culture
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Ex-FAMU Marching-Band Member Found Guilty in Hazing Case
The so-called leader of a group of Florida A&M University marching-band students who fatally beat drum major Robert Champion Jr. was convicted Friday of multiple charges related to the death, according to CNN. Dante Martin, 27, was found guilty of manslaughter and felony hazing by a jury after just an hour of deliberations, the report…
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‘Ghost of Trayvon Martin’ Was in Renisha McBride Courtroom, Lawyer Says
The shooting death of the unarmed Florida teen Trayvon Martin influenced the outcome of the trial of a white man who was convicted in August of killing a black woman on his suburban Detroit porch, the man’s lawyer told the Detroit News. Cheryl Carpenter, a lawyer for Theodore Wafer, who was convicted in August of…
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Charles Rangel Draws Fire for GOP Slavery Remark
Veteran U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel came under fire this week for saying that some members of the Republican Party “believe that slavery isn’t over,” Mediaite reports. The longtime Democratic congressman made the remark during a rally Thursday for Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo as he appealed to Democrats to go to the polls for…
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Street Harassment and the New Rules of Engagement
One of the cool things about moving through urban public space is what happens when you cross paths with your fellow humans on the street. In the mid-1990s, when I first moved to Washington, D.C., I quickly learned to say the requisite “Hey, how you doing?” to passersby. And in my parents’ native Georgetown, Guyana,…
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Must-See Alert: Stop What You’re Doing and Watch AmeriCAN
Empathy. It’s probably one of the most difficult emotions to teach. It’s the emotion that President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama want most for their daughters to be able to readily tap into—the ability to put oneself in another’s person shoes and experience the world from his or her point of view; to feel…
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Watch: Ferguson Police Chief Does Not Plan to Step Down
Ferguson, Mo., police Chief Thomas Jackson says that he is staying, despite reports that he planned to step down, according to CNN. Jackson spoke with CNN to reiterate his plans to stay in his position in the aftermath of the death of Michael Brown on Aug. 9 and the protests in Ferguson. “I’m going to…
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2 Children Found Abandoned in Long Beach, Calif.
Authorities are looking for help identifying two young children who were found abandoned in Long Beach, Calif., CBS Los Angeles reports. Two boys, roughly ages 1 and 2, were found unattended near a busy intersection. Police believe that the children are siblings. Police have not been able to find anyone who saw the children left…
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Scandal Recap: 10 Life Lessons
In addition to causing emotional upheaval for #TeamFitz, #TeamJake and everyone in between, Thursday night’s episode also taught us 10 life lessons: 1. You win wars by deploying weapons that your opponent doesn’t possess. In this episode, Olivia, Papa Pope and Fitz battled it out over Jake’s fate. Even though Papa Pope initially convinced Fitz…
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Columnist Fired After He Calls Michael Brown an Animal That Had to Be Put Down
A Charleston, W.Va., columnist has lost his job after referring to Michael Brown as an animal. According to Mediaite, Don Surber, a 30-year veteran of the Charleston Daily Mail, took to his personal blog to say this: This summer I had an epiphany as I watched packs of racists riot in Ferguson, Missouri, in support…
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White Teacher Reportedly Tells Student That Killing All Black People Is on Her Bucket List
A student at Camden County High School in North Carolina was having lunch in the classroom when she began discussing with her teacher items on her bucket list. Cynthia Ramsey, who teaches math at the school, reportedly shocked the student with one of her items. “She conveyed to me that Mrs. Ramsey had indicated that…