news
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SC Lawmakers Vote to Consider Removal of the Confederate Flag From State Capitol Grounds
South Carolina’s House of Representatives and Senate voted on Tuesday to begin a discussion to consider removal of the Confederate flag from Statehouse grounds as calls for its departure spread across the nation, the Associated Press reports. A day after Republican Gov. Nikki Haley asked lawmakers to consider the issue in the wake of the…
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NYC to Pay $6.25 Million to Man Wrongly Imprisoned 25 Years for 1989 Murder
New York City has reached a settlement with a man who was falsely convicted and imprisoned for almost 25 years in connection with a Brooklyn murder that took place while he was vacationing in Orlando, Fla., the Associated Press reports. The city agreed to pay Jonathan Fleming $6.25 million, with Comptroller Scott Stringer saying that…
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Slave-Era Black Family Records to Be Accessible on Free Online Service
Black Americans will be able to trace their family roots further back than ever before—to the slavery era and, in some cases, to the countries of origin from which their ancestors were stolen—with the development of a new free online service that is digitizing old federal records for the first time, The Guardian reports. According…
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Police Bought Dylann Roof Food From Burger King After He Was Arrested for Church Shooting
North Carolina police talked about what it was like capturing and arresting Dylann Roof, including how eerily calm and cooperative he was. And when Roof said that he was hungry, Shelby, N.C., police bought him food from a nearby Burger King, the Charlotte Observer reports. Roof reportedly confessed to police that he was the gunman…
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University of Texas Students Petition to Remove Confederate Statue
In accordance with the newly reignited disapproval of the Confederate flag since the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal massacre in Charleston, S.C. last week, students at the University of Texas are signing a petition demanding that the school remove a statue of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America, from campus grounds, KVUE-TV…
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Nation of Islam Strongly Urges Black Calif. Lawmakers to Oppose State’s Proposed Vaccine Mandate
Nation of Islam Western Regional Minister Tony Muhammad warns members of the California Legislative Black Caucus of a political backlash from their community if they support a bill that would mandate childhood vaccinations, according to the Los Angeles Times. Voting in favor of the bill, which may come up in the Assembly on Thursday, would…
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Mo. Lawmaker Defends Participation in a Ceremony Honoring Confederate Soldiers
Missouri state Rep. Chuck Basye (R-Rocheport) faces a storm of criticism for participating in a ceremony last weekend that honored Confederate soldiers, the Columbia Daily Tribune reports. The group dedicated a gravestone to five guerrilla fighters who are buried on his family’s land. What angered many is that some of ceremony participants saluted the Confederate…
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‘Black’ Texan Whose Birth Parents Are White Is Outraged Over Rachel Dolezal’s Deceit
Verda Byrd recently found out after about seven decades of living as a black woman that she was born to white parents. Although some may view Byrd’s situation as vaguely similar to that of Rachel Dolezal’s recent outing as white by her parents after several years of her passing as black, Byrd is vehement that…
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Walmart to Remove all Confederate Flag Merchandise
Walmart is adding its bottom line to the current national debate surrounding the use of the Confederate flag, telling CNN that all merchandise bearing the controversial symbol will be removed from its stores. The announcement came hours after Republican South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley announced her support for removing the flag from statehouse grounds. The…
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Remains of Va. Boy Missing Since 2004 Found in Trunk of Mother’s Car
The remains of a young boy missing since 2004 were found in the trunk of his mother’s car, Virginia State Police have confirmed, WVEC-TV reports. According to the reoprt, 44-year-old Tonya Slaton was pulled over in Hampton on Interstate 64 earlier this month for a traffic stop for expired tags. The trooper who pulled her…