Politics
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In ’Murica News: RNC’s 5 Worst Moments So Far
On Tuesday, Donald Trump—once known for his famous catchphrase “You’re fired!”—has officially been crowned the Republican nominee for the 2016 presidential race. Considering the “Make America great again” rhetoric that emanated across this country, this came as no surprise (despite the most clear discord since the 1970s). What has also come as no surprise is…
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The Alt-Right Debutante Ball: How a Racist Group Hijacked the GOP and RNC
While black America giggled at the Melania Trump memes all over the internet, a far more troubling situation presented itself at this year’s Republican National Convention. An overlooked contingent has quietly infiltrated America’s two-party system and embedded itself into the mainstream of of the GOP. The 2016 RNC might look like the same old pomp…
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Here Is Why Your Vote Is Not Your Voice
On a recent Sunday, just days after the killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile by officers sworn to serve and protect them, thousands across the country engaged in public demonstrations to raise awareness of police brutality, racial profiling and institutional racism. I participated in one of those demonstrations in Oklahoma City. It was a…
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#RNCinCLE 2016: Melania Trump Takes a Big Bite Out of Michelle Obama's 2008 DNC Speech
If you were listening to Melania Trump, the wife of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, speak at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland Monday night, you may have had a sense of déjà vu. And that’s because first lady Michelle Obama said almost the exact same words during her speech at the 2008 Democratic…
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Which Will Be the Bigger Disaster? The Rio Olympics or the RNC?
Three of the largest media events in the world are about to kick off over the next three weeks and two of them have all the earmarks of an explosive epic failure: The Republican National Convention in Cleveland, OH, headed by presumptive nominee Donald Trump (happening July 18th to 22nd) and the Olympics in Rio…
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These Are the Black Folks Skipping Out on the RNC This Year
The Republican National Convention may be noteworthy this year for one glaring reason: who isn’t coming. In the case of African-American Republicans, the list is long. They are joined by a list of former GOP nominees for president who will not attend, which includes past GOP nominees for president Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Mitt Romney. While…
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How to Go From #BlackLivesMatter to #BlackPolicyMatters
How do we go from #BlackLivesMatter to changing the policies that devalue black life? This moment feels both full of possibility and also in danger of going unfulfilled. Folks across the political spectrum are finally confronting the issue of police violence, but there’s little consensus about how to fix it. Organizations like Campaign Zero are…
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Donald Trump Picks Mike Pence as His VP and It Probably Won’t Matter
To paraphrase a musical icon gone all too soon, unlike books, black lives and albums, the vice presidential pick really doesn’t matter. However, like a sullen 12-year-old forced to go to his uncle’s wedding, America had to wait with bated breath to see exactly who Donald Trump picked to be his vice presidential nominee. And…
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President Obama Defends Phrase ‘Black Lives Matter’ in Unprecedented Town Hall
President Barack Obama led an unprecedented nationally televised town hall meeting on race and the criminal-justice system Thursday night. Black Lives Matter, said Obama, “simply refers to the notion that there’s a specific vulnerability for African Americans that needs to be addressed” and does not denigrate or disparage police officers, white people or any other…
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Hillary Clinton’s Speech May Finally Start That Long-Overdue Conversation on Race
Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, waded into the national crisis of race, democracy and criminal justice with a stirring call for racial justice in Springfield, Ill., on Wednesday. In the city that President Abraham Lincoln once called home, Clinton echoed the iconic president’s warning about the dangers of a “house divided” being…