muhammad ali
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Exclusive: Regina King Explains Why She Chose Kingsley Ben-Adir to Portray Malcolm X for One Night in Miami
Regina King’s feature directorial debut may chronicle one epic night, but she has many prominent days and nights to follow as the buzz mushrooms into a cloud of pressure, anticipation and attention. Recently premiering at the 2020 Venice Film Festival, One Night in Miami made history as being the first-ever film helmed by a Black…
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‘Everybody’s Life Matters’: Muhammad Ali Jr. Emerges From the Sunken Place to Say His Father Wouldn’t Have Supported Black Lives Matter
The Sunken Place has apparently claimed an unlikely victim—the son of iconic heavyweight boxer and renowned civil rights activist Muhammad Ali. 47-year-old Muhammad Ali Jr. must have been too busy attending house negro support groups to read up on what his father stood for regarding the mattering of Black lives, because he’s out here telling…
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Russell Wilson, Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe Deliver Powerful Black Lives Matter Message at 2020 ESPYs
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic ensured that this year’s ESPYs would be radically different than any of its predecessors. And to the surprise of no one, there was no red carpet, no gaudy venue or lengthy monologue taking unsolicited jabs at some of the biggest names in sports. But for what it lacked in tradition, it…
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Bill Russell Comes Out of Retirement to Dunk on Trump From the Free Throw Line: 'You Are Divisive and a Coward'
On the same weekend that former Secretary of State Colin Powell pulled down his pants and took a massive shit all over Donald Trump, NBA great Bill Russell made it his personal duty to finish the job. “#Trump you projected your narrative that #TakingAKnee is disrespectful & #UnAmerican it was never about that!” he tweeted…
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Hoodwinked History: How False Civil Rights Narratives Distort Modern Freedom Struggles
Black history is American history. Full stop. But somehow the narratives we’re taught often grossly misrepresent the history of black people in America. After all, a true and full history of the United States would require a reckoning of a not-so-great country, one that’s mired in hate and fear. The history of the civil rights…
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First Look: Forest Whitaker’s Bumpy Johnson Dodges Casual Racism and White Women in Godfather of Harlem
That moment when you realize microaggressions don’t only happen in the corporate office. EPIX’s Godfather of Harlem series is underway and this Sunday, we’re talking boxing. From the series’ official press release: Godfather of Harlem is inspired by the true story of infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson (Forest Whitaker), who in the early 1960s returned…
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Regina King to Make Feature Film Directorial Debut Based on Real Lives of Cassius Clay, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown
We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again: Regina BEEN King. Now, the already well-acclaimed actress, producer and television director is sitting pretty in the director’s chair once again—but this time, on a film set. According to an exclusive via The Observer, King will be making her feature film directorial debut with an adaptation…
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A New Toni Morrison Documentary Gives the World’s Greatest Living Writer Her Flowers, and Plants New Seeds
Toni Morrison had to figure out a way to talk to Muhammad Ali. It was the mid-’70s and at the time, she was his editor, tasked with bringing his autobiography to the world. But Ali wouldn’t speak to her—deferring instead to whatever man was in the room. Her longtime friend, author and activist Angela Davis,…
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The Root’s Guide to the 10 Blackest Experiences of the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival
Hot damn ho, here we go again. It’s about time for the Tribeca Film Festival, and because you’re here, you know the best way to experience a festival is the blackest way. This year, I’m taking over for editor Angela Helm, who usually has y’all covered for the blackest experiences of what she has dubbed…