culture
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CNN’s New Black in America Special Explores the Strife Between Cops and Young Black Men
Soledad O’Brien dedicates the next installment of her Black in America documentary series to the ongoing tensions between cops and working-class black people. The special airs Tuesday at 9 p.m. on CNN and is called Black & Blue—the former presumably representing the Trayvon Martins, Jordan Davises, Eric Garners and Michael Browns of the nation, that…
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Ferguson’s Mayor Tries to Explain His ‘There Are No Racial Divides’ Comment
As the nation awaits a grand jury decision in the case of Ferguson, Mo., police Officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown on Aug. 9, Mayor James Knowles sat down with Al-Jazeera America Monday to try to clarify the assertion he made months earlier that “there are no racial divides” in Ferguson,…
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Listen: Bill Cosby Jokes About Putting a Drug in Women’s Drinks
Bill Cosby has had a difficult time trying to stay out of the public eye in recent weeks, and as more and more women come forward to accuse the TV icon of sexual assault, the Internet has dredged up audio from his 1969 album, It’s True! It’s True!, on which the comedian jokes about having a…
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5 Reasons We Lost Our Minds Over Solange Knowles’ Wedding
Last week was hard for black women. Kim Kardashian’s bare ass—and all the white privilege it represents—was everywhere you scrolled, an unintentional attempt to fulfill the directive on the cover of Paper magazine: Break the Internet. Whether you thought her flaunting her big bottom was exceptionally vulgar or artistic homage, you knew that whatever it…
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Mo. Gov. Jay Nixon Activates National Guard and Announces 30-Day State of Emergency
The Associated Press reports that Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency Monday in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Mo., and surrounding areas in advance of a pending grand jury decision on whether to indict Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown on Aug. 9. Nixon also activated…
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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.…