racism
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Residence Inn Accused of Enforcing 'No Party Policy' Against Black Guests in $300,000 Lawsuit
If you’re black and looking for a hotel in Portland, Ore., you might want to stay away from the Residence Inn by Marriott Portland Downtown/Convention Center. Unless, of course, you’re willing to agree to their “no party policy,” which a new $300,000 lawsuit claims is only required for black guests. From the Oregonian: Felicia Gonzales,…
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Racist Cop Who Kicked in Black Woman's Door Is Still a Cop: But Why Though?
You may remember reports of New York City police officer Michael J. Reynolds landing in Nashville, Tenn. in July 2018, according to court records. Reynolds was attending a 3-day bachelor party with six other men, two of whom were also identified as NYC officers. Reynolds was staying in an Airbnb, one door down from a…
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Judge Orders Alabama City to Pay $850,000 in Legal Fees for School Segregation Plot Gone Wrong
Gardendale, Ala., is an interesting place. I’ll allow The Root Senior Writer Michael Harriot to do the honor of explaining why that is, at least in part, as previously reported here: A judge told a mostly white suburb near one of the blackest cities in the country that—after reviewing all of the facts—she believed the…
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I Will Never Forgive White People for Donald Trump
I forget sometimes that Donald Trump is president. I’ve tried to convince myself that this is intentional; a willful misremembering of reality necessary to process his span in office. There’d be a nobility there, I think, as this would suggest I’m so empathetic, so down, so woke, that I can’t even sleep without tricking myself…
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Wyoming Students Showed Up to Class in Bootleg KKK Robes Because Of Course They Did: ‘This Is Taught Behavior’
Riverton High School’s dress code explicitly states that in showing regard for their educational environment, students must refrain from attracting “undue attention or interfere with the instructional program” in order to “create an atmosphere of self-respect and respect for others.” So unless the Riverton, Wyo., based public school was hosting a Klan rally, can somebody…
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Now in Things White People Say Aren't Racist: Swastikas. Yup.
There are certain symbols that when seen in public make you go “Oh, they racist-racist.” At the top of that list would probably be the swastika and the confederate flag—symbols made popular by groups whose whole M.O was killing in the name of white supremacy. Apparently though, we’ve had it all wrong. At least, that…
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New Study Confirms What We Already Knew: Being Black in Corporate America Is Not for the Weak
It’s not exactly a secret that corporate America has a diversity and inclusion problem, and a new report uncovers just how ugly life is for many black professionals in the workplace. According to the New York Times, the Center for Talent Innovation just released a report, “Being Black in Corporate America,” after surveying approximately 3,700…
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Pittsburgh Doesn’t Deserve Mike Tomlin
So this premise is already operating at a deficit: If born, I guess, you deserve the ability to continue living, and whatever’s necessary to achieve that goal—food, water, safety, shelter, etc.—exists under that umbrella. But once we get into concepts like happiness and fulfillment, our application of “deserve” becomes nebulous, as it gets conflated with…
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49ers Announcer Tim Ryan Suspended After Claiming Lamar Jackson's 'Dark Skin Color' Gives Him a Competitive Advantage
It’s no secret that melanin is the source of our superpowers as black people. But if you let idiots like sports announcer Tim Ryan tell it, it also gives black NFL players like Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson an unfair competitive advantage. No, really. And that’s exactly how he just got his ass suspended. From…
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Zwarte Piet and My Run-In With Blackface
In November 2006, my band was in the midst of a European tour. Though we loved exploring unfamiliar cities, we ached for the comforts of home as the holidays approached. None of us were from the same place—we were born in cities spreading from New York to Anchorage, but we shared an understanding of what…