culture
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Man Dies After Being Beaten by Sacramento Cops
A Sacramento, Calif., man died in custody earlier this week after he was repeatedly struck by police. Local CBS News station CBS 13 reports that the man stopped breathing in custody and was taken to a local hospital, where he expired. The suspect’s name has yet to be released by authorities. Video … shows a…
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Kanye West's 'New Slaves' Screenings Shut Down in Houston
On Friday, Kanye West’s Houston screenings for the visual companion to the new single from his upcoming album, Yeezus, “New Slaves,” were a bust, according to the Houston Chronicle. It’s unclear why the screenings didn’t proceed as planned. Houston police shut down the Yeezus revival at Rothko. Despite an upbeat, respectful crowd, they pulled several…
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Brazil to 'Write Off' $900M in African Debt
At the recent African Union summit in Ethiopia, Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff announced that she would write off or restructure $900 million in African debt to her country. BBC News reports that Rousseff hopes this move will further open business deals between Brazil and the resource-rich continent. Congo-Brazzaville owes the most to Brazil – $352m…
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15 Obscure Facts About 'Menace II Society'
(The Root) — It’s been 20 years since Allen and Albert Hughes’ directorial debut, Menace II Society, premiered in theaters across America. Hailed by Roger Ebert as “powerful” and “impressive,” the 1993 film dives into the complexities of street violence in Los Angeles’ Watts neighborhood. At this point, if you’re a fan, you’ve seen the…
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Kanye West's Dichotomy of Success and Righteousness
Kanye West’s lastest track, “New Slaves,” began a dialogue among hip-hop fans and black intellectuals, and Global Grind‘s Brittany Lewis says the MC’s biggest struggle, apparent in his music, is choosing which life he wants to live. And while he jostles back and forth between luxury and speaking truth to power about America’s racial strife, listeners…
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USC Doesn't Need Dr. Dre's $70 Million. An HBCU Does
Dr. Dre recently gave USC $70 million to create a new blended arts and business degree, and Walter M. Kimbrough asks in the Los Angeles Times why the Southern California hip-hop icon couldn’t have given that sum to a struggling historically black college. A hip-hop icon is now the new black higher-ed philanthropy king. We’ve…
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Black Churches Struggle as Harlem Gentrifies
As Harlem’s racial makeup changes, membership at some of the historical churches has fallen and so have the tithe amounts, reports the New York Times. The tourists often put offerings in the collection basket. But then they are gone. And so despite the draw, churches like Canaan are struggling. And at the heart of the struggle…
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What Can We Learn From Freedom Schools
(The Root) — The Children’s Defense Fund’s Cameron Van Patterson, presenting at a strategy session at the NAACP Leadership 500 Summit in Naples, Fla., on Friday, said there’s an alternative to simply pushing for reforms to a public education system that too often fails black kids. “I’m speaking in this instance in terms of the African-American community,” Van…