culture
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Uber Driver Faces Charges in Sexual Assault of Passenger
A driver for Uber, the popular taxicab alternative, is facing second-degree sexual-abuse charges for allegedly assaulting a customer while she was passed out in the back of the car. According to D.C. Superior Court documents viewed by the Washington City Paper, the female passenger filed the complaint against 32-year-old Reshad Ahmad Chakari. The passenger was…
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7 Tips for Surviving a Black Family Reunion
It’s summer, which means it’s family-reunion time. These gatherings are a time of celebration, but between the family politics and the overeating you’re bound to do, they can be downright exhausting. Before you put on your custom-made T-shirt and head to the park to meet your long-lost relatives, remember to keep these tips in mind.…
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Pregnant Woman Allegedly Put in Choke Hold by NYPD Officer
More evidence of New York City Police Department officers appearing to use illegal choke holds are popping up since the death of Staten Island dad Eric Garner. In the latest incident, an officer was caught on film seeming to use the illegal move to restrain a seven-months-pregnant Brooklyn woman, the New York Daily News reports.…
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Ray Rice, Stephen A. Smith and the Hypocrisy of Sports
We all saw the video. It was clear as day. We shook our heads as we felt our emotions swirl. There was no hiding it. He did what no man should ever do, no matter the situation. Yet we took solace in knowing that justice would prevail, the hammer would be heavy, and Ray Rice…
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Texas Man Who Overpaid Child Support Is Released From Prison
Clifford Hall, the Texas man who went to jail even after overpaying child support debt that was caused by a clerical error, has been released from prison, his lawyer, Tyesha Elam, confirmed to The Root. Hall was released on July 2 after an associate judge suspended the sentence during a routine jail review hearing. He…
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Stephen A. Smith Apologizes for Domestic Violence Remarks
It only took a weekend for cooler heads to prevail and for Stephen A. Smith to back away from Twitter. On Monday the normally brash and cocky Smith issued a heartfelt two-minute apology for his controversial statements regarding domestic violence and Ray Rice on ESPN2’s First Take. During the discussion on last Friday’s show about…
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Formerly Homeless Student Selling Handwritten Letter From Obama for Tuition
The president of the United States wrote to him advising that he finish his education. Jesse Grainger is indeed taking President Barack Obama’s handwritten advice, selling the letter he received for $9,500 to use for tuition, the New York Post reports. Formerly homeless, the young man wrote to Obama some years ago to tell his…
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Boko Haram Abducts Wife of Cameroon’s Vice Prime Minister
The terrorist group Boko Haram reportedly abducted the wife of Cameroon’s vice prime minister in an attack Sunday that left at least three people dead in the town of Kolofata, Reuters reports. In addition, Kolofata’s mayor, Seini Boukar Lamine—who is also the lamido, or local religious leader—was kidnapped, along with five members of his family,…
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Call for Submissions: The Root Wants Your Story
We know there’s endless diversity within the black experience and endless stories that are best told by the people who live them. For My Thing Is, a personal-essay franchise featuring members of The Root’s community, we want yours. Do you have a complicated identity or an unusual background? A fascinating career or an inspirational path…
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Times Square Spider-Man in Web of Trouble
Spider-Man is in prison, and while he has superhuman powers, he doesn’t have $3,500 to post bail. According to the New York Daily News, Junior Bishop, 25, who dresses up as the web-slinging superhero and panhandles photos with tourists in New York City’s Times Square, reportedly punched a cop, breaking his glasses. Bishop was charged…