechia Schonta Stanley admitted to beating, whipping and waterboarding her children. Stanley was caught after the abuse was reported to a school librarian in…
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Martin Salia, the Md. Doctor Being Treated for Ebola in Neb., Has Died
Dr. Martin Salia, the Maryland physician who contracted Ebola while working in Sierra Leone and was brought to Nebraska for emergency treatment on Saturday, died Monday. He was the second person to die from the disease in the United States; Thomas Eric Duncan died from the disease after traveling to Dallas from Liberia earlier this year.…
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The Day After Cosby Goes Radio Silent, a New Rape Allegation Surfaces
Sexual assault accusations against beloved actor and comedian Bill Cosby aren’t new. However, until recently the star had largely escaped public scrutiny. But in recent weeks, Cosby has been dealing with fallout from a series of allegations as, on Sunday, a new alleged victim came forward with a story of abuse, sharing her story at Hollywood…
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Nominate a Star of Tomorrow for the Young Futurists of 2015
Who are the young black trailblazers in your community? The Root is putting the spotlight on the African-American leaders and innovators of the future, and we want you to help. We are now accepting nominations for The Root 2015 Young Futurists list, to be unveiled in February. Young Futurists are between the ages of 16 and 22 and committed…
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Photos Capture Caribbean Rituals for Memorializing the Dead
Without wishing to sound unduly morbid, death is irrefutably part of life; or, as the poet T.S. Eliot famously remarked in Sweeney Agonistes (pdf), “Life is death.” From classical writers who expounded the notion of dying to African-American novelists James Baldwin and Walter Mosley, much of whose work is permeated by the fear of it, the…
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SNL Parodies Upcoming White House Bourbon Summit
After Democrats were delivered a resounding defeat this midterm election season, President Barack Obama asked the next Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to the White House to hash out their differences over bourbon—a meeting that is still in the planning stages. The offer sparked speculation across the Internet about the potential outcome of the…
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Lawyer: Bill ‘Cosby Does Not Intend to Dignify’ Sex Assault ‘Allegations With Any Comment’
A lawyer for Bill Cosby released a statement Sunday, saying the veteran comedian would not dignify “decade-old, discredited” claims of sexual abuse with a response. The lawyer, John P. Schmitt, released the statement to the Associated Press and it was also posted at the comedian’s website. The statement represents the first comment from the 77-year-old…