culture
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White Women Entitled to 'Natural Hair' Claim
(The Root) — “I am a young white woman, though one who regularly reads The Root and associates quite often with young black women. Because I am almost always the ‘girliest’ friend, I inevitably get onto the topic of beauty and, on a related note, hair. After all this time, I have learned quite a…
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Sheryl Sandberg's 'Lean In' Is Faux Feminism
In light of Sheryl Sandberg’s campus initiative to promote her best-seller, Lean In, bell hooks, in a piece at the Feminist Wire, is critical of Sandberg’s “simplistic description of the feminist movement.” Sandberg’s brand of feminism, she argues, flies in the face of the work that so many scholars have done to clarify and strengthen the equality for women movement. …
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People in Racist Halloween Costumes Don't Care About Your Feelings
In a piece at Ebony magazine, Jamilah Lemieux says she’s finally getting the message that some white people have been sending black people for years regarding racially insensitive Halloween costumes: They don’t care about the history; they just want to do what they want to do. So stop trying to create a teachable moment — or…
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Jesse Jackson Jr. Begins Comfy Prison Stay
Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) checked into one of the least harsh federal prisons Monday to begin his two-and-a-half-year sentence for campaign theft, according to NBC News. Jackson will be staying at the Butner Federal Correctional Complex near Raleigh, N.C., serving time after stealing $750,000 in campaign funds to pay for expensive items such…
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W. Kamau Bell Is Now an ACLU Ambassador
Comedians W. Kamau Bell and Lewis Black were named ambassadors for the American Civil Liberties Union on Tuesday, according to a press release. They’re representing the ACLU Ambassador Project, which was also launched on Tuesday. The release describes the project as a “new initiative that joins personalities from the worlds of film, television, music and comedy…
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NY Attorney General Wants Answers From Barneys, Macy's
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has heard enough about Barneys and Macy’s and is launching a probe into both upscale retail giants after four complaints detailing racial profiling surfaced in the past week, the Daily News reports. Letters were sent to executives of both companies asking for their practices when determining whom to stop, detain…
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Trayvon's Mom Aims to Fix 'Stand Your Ground'
Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black Florida teenager killed in 2012 by George Zimmerman, is taking her fight in her son’s memory to a Senate panel on Tuesday, demanding that states clarify their “Stand your ground” laws in self-defense cases, according to the Associated Press. The laws are known for excusing…
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Kanye Sells Confederate Flag Merchandise
Hip-hop star Kanye West has opened a pop-up shop next door to his fiancee Kim Kardashian’s boutique, Dash, in Los Angeles. The “Yeesus tour” store sells T-shirts and bags featuring the Confederate flag, according to the Daily Mail. One shirt depicts a skeletal grim reaper wrapped in the Confederate flag and carrying a scythe. Another…
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Tiger Woods and EA Sports Split
Looks like Tiger Woods and EA Sports have broken up. The video-game company and the golfer have agreed to go their separate ways, and the split appears to be mutual, the Huffington Post reports. “We had an incredible run,” Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, told Darren Rovell of ESPN.com. “Outside of Madden, you would be hard…
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Protest With Your Cash: Don't Shop at Barneys
It’s high time that black Americans steer clear of any store that racially profiles, especially Barneys and Macy’s, the Rev. Al Sharpton argues at the Huffington Post. As the recently reported incidents of profiling, interrogation and detainment of customers at Barneys and Macy’s have showcased, large entities from the private sector not only blatantly discriminate against us, they also…