news
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Calling All Young Leaders: Nominate a Young Person for The Root Young Futurists 2017
If you know some young black superstars in your community, help us by nominating them for our annual The Root Young Futurists! We want to choose the best of the best for our 2017 list. Our new list will be revealed in February, and we are now accepting nominations. In order to qualify for consideration,…
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W.Va. to Review Contracts With Nonprofit Whose Director Was Reinstated After Calling Michelle Obama an ‘Ape in Heels’
The state of West Virginia will be reviewing its contracts with a nonprofit funded by state and federal funds after its director referred to first lady Michelle Obama as “an ape in heels,” the governor’s office confirmed Tuesday, Reuters reports. According to the report, the state announced its intentions after it was revealed that Clay…
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Mich. Firefighter Fired for Racist Facebook Comments
A Belding, Mich., firefighter has been fired after allegedly posting racist remarks to Facebook over the weekend, Fox 17 reports. According to the report, the incident started when Ryan Hudson got into a verbal altercation with a black woman on the social media site. The woman, who did not want to be identified, told Fox…
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Wrongfully Convicted Tenn. Man Fights for Compensation After More Than 3 Decades in Prison
A Tennessee man is fighting to receive rightful compensation after wrongfully spending more than 30 years in prison, CBS News reports. In 1978, Lawrence McKinney was convicted by a Memphis, Tenn., jury of rape and burglary. The victim identified McKinney as one of two men who attacked her in her bedroom, and he was sentenced…
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Calif. Police Fatally Shoot Unarmed 73-Year-Old Man Who Suffered From Dementia
A 73-year-old man who, according to his family, was suffering from the initial stages of dementia was fatally shot early Monday by a police officer in Bakersfield, Calif., the Los Angeles Times reports. According to the report, officers responded around 12:30 a.m. to a call about a man brandishing a handgun in a neighborhood in…
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Man Found Guilty in Brutal Rape of 82-Year-Old Widow
Asa Robert, 20, was found guilty of rape and other charges Monday for the brutal attack of an 82-year-old widow that left the victim having to use a wheelchair, the New York Daily News reports. Robert now faces up to 122 years in prison on charges of rape, criminal sex act, burglary, robbery and criminal…
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Pulse Shooting Victims Remembered in Ceremonies Marking 6-Month Anniversary
Hundreds of people showed up Monday night to honor the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting on the six-month anniversary of the attacks. Two ceremonies took place to remember those who were lost in the shooting, and to honor those who survived. The Orlando Sentinel reports that one of the ceremonies took place at the…
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Alleged Gunman Shot and Wounded by Los Angeles Police at Reported ‘Gang Party’
Los Angeles police officers shot and wounded a gunman who allegedly opened fire on them at a reported gang party in South Los Angeles on Sunday, police said. Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman Officer Norma Eisenman told the Los Angeles Times that officers were in the area of 99th and Figueroa streets at 10:20 p.m.…
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Western Mich. University Basketball Player Charged With Murder and Robbery
A basketball player at Western Michigan University was charged with murder and robbery Monday after he allegedly gunned down another student during a robbery for a phone and money. Jovieair Kennedy, 20, was arraigned Monday on charges stemming from the off-campus shooting of 19-year-old Jacob Jones at a Kalamazoo, Mich., apartment Thursday. The Detroit Free…
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Penn Students Remove Picture of William Shakespeare, Replace it With Audre Lorde
The blackest thing ever happened on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania: A group of students recently removed a picture of William Shakespeare and replaced it with one of Audre Lorde. Fisher-Bennett Hall is home to Penn’s English department, and the portrait of Shakespeare has resided over the main staircase in the building for…