oakland
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Marshawn Lynch Tried to Light A Blunt Off Al Davis’ Eternal Flame And Proves He’s The Hero We Need
There is a rumor that once while getting ready for an unusually brisk day in Oakland, Calif., a young Marshawn Lynch found a “fuck” in his jacket pocket. Confused, young Marshawn promptly tossed the fuck into the cool Oakland air and according to everyone who witnessed that historic moment, it was the last fuck Marshawn…
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Ryan Coogler Isn’t Time Magazine’s 2018 Person of the Year, But He’s Ours
As we shuffle into 2018’s conclusion, Time Magazine has named their Person of the Year. According to Deadline, Time Magazine has named Jamal Khashoggi and “Truth Guardians” (also known as journalists), Maria Ressa, Wa Lone, Kyaw Soe Oo, and the Capital Gazette (Annapolis, Md.) as their 2018 Person(s) of the Year. Time’s editor-in-chief, Edward Felsenthal,…
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Banging From the Inside: Activist Cat Brooks Runs to Become Oakland’s First Black Woman Mayor
Oakland, Calif., has long been a bastion of historical and cultural reverie in blackness. The “Detroit of the West” holds a special place in African-American esteem: Oakland incubated a nascent Black Panther Party; gave us Hieroglyphics, Too Short, and MC Hammer; and nurtured icons such as Elaine Brown, Zedanya, and Killmonger. It even has its…
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Dystopian by Design: Costume Designer Deirdra Govan Isn’t Sorry to Bother You
Just watching the trailer for Boots Riley’s Sorry to Bother You is like taking a mini psychedelic trip. The rapper-turned-director’s dystopian fever dream may be set in present-day Oakland, Calif., but explores alternate dimensions as an allegory of the dangers of assimilation. The satirical comedy, which stars Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson and Omari Hardwick, among…
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Black Firefighter Conducting City-Mandated Inspections in Oakland Hills, Calif., Questioned by Residents, Reported to Police
An Oakland, Calif., firefighter doing his duty to serve his community, conducting city-mandated inspections around Oakland Hills, actually had the police called on him, and on another occasion, he was harassed questioned and recorded by a resident who thought he was suspicious even though he was in full uniform and had his fire truck parked…
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The Pop Up: Sol Development’s ‘Helicopter’ Is a Haunting Tale of Police Brutality in America
The Root is celebrating Black Music Month with stories that dig into the soul of black artistry and with The Pop Up, our new video series featuring in-office performances from black artists we adore. Sol Development are our first performing artists for The Pop Up, and they do not disappoint. The hip-hop/jazz/soul ensemble, based out…