culture
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Leo Branton Jr, Angela Davis' Attorney, Dies
Leo Branton Jr., a lawyer who helped successfully defend Angela Davis in her 1972 murder case, has died, the Associated Press reports. He was 91. From the Huffington Post: Branton died of natural causes on April 19 in Los Angeles, his son, Tony Nicholas, told the Los Angeles Times. Branton, the only 1948 black graduate…
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Don Lemon: I'm Gay and I Was a Boy Scout
After last week’s announcement by the Boy Scouts of America that the organization will consider repealing the ban on gay Scouts (but not leaders), scoutmaster and anti-gay activist John Stemberger debated the issue with CNN’s Don Lemon and gay-rights activist Zach Wahls, the Huffington Post reports. A highlight: Stemberger warned that the repeal would “destroy…
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End of an Era: SpinMedia Buys Vibe Magazine
SpinMedia, the owner of Spin magazine, announced on Thursday that it has bought 21-year-old hip-hop and R&B publication Vibe, the New York Times reports. Spin chief executive Steve Hansen said that the company plans to shut down Vibe’s print magazine later this year: The sale reunites the two publications, which more than a decade ago were part…
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Why Terrorists Love Profiling
The Rev. Al Sharpton argues at the Huffington Post that the controversial practice actually helps those who would do harm to America. In the 1990s, National Action Network and I worked on a case with the late Johnnie Cochran where we introduced the term racial profiling into America’s lexicon. Four young Black and Latino men…
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Boston-Bombing Coverage and Invisible Whiteness
Colorlines‘ Akiba Solomon says that journalists need to improve their approach, starting with the language they use when doing their jobs. Watching professional broadcast journalists attempt to compete with social media hobbyists for any nugget of information during last week’s manhunt for suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing, many us felt a familiar dread. We…
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Did We Overreact to Boston Bombings?
(The Root) — If exterminating tens of thousands of people with a nuclear suitcase bomb would rate a 10 on the scale of terrorist acts, the slaughter of more than 3,000 innocent people on Sept. 11 might rank as an 8, and the Oklahoma City explosion that claimed 168 lives might come in at a…
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Sex Doesn't Define Me as a Woman
Clutch magazine’s Jamilah Lemieux says that she hopes others can adopt a similarly relaxed perspective when it comes to physical intimacy. … Sex has never been a source of agony for me in the way I’ve seen it be for some other women. I either wanted to sleep with someone or I didn’t; in situations…
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Dear Rihanna: Consider Not Calling Babies the N-Word
Rihanna’s an old pro at sharing provocative photos on social media. But this time around, the Instagram image that’s causing controversy doesn’t have to do with nudity, drugs or even Chris Brown. It’s a photo of the star with a baby on her lap. The caption: “My lil [n—ga].” Adorable. Not really. We get it,…
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Roc Nation Sports Signs Skylar Diggins
Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports announced on Thursday that Skylar Diggins, the third overall pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft, is its newest client. From MTV News: “It’s the ROC in here!” Diggins tweeted after the news broke on Jay’s Life+Times site. “ShockNation meets RocNation.” The former University of Notre Dame standout was recently selected by…
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From CNN to Harvard: Soledad's Next Move
Former CNN host (and The Root 100 honoree) Soledad O’Brien is done with Starting Point and already on to the next thing: She’ll be joining the Harvard Graduate School of Education as a visiting fellow for the 2013-14 school year, focusing on public education in America, Politico reports: Among the topics O’Brien will explore during…