race & politics
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Tamir Rice Was 12 Years Old
I was in the lobby of the Ace — a boutique hotel that opened its doors this month in East Liberty (the Pittsburgh neighborhood I grew up in) — meeting with activist and educator Liana Maneese. We were meeting to discuss her new project — Adopting Identity, which is described on its website as “a movement that…
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On Freddie Gray, And The Rapidly Decreasing Value Of Hope In The Criminal Justice System
Earlier this afternoon, news broke that a mistrial was declared in the trial of William Porter, one of the Baltimore police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray. For those wishing to see any of the officers charged with Gray’s death behind bars, this is particularly bad news. Because this could very easily set a precedent…
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Someone Needs To Put The GOP Presidential Nominees In A Van. And Push That Van Off A Bridge
While I was in Target a couple weeks ago, getting Diaper Genie bags and seeing if the latest issue of EBONY Magazine was there yet, The Wife Person texted me, asking me to pick up some bananas. I usually don’t buy produce at Target; preferring to buy my fruits and meats and veggies at Giant Eagle…
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Ask Agatha: "I Like Black Women But Hate Fake Hair. What Should I Do???"
Johnny from Atlanta, GA asks: I like black women but I hate the fake hair they wear, all of it, the wigs, the weaves, and the ponytails. It’s definitely a deal breaker for me. I’m a hair puller. So, I wanna know…is there a sure fire way to tell if it’s all hers? So that…
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How Abigail Fisher Is All The Worst Parts Of Ron Weasley From Harry Potter
I am pretty big Harry Potter fan. Not quite on the “Pottermore comments section” level, but I own books three through seven in hardback. When book seven ultimately dropped, I went back and reread the whole series from the beginning. I’ve watched every movie. And I was even an apologist for the first two, which…
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President Obama's Favorite Song Choice of 2015 Is The Blackest Thing We've Ever Heard This Week
Look, I know that Obama is a rap fan. But listening to Jay-Z just makes you American. Jay transcended with “New York” to the point where he’s less part of the hip-hop community and more part of the global community. Hip-hop doesn’t own Jay anymore. He’s on loan from the Smithsonian and shit. Kendrick Lamar,…
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It's Confirmed: Bad-Ass, Kick-Ass Black Female Lawyers Won 2015
As much of the country — including, even, school crossing guards — seems to be engaged in an “Oh How I Hate Muslims” pissing contest, it would be understandable for America’s HLIC (head lawyer in charge) to offer something superficially platitudinal about that religion; acknowledging that America is land of the free and home of the brave…
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Rosa Parks Thinks You’re a Bitch.
While we were wading through the remnants of #ThanksgivingWithBlackFamilies and waiting for “The Wiz” we almost forgot that December 1st marked the sixtieth anniversary of the day Rosa Parks boarded a bus in Montgomery, Alabama and said to James Blake – “Nah.” While the actual quote may be slightly different, every year I like to…