news
-
Al Sharpton and Bernie Sanders Have Breakfast at Sylvia’s in Harlem
In 2008 the Rev. Al Sharpton had breakfast with then-Sen. Barack Obama. It was a historic meeting of the minds before the civil rights activist put his full support behind Obama’s push for president. On Wednesday morning, Sharpton dined with Bernie Sanders, another presidential hopeful, at Sylvia’s Restaurant in Harlem. And while Sharpton hasn’t publicly…
-
Texas Police Fatally Shoot Naked, Unarmed Teen: Report
On Monday, Austin, Texas, police fatally shot a black teen who was reportedly naked and unarmed. According to The Statesman, police were called on a report of a man chasing someone through an apartment complex. When Police Officer Geoffrey Freeman, who is also black, arrived on the scene, he encountered 17-year-old David Joseph. Austin Police…
-
2 Ky. Jail Staffers Fired in Probe of Death of Gynnya McMillen
A Kentucky juvenile-justice commissioner and an employee who failed to carry out required bed checks at the Lincoln Village Juvenile Detention Center where a teenage girl was found unresponsive on Jan. 11 have been fired, CBS News reports. Bob Hayter, who had been commissioner of the state’s Department of Juvenile Justice since 2014, was fired…
-
Chicago Woman Faces Mandatory 6 Years in Prison for Kicking Sheriff’s Deputy’s Shin
A West Side Chicago woman is facing a mandatory six years in prison for kicking a sheriff’s deputy in the shin, the Chicago Tribune reports. It all started in November 2013, when Tina Hunt, 49, went to the Cook County Criminal Court to attend her son’s court appearance, the news site reports. It was then…
-
Ohio BLM Activist MarShawn McCarrel II Commits Suicide Outside Statehouse: Report
Around 3 p.m. Monday, a cryptic message was left on the Facebook page of Ohio Black Lives Matter activist MarShawn M. McCarrel II: “My demons won today. I’m sorry.” Around 6 p.m. that day, McCarrel’s body was found outside the front door of the Ohio Statehouse, the Columbus Dispatch reports. It’s believed that McCarrel died…
-
Even Black 5-Year-Olds Are Not Safe From Racial Bias
Research inspired by the alarmingly frequent deaths of young black people, particularly young men, in the U.S. at the hands of police suggests that even black children as young as 5 are thought to be aggressive and dangerous, a press release on Eureka Alert notes. The study, which is published in the February issue of…
-
Outrage After Video Showing Pa. Teen With Cerebral Palsy Being Attacked by Student
The mother of Penn Hills, Pa., teen Isaiah Wooding said she cried when she saw video of students at Penn Hills High School bullying and kicking her 16-year-old, who has cerebral palsy. “How can kids be so cruel?” Margaret Wooding told WPXI. “I don’t want this to happen, not just to my child, but to…
-
NC Students Plan Demonstration After Girls Told to Take Off African Head Wraps
A handful of students at Durham, N.C.’s School for Creative Studies had planned to kick off Black History Month with a bang by wearing colorful head wraps reminiscent of those worn by many women across the African continent. However, parents and students are now planning a protest after an administrator told the students that they…
-
2 South African University Students Suspended for Apparent ‘Blackface’
Two white South African University students were suspended, pending an investigation, after painting their faces in what has been deemed a racially offensive “blackface” incident, the Associated Press reports. According to the report, however, one of the Stellenbosch University students insists that they were dressed as purple aliens for a galactic-themed party. As the newswire notes,…
-
Female NYC Correction Officer Charged With Raping Inmate, Conspiring to Traffic Marijuana
A female correctional officer at New York City’s Rikers Island jail complex said that she was blinded by love after being charged Sunday with raping an inmate and conspiring to traffic marijuana into jail for him, the New York Daily News reports. Nicole Bartley, 30, who worked at the George R. Vierno Center facility, said…