racism
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Three Black Churches Burned in One Louisiana Parish
Harkening back to darker days, authorities believe a common culprit may have resorted to a tried and true intimidation tactic. Federal authorities are lending a hand after a pattern of destruction has emerged. According to the New York Times, one Louisiana parish has seen three historically black churches burned in less than two weeks. The…
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Belgium Prime Minister Apologizes to African Nations for Colonization, Kidnapping of Mixed-Raced Children
It’s no secret that colonization has introduced unspeakable horrors to communities of color throughout the world. And while an apology could never remedy those atrocities, it can serve as the impetus for long overdue healing and accountability. On Thursday, the New York Times reported that Belgium Prime Minister Charles Michel began the process of doing exactly…
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Why You Can’t Say ‘Roll Tide!’ to Any Ole Person Up in the Target
I was reminded recently why we are taught as youth not to speak to strangers. While the goal of this lesson for children is to hopefully curb abduction and prevent being handed candy with razor blades lodged inside, it is also a lesson one can put to use as an adult. Because sometimes, something as…
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White Teens in Maryland Sentenced to Weekends in Jail for Racist, Anti-Semitic Graffiti
Last year, four graduating seniors at Glenelg High School in Howard County, Md., defaced their school with racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic graffiti that they spray painted across the school—defacing sidewalks, parking lots and other parts of the high school building. Some of the graffiti directly targeted the school’s principal, David Burton—who is black—with the word…
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Visiting the Lorraine Motel in Memphis Was the Most Emotional Museum Experience I've Ever Had
Today is April 4, 2019. Fifty-one years ago today, on April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was gunned down by James Earl Ray while standing on the balcony outside of his room, 306, at the Lorraine Motel, located at 450 Mulberry St., in Memphis, Tenn. In the time since then, the Lorraine Motel…
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How Raising Multiethnic Kids Reshaped My Blackness
My wife is not black. Our daughters, by no choice of their own, are. Not when we’re at home or with friends and family or surrounded by people who know and love them. But when they’re out in the world, with their bronze skin and curly afros, when they’re seen from afar or described by…
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Taraji P. Henson Brings Ann Atwater's Activism to Life in The Best of Enemies
It is a biblical fact that Taraji P. Henson has never been the one, and so it is fitting for her to play activist and disruptor Ann Atwater in the new film The Best of Enemies. Atwater was a civil rights activist who wasn’t here for anyone’s shit, making it her mission to make sure her…
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White Power Symbol Discovered After Fire Destroys Historic Civil Rights Center
Days after a mysterious fire destroyed decades of invaluable archives and artifacts at The Highlander Research and Education Center in Tennessee, a subsequent investigation has uncovered a white power symbol that could indicate the most likely motive behind the fire. “As most of you know, a devastating fire burned down our main office early Friday…
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The Makeover: As More Brands Confront Diversity and Inclusion Issues, Here's How H&M Has Been Doing the Work
“Is H&M still canceled?” It’s the question that inevitably arises anytime we so much as mention the Swedish-based fast-fashion juggernaut, which faced international backlash early last year when a black child model was infamously photographed wearing a sweater that read “Coolest Monkey in Jungle.” While the hotly debated gaffe was doubtfully intentional, by their own…