racism
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TSA Agent in Minnesota Yanks a Native Woman’s Braids, Says, ‘Giddyup’
I think it’s safe to say that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holds the title for the most outwardly racist agency in Homeland Security. But that isn’t stopping the folks at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) from giving them a run for their money. NBC News reports that on Monday, Tara Houska, a Native-American attorney…
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‘We Are Not Welcome’: In What Should Come as a Surprise to No One, Virginia School Board Refuses to Ban Confederate Flag From Its Dress Code
Virginia’s longstanding love affair with the Confederate flag knows no bounds. And in what should come as a surprise to absolutely no one, a school board in Rocky Mount has ruled that yes, the rebel flag will still be welcomed with open arms in the district’s updated dress code. WRCB has the scoop: The Franklin…
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Texas Man Sends Racist Threat to High School Students, Gets Indicted
I have to be honest, y’all. As soon as I saw the mugshot for Kenneth Petersen (above) I just knew, in my heart of hearts, that this dude has probably called someone the N-word on Call of Duty. I just know it. Courier Post reports that last week the Burlington County Prosecutor’s office has indicted…
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DC Fire Department Launches Investigation After Picture Surfaces of Recruits Flashing Possible White Power Signs
I’ve never been a gang member or a white supremacist before, but apparently hand gestures come along with the territory. But while I rarely hear of anyone losing their job for being affiliated with the Crips or Bloods, unless you’re the president of the United States, blatant racism is typically grounds for immediate termination. To…
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Virginia Man Charged in 'Swatting' Case Found to Have Neo-Nazi Ties
“Swatting,” if you’re unaware, is a prank where some calls in a fake emergency in a targeted effort to generate a huge response from law enforcement. It’s never funny, it’s always dangerous and apparently it’s being weaponized by racists. NBC News reports that John William Kirby Kelley, a 19-year-old man from Virginia, was charged with…
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New York Teacher Compares Black Students to Monkeys in Photo
It seems as though a week can’t go by without a racist incident occurring in an American classroom. NBC News reports that the parents of four black students at Longwood High School in Long Island are planning to sue the school district for $12 million. They filed a notice of claim after a teacher displayed…
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How to Be a Better White Person in 2020
Occasionally The Root will interrupt our coverage of black news, opinions, politics, and culture to openly address our white readership. In 2020, we’d like to finally have that oft-discussed “conversation about race” we hear you guys mention so often. To be clear, white people need to have a conversation about race. Black people in America…
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Mayor Pete’s Invisible Black Police
Given the choice of superpowers, would you rather have the ability to fly or the power of invisibility? This comic book-based Rorschach test allegedly reveals deep-seated personality traits. Supposedly, people who choose the gift of flight want recognition and praise while those who wish for invisibility are less confident and shun attention. While the question…
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BAFTAs: No Nominations for You Cynthia Erivo (or Any Non-White Actors), but Can You Sing at Our Ceremony?
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has quite the audacity and the unmitigated gall. Following a PR nightmare with its all-white acting nomination list for the EE British Academy Films Awards (known as the BAFTAs), it looks like the academy’s nerve went even further than you can imagine. According to Variety, the…
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Stephen A. Smith on the NFL’s Aversion to Hiring Black Coaches: ‘This Is Some BS. Black Men Are Not Being Treated Fairly’
Throughout the course of its lengthy history, the NFL has gone to great lengths to remind black folks of our place in its league. Legends like James “Shack” Harris and Jim Brown had to endure all types of bullshit to even get on the field—and I won’t even start with the Colin Kaepernick debacle. But…