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A white Oklahoma mayoral candidate has apologized to voters after videos surfaced of him wearing blackface and performing in drag as a black woman named Pollyester Kotton, according to Think Progress. Bill Helton, who is currently serving as Elk City’s commissioner and works as a hairstylist, claims that the character was inspired by one of his African-American…

The U.S. Army is investigating allegations that soldiers on a base in Alaska were given a pass to hurl racial slurs at one another during so-called Racial Thursdays, according to Army Times. The soldiers are members of 2nd Platoon, C Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, a member of the unit told the Times. The…

Friends and family at a rally remembered Rekia Boyd Saturday as a trial date looms for the Chicago police detective accused in her fatal shooting, reports the Chicago Tribune. The officer, Dante Servin, was charged with involuntary manslaughter after, prosecutors say, he recklessly opened fire, over his shoulder, at a group of people on March…

The owner of a bar where University of Virginia student Martese Johnson was brutally arrested released a statement Saturday denying claims that the 20-year-old man was belligerent, according to NBC 29. Kevin Badke, owner of Trinity Irish Pub, issued the statement through his attorney. His description of his interaction with Johnson early Wednesday morning runs counter…

On Friday Serena Williams withdrew before the semifinals at Indian Wells with a sprained right knee nearly 14 years after her sister Venus pulled out of the tournament, also with a knee injury, CNN reports. The move by Venus elicited jeers and racist taunts from the crowd, prompting Serena to embark on a yearslong boycott…

R&B singer Chris Brown celebrated Friday after a Los Angeles Superior Court judge released him from probation for a 2009 assault on his then-girlfriend, Rihanna, reports the Los Angeles Times. “IM (sic) OFF PROBATION!!!!!!!!” he tweeted to his 14 million followers. “Thank the Lord!!!!!!” Brown’s probation was revoked in January after he reportedly violated orders…

Three Fort Lauderdale, Fla., police officers in charge of patrolling a predominantly black neighborhood were fired Friday after a five-month investigation into racially charged text messages from their personal phones, according to the Sun-Sentinel. A fourth officer resigned in January before the investigation had been completed. Officers James Wells, 30, Jason Holding, 31, and Christopher Sousa,…

The ex-girlfriend of an NFL player has been arrested in Braselton, Ga., on charges of slashing him and breaking his new girlfriend’s arm with a bat in a bizarre series of attacks, according to Atlanta’s WSB-TV. Police allege that Erika Palmer tried to hide out at a hotel in Gwinnett County, Ga., after breaking into…

Ricky Jackson, 57, spent 39 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, and on Thursday an Ohio judge ordered the state to pay Jackson $1 million for his wrongful imprisonment, Reuters reports. Jackson was freed from prison last November.  Jackson was informed by a journalist about the $1 million check coming his way.…