rape culture
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Thandie Newton Says the Film Business Doesn't Care 'If You're a Young Black Girl and You Get Raped'
Thandie Newton has a history of being quite outspoken about issues that matter to her. But in her most recent interview, she got quite vulnerable about her own trauma. In a feature interview with Vulture, the Emmy-winning Westworld actress did not hold back about the toxic culture in Hollywood, especially as it pertains to its exploitation…
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'When You Love Someone, You Hold Them Accountable': Sil Lai Abrams Speaks Her Piece on The Breakfast Club
Exactly one week after their interview with Russell Simmons, The Breakfast Club confirmed that Sil Lai Abrams, one of his accusers and participants in HBO’s doc On The Record, would be appearing on the show. On Wednesday, the writer, essayist, cultural commentator and activist sat down with co-host Angela Yee to discuss the documentary, her…
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Harvey Weinstein Sentenced to 23 Years, Silencing Cosby Defenders and Everyone Who Was Gonna Buy NBC
Harvey Weinstein, previously known as a scapegoat to rape apologists everywhere, has been sentenced to 23 years in prison. Other than the sentencing duration itself, the lede here is that the one-time Hollywood heavyweight’s sentence is much longer than Bill Cosby’s. (Shout-out to The Root’s Michael Harriot for the headline assist, by the way.) As…
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Black Men Need to Talk With Each Other About Rape Culture
I first started learning about sexual and domestic violence against women when I began my career as a journalist in New York City, in 2011. They are the hardest stories I’ve ever written. The women, all of them black, often told me they had no one to turn to when the assaults took place. No…
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Nicki Minaj’s Brother Jelani Maraj Sentenced to 25 Years to Life in Prison for Sexually Assaulting 11-Year-Old Girl
Nicki Minaj’s brother’s legal case has reached a conclusion. Trigger Warning: Please be advised, the following article contains details involving the sexual assault of a minor. According to AP News, Jelani Maraj was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison on predatory sexual assault and child endangerment charges. Maraj was convicted in November 2017.…
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Continuing to Support R. Kelly Is an Assault on Black Women
It happened twice and she couldn’t tell anyone. But she told me. In the decades since it had happened, she hadn’t told any other men because she thought it would make things worse. But she knew me—she raised me. My father left when I was born and all of the men in my family were…
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The Woman Sexually Assaulted While Unconscious in the Stanford U Case Says It’s Time the World Knew Her Name
The woman whose Stanford University attacker was sentenced to mere months in jail for sexually assaulting her as she lay unconscious has revealed her identity for the first time in the aftermath of a case that raised sharp criticisms around white privilege and rape culture. Chanel Miller is her name, and in a memoir she’s…
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Bill Cosby Called Himself 'America's Dad' and Black Twitter Determined That Was a Lie
Disgraced comedian Bill Cosby might be a lot of things—an alleged serial rapist, “a sexually violent predator,” inmate number NN7687—but one title he can no longer claim is “America’s Dad.” Nah, bruh. We threw that baby out with the bathwater. America’s Dad wouldn’t be serving time in prison for sexual assault. America’s Dad wouldn’t have…
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Ava DuVernay Ain't Feelin' How Game of Thrones Treated a 'Sista'
On the night of May 5, the baddest bitch of Westeros was unfortunately beheaded. On the Game of Thrones episode entitled, “The Last of the Starks,” Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) traveled to King’s Landing to try to negotiate with Cersei and instead of compromising — because, have you met Cersei?! — she simply gave her…
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On Justin Fairfax and Believing Women When It’s Politically Inconvenient
Even the qualifier most frequently used when describing the allegations against Justin Fairfax, the Virginia lieutenant governor accused of sexual assault, tells a story. From “Justin Fairfax Faces Mounting Calls for Resignation Amid Second Sexual-Assault Allegation” Republican Speaker of the House Kirk Cox on Saturday urged Fairfax to resign after “multiple, serious credible allegations of…