racism

  • On Slowly But Surely Accepting The Fact That President Obama Kinda Sucks When Talking To And About Black People

    A few months ago, I was asked to contribute to The Meaning of Michelle — a collection of essays about Michelle Obama’s influence and legacy. My chapter (“Crushing on Michelle: Or the Unapologetic Power of Blackness”) makes a reference to the psychic impact the Obama family’s presence has had on Black America, and how our collective cathartic…

  • A Complete Breakdown of White People's Fears

    There is a contingent of alt-right trolls who patrol the internet, radio shows and public conversations to quickly dismiss any real-world discussion about police brutality, state violence or how society devalues the bodies of black people. Their argument is always the same: Black people commit a disproportionate amount of violence; therefore, black people make up…

  • NC Officer Fired Over Controversial Facebook Post

    A Chadbourn, N.C., police officer was fired Tuesday after stirring up controversy with a post made on Facebook, WNCN reports. The officer in question, Ricky Soles, told the news station that he was offered the opportunity to resign, but he refused. He was then terminated for violating the law-enforcement code of ethics and for actions…

  • Like Cops Who Kill Unarmed Black Adults, Pre-K Teachers See Same 'Bad Dude' in Kids

    Editor’s note: Once a month, this column will tackle broader questions about what the country should do about gaps in achievement and opportunity. Perception is a matter of life and death. Now a new study from Yale University delivers the news that even black babies suffer the burdens that racial stereotyping inflicts. Preschool educators’ implicit…

  • Loving Tells One of the Most Important Love Stories in Black History

    Imagine being cuddled with your loved one in bed, in the middle of the night. It’s peaceful, and the warmth of your spouse’s body sends goosebumps all down your skin. And then, boom! You’re both shaken awake by a police officer kicking down your door and yelling, “Get out of bed!” because your marriage is…

  • Fliers Promoting White Supremacy Found at University of Mich.

    On Monday morning, students at the University of Michigan found fliers promoting white supremacy and espousing racist views, sparking a campuswide response, USA Today College reports. One poster went on about “Why White Women Shouldn’t Date Black Men,” and claimed that black men were “more likely to abuse you” and “have STDs” and that “your kids…

  • University of ND Investigating Yet Another Racist Photo Incident

    Things are looking bad at the University of North Dakota. The school is investigating its second racially charged photo in just about as many days, Valley News Live reports. The photo in question, which was posted to social media, shows four white people wearing black facial masks with the caption “Black Lives Matter,” the site notes.…

  • Suspended Seattle Mariner Compared BLM to KKK, Unearthed Facebook Post Shows

    Surprise, surprise. The man who basically said he is not a racist wrote a Facebook post in August disproving that point. Seattle Mariner Steve Clevenger, 30, who was recently suspended from his team for a series of hateful Twitter rants after the shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott by Charlotte, N.C., police—and gave a weird apology…

  • White America Must Heal Itself: 2016 Is 1965 and 1984

    Last weekend, during a writing retreat, I ended up in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Iowa entered the Union as a free state and was a hub for the Underground Railroad, but I wasn’t surprised to see a handful of Confederate flags flying from homes as I drove through towns called Solon and North Liberty. Ours has…

  • North Carolina Congressman Says Charlotte Protesters 'Hate White People'

    A North Carolina Congressman went on a BBC-TV news program Thursday and said that the protests in Charlotte, NC, stem from the fact that the protesters “hate white people because white people are successful and they’re not.” U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-NC) represents a district that includes parts of Charlotte that have had violent protests in…