culture
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4 Zimmerman Trial Jurors Speak Out Against Juror B37
A day after juror B37 from the George Zimmerman trial appeared on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 for an interview, four of her fellow jurors from the trial released a public statement, reports the Associated Press. Though the jurors came to the same verdict in deciding that Zimmerman was not guilty on counts of second-degree murder…
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White and Black Kids: Different Trayvon Talks
(The Root) — “I am remarried and now have a blended family with two teenage sons. One is black (10 years old) and one white (12 years old). In light of Trayvon Martin’s death and the miscarriage of justice that surrounded it, what do I tell them? How much can children absorb at these ages…
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Still Not at Home in America
(The Root) — No one is more American than I am. Our country’s history is inscribed on my genes. Some of my ancestors came here on slave ships. One arrived on The Mayflower. Others fought in the Revolution and the great Civil War. But because I am 67 — old enough to have personally experienced…
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Tom Joyner Sending Rachel Jeantel to College
Nineteen-year-old Rachel Jeantel was ridiculed for her accent and appearance during her testimony in the George Zimmerman trial. But through it all, radio show host Tom Joyner defended her fiercely. And the support just keeps coming. During The Tom Joyner Morning Show on Tuesday, he announced that he would provide Jeantel with a full scholarship…
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Do Blacks Cheapen Black Life?
(The Root) — The verdict in the George Zimmerman trial didn’t sadden me. What did was the reaction — largely among but not limited to African Americans — of outrage displayed on social media and in countless protests demanding justice for Trayvon Martin. Please don’t misunderstand. As the African-American father of two black boys —…
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Stevie Wonder Boycotts Florida
During a concert in Quebec City, Canada, Grammy-winning singer Stevie Wonder announced that he would not give any more performances in Florida until the “Stand your ground” law is eliminated, MSNBC reports. The announcement comes after George Zimmerman was found not guilty in the 2012 murder of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla. “I decided today…
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Tyson Gay Tests Positive for Doping
Olympic sprinter Tyson Gay tested positive for an unnamed banned substance on Friday, PBS Newshour reports. The 30-year-old athlete had a reputation for being clean. Gay announced the news himself and said that he had trusted someone who failed him. CHRISTINE BRENNAN [sports journalist]: … Tyson Gay was known as Mr. Clean. This is a…
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Hope for Hate-Crime Charges Against Zimmerman?
Update: The Department of Justice announced on Sunday, after George Zimmerman’s acquittal, that it would restart its investigation into the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin and consider possible separate hate crime charges against Zimmerman. “Experienced federal prosecutors will determine whether the evidence reveals a prosecutable violation of any of the limited federal criminal civil rights statutes…
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Doctor Diagnoses Patient With 'Ghetto Booty'
Lumbar lordosis is the technical term for a curve in the lower spine, which can cause a protrusion of the buttocks. But when Terry Ragland of Jackson, Tenn., was diagnosed with the condition, Dr. Timothy Sweo chose to phrase it differently. “He said, ‘I know what the problem is. It’s ghetto booty,’ ” Ragland told…
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'Trayvon, Redux,' by Rita Dove
Rita Dove, former poet laureate of the United States, penned a poem inspired by George Zimmerman’s acquittal in the shooting death of unarmed African-American teen Trayvon Martin. Trayvon, Redux It is difficult/to get the news from poems /yet men die miserably every day/for lack/of what is found there./Hear me out/for I too am concerned/and every man/who…