culture
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The GOP's Assault on Public Education
Arguing at Salon that public education has always been a pathway to the middle class for people of color, Brittney Cooper chides Republican lawmakers for creating barriers to success for minorities by defunding urban school systems at every level across the nation. “Unfortunately, the increasing national disdain for all things ‘public’ is increasingly becoming a…
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How Racism Spurred My Commitment to Activism
In a piece at xoJane, Danielle Moodie-Mills recalls how a painful encounter with racism as a teen taught her how the issue was not relegated to a chapter in history books. Her experience also triggered her lifelong commitment to civil rights activism. “Get out of my seat, nigger.” I was 14 years old when I realized…
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Will Dancer Daughters End Up Like Miley?
(The Root) — “My girls, ages 8 and 10, have been in dance class since they were little. They do a variety of classes but both recently joined a diverse dance troupe that performs hip-hop around the county at various events. They love it, and honestly I don’t think they associate it with any particular…
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Black Pastor Under Fire for 'Only White' Greeters Request
Makeda Pennycooke, a Charlotte, N.C., pastor, has issued an apology to the congregation at Freedom House Church after asking that “only white people” serve as greeters during the 9 a.m. Sunday service, according to WBTV. A viewer contacted WBTV after getting an email from Pastor Makeda Pennycooke, an African-American woman, at Freedom House Church along…
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Father of 1-Year-Old Shooting Victim Won't Cooperate
In the aftermath of the tragic killing of 1-year-old Antiq Hennis of Brooklyn, N.Y., last weekend, a wave of support has come from city officials and activists in their pursuit of justice. A moment of silence was observed at the West Indian Day Parade, and the New York City Police Department has offered a $12,000…
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Cleveland Kidnapper Found Hanged in Prison Cell
Ariel Castro, the Cleveland kidnapper, was found hanging in his Ohio prison cell Tuesday night, according to CNN. He was sentenced in August to life plus 1,000 years for kidnapping and raping three women, as well as murder. Authorities found Castro, 52, hanging in his cell at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Ohio, about…
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Terrence Howard Allegedly Threatened Suicide
On-screen, Terrence Howard’s career seems to be going just fine. He’s one of the stars of the hit movie Lee Daniels’ The Butler. But offscreen, the actor’s personal life has been in a tailspin, according to New York’s Daily News. Oscar-nominated actor Terrence Howard allegedly threatened suicide and murder with an X-Acto blade, threw his…
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A Black Man's Role in American Revolution
(The Root) — This image is part of a weekly series that The Root is presenting in conjunction with the Image of the Black in Western Art Archive at Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research. This striking pair of figures presents one aspect of the role of the black man in the American Revolution.…
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Black Adults Need to Stop Spewing Anti-Black Rhetoric at Children
Sheryl Underwood’s disparaging comments about kinky hair jogged Danielle C. Belton’s memory about the negative things she’s heard black adults say to black children about their features. In a piece at Clutch magazine, Belton stresses the importance of grown folk not giving black children inferiority complexes about their brown complexions or hair texture. The people who told me…
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Dave Chappelle's Experience Shows Connecticut's Racism
One little-explored aspect of Dave Chappelle’s “meltdown” during a performance in Hartford last week is the significance of where the incident took place, journalist and Connecticut native Ann-Marie Adams argues in a piece at Ebony. She argues that Connecticut, rather than being a liberal oasis, is a racial hotbed. Location is a crucial unit of analysis for Chappelle’s…