Politics
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An Open Letter to Woke Young Brothers
Shout out to all the woke young brothers who’ve stood up in response to the injustices we’ve seen too frequently these past years, like when the lives of Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis, Dontre Hamilton and Sandra Bland and too many tragic others were lost needlessly with callous impunity. I hear from many of you from time…
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This Election Comes Down to 1 Thing
In one day, most of you will cast a vote for who you want to serve as the next president of the United States. By now you likely have been inundated with articles, commercials and personal appeals to do your part as both a citizen in this democracy and a beneficiary of the people who…
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4 Ways the FBI Director’s Election Ambush Was White Male Privilege at Its Best
Black folks know all about the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It’s a history dipped in the ongoing harassment, surveillance and unmitigated unconstitutional destruction of black life and leadership. And so, the eleventh-hour, October-surprising relaunch of one of the fakest political scandals in recent memory wasn’t unusual behavior for the agency. Former Washington, D.C., Mayor Vincent…
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Ben Carson: Donald Trump’s New Deal for Black America Begins With a Good Education
Donald Trump often says things that many people believe to be true but dare not say. He did it again recently by saying that nobody needs to tell African Americans in this country that the old New Deal from the Democratic Party isn’t working for them. Trump made the simple but accurate observation that in…
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Show Up on Nov. 9, Too
The first time I ever saw a voting booth, my father carried me on his hip, letting me punch the ballot and wear his “I Voted” sticker home with pride. In every election since my 18th birthday, I have performed some combination of our family’s traditional tasks, supporting registration and participation efforts, educating myself on…
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The Swing State Strikes Out: Cleveland Loses the World Series and Ohio Politics May Never Be the Same
The Cleveland Indians lost the World Series Wednesday to the Chicago Cubs, blowing a seemingly insurmountable 3-1 series lead. Even if you don’t like baseball, the game was a classic. Game-saving home runs, questionable manager decisions, a “God Hates Cleveland”-inspired, momentum-killing rain delay and extra innings that ran until almost 1 a.m. Of course, there…
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4 Reasons Not #VotingWhileBlack Is Dangerous
Parental discretion is advised, but imagine this a few months from now: the pained looks of fake composure and shock as the first black president, along with his illustrious first lady, stomach an inaugural ceremony for a guy who erected his white nationalist political empire on the false claim that said black president was born…
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Really, CNN? You're Hot With Donna Brazile, but Cool With Corey Lewandowski Being on Trump's Payroll?
Donna Brazile responded to headlines regarding her resignation from CNN—in light of leaked emails showing her providing the Hillary Clinton campaign with debate questions—in familiar, black-auntie fashion. Brazile quoted Michelle Obama’s “When they go low, we go high.” She invoked Martin Luther King Jr. She thanked people for their prayers, in some instances, in a…