culture
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Beyoncé's Hair Might Not Change the World
(The Root) — The only thing that might have possibly caused more black hair buzz than this would have been if Oprah decided to go all the way natural and appear on her magazine cover post “big chop.” You’ve certainly heard by now: Beyoncé has ditched her weave for either a brand-new pixie cut or…
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Henrietta Lacks: Family Consents to Her Medical Gift
Sixty-two years after Henrietta Lacks died of cervical cancer and doctors removed tumor cells from her body, her family is now being brought into the decision-making process concerning research with those cells. The study of her cells has netted profound medical and biological discoveries, the New York Times reports. Henrietta Lacks was only 31 when…
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NY Police Won't Store Names of People They Stop and Frisk
In a deal announced Wednesday, New York City will no longer store the names and addresses of people who were targets of the police department’s controversial stop-and-frisk program and whose cases have been resolved or dismissed, according to CBS. The deal signed Tuesday resulted from a May 2010 lawsuit brought in state court in Manhattan…
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Pastor Fired for Attending Rick Ross Concert
A North Carolina pastor, Rodney Wills, faced the wrath of his congregation after attending a Rick Ross concert. Ross was described by a deacon in the church as “tearing down the kingdom of God,” according to BlackAmericaWeb. Wills was also spotted nine months ago at a Lil Wayne concert. [Twenty-six-year-old] Rodney Wills was fired from…
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Jackie Robinson Statue Vandalized With N-Word
“Die N—ger.” “F—k Jackie Robinson and all N—gers.” Those are the words that were discovered at the base of the Jackie Robinson statue outside Cyclones Stadium in Brooklyn, N.Y., Wednesday morning. According to the Daily News, which showed close-up pictures of the graffiti, there were also swastikas drawn on the monument. While the New York…
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'Cute for a Black Girl': Should I Be Insulted?
(The Root) — “A guy contacted me on a dating site and started off with ‘I don’t normally date outside my race or my comfort zone, but you’re beautiful and caught my eye.’ I feel a certain way about that statement. I want someone who will be comfy with dating a black woman. Am I…
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George Zimmerman and the Price of Infamy
(The Root) — Last week George Zimmerman — found innocent of murder, but still the killer of teen Trayvon Martin — was pulled over by a police officer in Forney, Texas, east of Dallas. Nothing happened. In fact, the only detail of note was that Zimmerman was packing heat in the glove compartment (which he…
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Reform Phone Rates for Inmates' Families
(Special to The Root) — After more than 10 years of advocacy, the Federal Communications Commission is finally going to take a stand on the predatory phone rates charged to the families of prisoners. On Friday the FCC will vote on a proposal to reform these rates. The details of the order are not yet…
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'Masculine of Center' Black Women as Targets
“We walk through the world, and some of us pass as male,” Oakland, Calif.’s Erica Woodland told Colorlines’ Dani McClain. “We get left out of this conversation.” “We” refers to women whose clothing and mannerisms lead people to perceive and treat them as men. That’s more than a source of confusion or an inconvenience, given…
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Black Journos Seek Meeting With New Washington Post Owner
After the sale of the Washington Post was announced on Monday, Bob Butler, the president of the National Association of Black Journalists, said he would request a meeting with the new owner, Jeffrey P. Bezos, to determine the impact on employees, especially NABJ members, according to Richard Prince’s Journal-isms. The Washington Post Co. stunned its…