racism
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Robert E. Lee Beads Bring Mardi Gras’ Historic Racism Full Circle
The ongoing national debate over race and Confederate monuments reared its ugly head during this year’s Mardi Gras. Some of the infamous beads thrown into the crowds reflected the image of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee to protest the removal of his statue from New Orleans’ most prominent traffic circle, which has been a symbolic…
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Missouri Applebee’s Shut Down After Employees Falsely Accused Black Women of Dining and Dashing
Days after three employees were fired for falsely accusing two black women of dining and dashing, an Independence, Mo., Applebee’s has closed its doors for good. According to KSHB-TV, a spokesperson for the restaurant chain’s corporate office said that the restaurant was officially shut down, and employees have been offered jobs at other locations. The…
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Lunar New Year TV Gala Sparks Outrage Over Blackface Sketch
Chinese media is back in the spotlight after an Asian actress appeared in blackface with her buttocks padded during a comedy routine on China’s biggest Lunar New Year TV show. According to the BBC, the skit, expectedly, drew backlash across the globe, given that the annual state media show is wildly popular and can have…
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Whiteness Means It’s Never Your Fault
One of the few somewhat positive aspects of Donald Trump’s presidency (and really, Donald Trump’s entire stint as a political figure) is that he’s an easy example and a synopsis of America’s patent-pending brand of white supremacy—a concept that, even for those who regularly study and speak about it, can be difficult to articulate in…
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Black Students at Michigan Middle School Targeted by Threatening, Racist Email
Ypsilanti, Mich., families are demanding answers after an email with threatening, racist language was sent to six black students at Washtenaw International Middle Academy. One of those students was Devin Francois’ seventh-grade daughter. The email was sent to students on Jan. 29, and Francois has kept her daughter, Ariana, at home from school since Feb.…
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So … Um … I Think Politico Just Published an Argument for Slavery. In 2018 (Yes, That Slavery)
On Tuesday, Politico published “Sponsor an Immigrant Yourself”—a thought exercise from people allegedly named “Eric Posner” and “Glen Weyl” that attempts to solve our immigration debate by thinking so far out of the box that the box now can only be seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. They’re so out of the box, in fact,…
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Florida News-Station Producer Fired After Being Caught Yelling Racial Slur at Neighbor
A Miami news-station producer found herself out of a job mere days after celebrating her second work anniversary at the station after being caught hurling the n-word at her neighbor over an argument about street parking. According to the Miami Herald, 49-year-old Robin Cross, who was working with WSVN-TV, had been a figure in South…
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California School Pulls Science Project That Questioned Black People’s Intelligence
Administrators at an elite Sacramento, Calif., magnet school are apologizing profusely after students, staff and parents became upset about a racially charged science project linking race and IQ. According to the Sacramento Bee, C.K. McClatchy High School’s fourth annual science fair featured a project entitled “Race and IQ.” The student who designed the project, described…
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Russia Is Boring
I never thought I’d say this, but I am tired of hearing about Russia. That’s hard for me to admit, given that I’ve devoted my entire graduate education and more than four years of my life—so far—to living in Russia and other former USSR republics. But the news cycle that seems to find Russia under…
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What It Feels Like to Receive a Call From Your Child After Cops Draw Their Guns on Him
I’ve had the same headache since 2 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 4. My son has had the same nightmares every night since then as well. Most people will say, “Be lucky he wasn’t shot or killed,” but when you send your child to college, the last thing you expect to happen is for him to call…