culture
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Underemployment Plagues African Americans
It is commonly accepted that unemployment is a huge obstacle for African Americans in their walk toward economic progress. However, underemployment is an even bigger problem for them, especially in comparison with their white and Hispanic counterparts, the Associated Press reports. According to the National Urban League’s latest annual State of Black America report, “One…
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5th-Grader Claims Police Officer Pointed Gun in His Face
Omari Grant was just fooling around in the wooded area behind his Henry County, Ga., home like a normal 11-year-old boy, conspiring to build a tree fort with his friends. However, things took a frightening turn when a neighbor called the police to complain about the boys cutting the trees, WSB-TV reports. One officer arriving…
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Atlanta Archbishop Likely to Sell $2,200,000 Mansion
After an outcry from Catholics, citing the modest lifestyle of Pope Francis as an example, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Atlanta Wilton Gregory says that he will most likely sell a recently built $2.2 million mansion that was meant to be for his personal use, the Associated Press reports. However, he hasn’t made up his…
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Defense Signals It Will Question Detroit Shooting Victim’s Past
The defendant may not be the only one on trial in the fatal shooting of Renisha McBride in Detroit on the night of Nov. 2. According to the Associated Press, lawyers defending Theodore Wafer are planning to use McBride’s lifestyle against her in the trial, which is set to start in June. They are also…
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Prison Ordered to Resume Transgender Inmate’s Hormone Treatments
A federal judge has ruled that a transgender inmate can receive hormone treatments in prison after she argued that she suffered a medical setback when her treatments were stopped. According to the Associated Press, Antione Lee, who goes by the name Whitney Lee, had experienced facial hair growth and depression once the Department of Rehabilitation…
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Exchange Student Eats Pot Cookie, Jumps to His Death in Colorado
A Wyoming college student on spring break in Denver ate a legally purchased marijuana cookie that a friend bought from a Colorado recreational pot shop and later jumped to his death, the Associated Press reports. Levy Thamba Pongi, 19, a native of the Republic of Congo, was a student at Northwest College in Powell, Wyo.…
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Fort Hood Shooting: Attacker Slays 3, Injures More Than a Dozen, Kills Self
At least four people are reported dead after a shooting Wednesday at Fort Hood military installation in Texas, and more than a dozen were injured, according to authorities, the Washington Post reports. According to the Post, the gunman, identified as Army Specialist Ivan Lopez, 33, is among the four, having taken his own life, officials…
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Can NY Create Economic Development With TV Diversity?
In the face of mounting criticism for its lack of on-air diversity, earlier this year Saturday Night Live hired its first black female cast member in five years—comedian Sasheer Zamata. But SNL reached another diversity milestone this year that didn’t generate quite as much attention but was arguably even more significant. For the first time, two women of…
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The Hip-Hop Fellow: Producer 9th Wonder Schools Harvard
Hip-hop has made its way into the academy and is increasingly becoming accepted as a legitimate field of inquiry, with many top universities around the country offering classes in hip-hop studies, exploring not only hip-hop as a musical genre but also the history and role of hip-hop culture in society—creating a bridge that connects the past to…
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Black Heroism Illustrated
Comic books haven’t always been a place where African Americans could find characters they related to. Black comic book characters ranged from being barely noticeable and blatantly disrespected to receiving lessened moments of racism from decade to decade. DC Comics didn’t have a black superhero who could stand on his own until 1977, when Black Lightning and…