culture
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White Guilt Needs to End, Says Limbaugh
Since George Zimmerman was found not guilty of second-degree murder for killing Trayvon Martin, people of all races have expressed a range of opinions about race relations — past and present — in this country. MSNBC reports that on his radio show Monday, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh took the opportunity to say that white…
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The Obamas, the Vineyard and Class
(The Root) — Although they skipped a lengthy summer vacation last year because of the election, this year the Obamas will be making up for lost time. The first family is scheduled to spend the week of Aug. 10 in Martha’s Vineyard. The Obamas continue a long tradition of high-profile African Americans summering there, including…
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Black STEM Networking Events Near You
(The Root) — Are you black and interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics? Then Blerds Night Out is for you. The seven-city tour, hosted by Blerdology, is making stops in major U.S. cities, hosting networking events that will focus on what black-owned STEM companies are doing in those communities. Blerdology’s founder, Kat Calvin, describes…
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Prosecutors Dismissed Rachel Jeantel, Too
Taking the prosecution to task in the George Zimmerman trial, Lauren G. Parker writes at the Feminist Wire that the white men trying to convict Zimmerman implicitly devalued Rachel Jeantel’s testimony. Parker says they did so by suggesting that the jurors look beyond Jeantel’s “unsophistication” and lack of education in determining her credibility. The prosecution…
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Why Do We Call It 'Marijuana'?
Cannabis is known by many names: weed, reefer, pot … the list goes on. But one of its most common monikers, “marijuana,” has its roots in Mexico. But why? An article at the NPR blog Code Switch discusses the racially charged history of the word “marijuana” and how the drug stirred anti-immigrant sentiment in the…
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Justice Beyond 'Stand Your Ground'
(The Root) — When it comes to post-verdict activism against racist policies, don’t forget school discipline. School-discipline policies that disparately impact black students played no obvious role in unarmed Florida teen Trayvon Martin’s death, or in the national outrage that followed George Zimmerman’s acquittal. But in the activism surrounding a case that even President Obama…
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Will Jay-Z Join Stevie Wonder's Florida Boycott?
The Huffington Post is reporting and attempting to confirm a list of performers who are rumored to be boycotting Florida in the wake of the George Zimmerman verdict. The list was first released by American Urban Radio Networks’ April Ryan and includes names like Jay-Z, Kanye West and Usher. The Huffington Post is reaching out to…
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Get In on Spike Lee's Next Film
If you ever wanted to be involved in a Spike Lee joint, you now have your chance. The famed director announced a new Kickstarter campaign to fund his next film project, according to Shadow and Act. His goal is $1.25 million, and incentives for donations include the chance to be an extra in the film…
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Why America Wasn't for Me
Tiffanie Drayton, an immigrant from Trinidad and Tobago, explains in a piece for Salon why she finally left America. In addition to the racial insensitivity from white people, she felt no connection to the black community. On the day of college graduation, I told my friends and family the news: I was leaving the country…
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Dwyane Wade's Ex Needs to Let Go
(The Root) — Over the weekend, I stumbled onto a Facebook post about the most recent antics of Siohvaughn Funches-Wade, the ex-wife of Miami Heat megastar Dwyane Wade. It seems that she, along with her mother and sister, planted themselves on the sidewalk outside of the circuit court in downtown Chicago last Friday and declared…