culture
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Kendrick Johnson’s Parents Sue Georgia School Board for Wrongful Death
Kendrick Johnson’s death remains a mystery, but his parents are not giving up their legal battle. They filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Monday against Georgia’s Lowndes County school board, the Associated Press reports. The 17-year-old’s parents are claiming that the school board allowed their son to die “at the hands of one or more…
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Shelly Sterling Wins Right to Sell Los Angeles Clippers to Former Microsoft CEO
Donald Sterling’s estranged wife, Shelly Sterling, won a landslide victory in court on Monday as a judge ruled in her favor, making way for the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, the Los Angeles Times reports. Judge Michael Levanas effectively dismissed all of the embattled Clippers owner’s arguments, agreeing…
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We Don’t Take Violence Against Black Women Seriously—So Why Should the NFL?
To understand our dirty little secret of a national crisis called domestic violence means to look no further than the perverted lack of a serious conversation about it. No more tragic is that observation than the abject silliness of popular discourse within the African-American community when the subject comes up. Deeper is the invisibility of…
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16-Year-Old Female Nigerian Weightlifter Wins Gold, Then Fails Drug Test
On Friday a 16-year-old Nigerian weightlifter became the youngest female to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal in the 117-pound division. On Tuesday officials suspended Chika Amalaha for testing positive for banned substances, the Associated Press reports. According to AP, Chika “tested positive for diuretics and masking agents” after officials tested her “A” sample and found…
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5 Things You Should Know About the New Ebola Crisis
Last week a 40-year-old man who was infected with the Ebola virus flew to Lagos, Nigeria, from Liberia, stopping over in Ghana and changing planes in Togo—coming into contact with countless people along the way. This man, whose sister had died from Ebola, began exhibiting symptoms aboard the flight to Nigeria, was hospitalized after landing…
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Pastor Running for Congress Gets Strip Club’s Endorsement
One Arizona pastor who is running for Congress received a very secular endorsement from a local strip club, the Arizona Republic reports. The Rev. Jarrett Maupin, who says he is a member of the Progressive Christian Coalition, isn’t put off at all by the endorsement, telling the news site that “the Lord works in mysterious ways.”…
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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…