culture
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The Cast of A Raisin in the Sun Talks Class, Race and Michael Dunn
Fifty-five years ago, Lorraine Hansberry’s landmark play A Raisin in the Sun opened on Broadway. At the time, it was considered groundbreaking for its realistic portrayal of race and racism on the stage. Now, more than a half-century after its debut, America has elected a black president. But recent high-profile cases, such as the acquittal…
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Offensive Racial Images Used for Marketing
There is a history of national and international businesses and corporations using black stereotypes for the sake of product marketing. Here is a look at just a few examples that we found from around the world. Some of these are still on shelves today. Watermelon Soda This product was available in New York-area Target stores…
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Lamar Odom Is Taking His Talents to Spain
Former NBA star and ex-reality-TV husband Lamar Odom, 34, has agreed to a short-term deal with Spanish basketball club Baskonia, the Associated Press reports. Odom, a two-time NBA champion with the Lakers who has also played for the Dallas Mavericks, the Miami Heat and most recently the Los Angeles Clippers, hasn’t played since the end…
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Lauryn Williams Becomes 5th Olympian Ever to Medal in Winter and Summer Games
Track star Lauryn Williams is now the fifth Olympian ever to medal in both the Winter and Summer Games, Yahoo Sports reports. With bobsleigh partner Elana Meyers, Williams scooped up the silver in the two-woman bobsled event on Wednesday in Sochi, losing to the Canadian team by just 0.1 second, the news site notes. She…
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Dear Dunn Juror No. 4: You’re Wrong. Race Was a Factor
Dear Valerie: We haven’t met, but I watched your interview with ABC News’ Byron Pitts on Nightline last night. You’re a 30-something white woman who sat on the jury that deadlocked in an attempt to decide whether 47-year-old Michael Dunn was guilty of murdering then-17-year-old Jordan Davis. You said you wanted a conviction on the…
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Fusion Reporter Compares Zimmerman Interview to Talking to Charles Manson
After having a quiet sit-down interview with George Zimmerman, Fusion reporter Derrick Ashong wrote an opinion piece about the experience and why he decided to interview the controversial man whom many consider to be the personification of the ills of the “Stand your ground” law in Florida. In his piece, Ashong, who is black, admitted…
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Man Who Allegedly Killed Teen Prankster Says He Meant to Scare
Little Rock, Arkansas, native Willie Noble, who is being charged with the murder of 15-year-old Adrian Broadway, told the authorities that he shot at a vehicle with teenagers in it because he wanted to scare them, the Associated Press reports. Over the weekend, a group of teens reportedly pulled a retaliation prank on Noble’s 16-year-old…
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Clinton Foundation Awards Grant to Fund Recycling Plant in Haiti
Former President Bill Clinton announced Tuesday that the Clinton Foundation has awarded a $250,000 grant to a Haitian recycling plant that seeks to clean up Port-au-Prince and neighboring districts, while unclogging the many canals that are filled with discarded plastic bottles and other bits of trash, the Associated Press reports. The grant was awarded to…
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Denzel Washington Is Ready to Take the Stage
Now that the kids have flown the nest, Denzel Washington wants to get back to his stage roots. The Associated Press notes that the Tony- and Oscar-winning actor, who is set to portray Walter Lee Younger in Lorraine Hansberry’s classic play A Raisin in the Sun, can now handle the hectic Broadway schedule. “Up until…