culture
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Zimmerman Destroys Video Evidence Against Him; Avoids Charges
Good thing George Zimmerman destroyed the iPad. As a result, Lake Mary, Fla., police could not salvage the video recorded by his estranged wife during a domestic dispute. With no video, there will be no charges filed against him, the police said and the Orlando Sentinel reports. Police on Thursday released their final 30-page report…
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Homeowner Charged With 2nd-Degree Murder in Teen’s Death
Updated Friday, Nov. 15, 2013, 11:45 a.m.: Theodore P. Wafer, a 54-year-old suburban-Detroit homeowner, has been charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Renisha McBride, an unarmed black woman who Wafer claimed he believed was trying to break into his home. Wayne County, Ill., prosecutor Kym Worthy announced three charges against the…
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Mom Who Fired Warning Shot Denied Release
A Florida woman sentenced to 20 years in prison may remain in custody until her new trial date in 2014, the Florida Times-Union reports. Marissa Alexander was dealt the 20-year sentence for firing a warning shot to stop her allegedly abusive then-husband. She was hoping to go free earlier this week at a bond hearing,…
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Left of Black Web Series Now Appearing at The Root TV
Sean “P. Diddy” Combs isn’t the only one launching a video revolution this year. We recently launched our premiere digital-video hub, The Root TV, which features a juicy concoction of relevant news clips, provocative Web series and compelling interview segments that we produce in-house. All of the original and curated video content pushes the envelope…
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Top Black Influencers Celebrate With The Root
On Thursday, at New York City’s Tribeca Rooftop, The Root held its third annual The Root 100 awards gala in honor of our list of America’s most influential African Americans between the ages of 25 and 45. The yearly event is The Root’s salute to the politicians, scholars, civil rights advocates, entrepreneurs and others who make up our list of…
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No Slaves, No Brutality: We Deserve a Holiday
You should go see The Best Man Holiday when it hits theaters Friday, Nov. 15. I don’t know anything about what you like, but if your movie-watching habits are anything like mine, you’ve earned this film. I like my films black. That doesn’t mean I like all black films. I don’t. I’m just more liable…
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Actor Rob Brown Slams Macy’s and NYPD With ‘Shopping While Black’ Lawsuits
One of the stars of HBO’s Treme has launched an expansive federal class-action lawsuit against the Macy’s department store for allegedly singling out customers of color for criminal suspicion. According to New York’s Daily News, Rob Brown charged Macy’s with “policies and practices [that] have left … customers of color feeling victimized, humiliated, traumatized [across the…
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Richard Cohen’s Racial ‘Groundhog Day’
Tempting as it is to join in the fray, I’m taking no part in the online beatdown that Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen is suffering for his ill-advised comments about interracial relationships. Ta-Nehisi Coates, Jelani Cobb and a host of other brilliant young writers have already got that covered. Besides, I’ve got my own bone…
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Central Park 5 Hope Victim and De Blasio Can Help Settle Case
A group of five men who were imprisoned as teenagers for a brutal rape they did not commit are looking to have a conversation with a second victim of the real perpetrator in hopes of settling their lawsuit against the city of New York, the Huffington Post reports. The Central Park Five, as they are…
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Ted Cruz’s Father: ‘All Blacks Should Be Republican’
According to Ted Cruz’s father, Rafael Cruz, African-American and Latino voters (non-Republican ones, anyway) are “uninformed” and “deceived.” It was recently discovered that the evangelical pastor gave a speech back in February to conservative activists and took up a previous speaker’s point that Hispanics were uninformed or deceived, the Huffington Post reports. “The same thing…