rodney king
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Uncensored First Look: Debbie Allen Reveals How Roseanne and Tom Arnold Ended Up on the LA Riots Episode of A Different World
On September 24, 1987, A Different World premiered, which means this year marks the 33rd anniversary of the groundbreaking television series. Known for its biting social commentary (that is still very relevant today), A Different World boasted several standout episodes. One of the series’ most notable episodes was from its sixth season premiere, which followed…
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A Timeline of Events That Led to the 2020 'Fed Up'-rising
Without the proper context, it is impossible to understand the mushroom cloud of uprisings that are exploding across the country in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others. To contextualize the anger, frustration and desperation that forced protesters to recreate the lawlessness and chaos that black people…
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Julián Castro Explains Why Ending Police Brutality Is Central to His Campaign
“To black and brown communities out there that deal with the impact of excessive force by police: I would say that we see you, we hear you.” —Julián Castro text As the 2020 presidential race continues to unfold, there are certain things I have come to expect from particular candidates during the Democratic debates. When…
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Daughter of Rodney King Launches ‘I Am a King’ Scholarship to Celebrate Black Fatherhood Just in Time for Father’s Day
For residents of Los Angeles, April 29 is a day that lives on in infamy. Twenty-seven years ago, the streets of the city I now call home descended into chaos in the aftermath of the Rodney King verdict, in which a jury acquitted four LAPD officers of charges related to his brutal assault, which was…
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Watch: LA Riots: Then and Now
Los Angeles looks a lot different than it did in 1992. The smoke and shattered glass are long gone, but the memories of the Los Angeles uprising, commonly known as the “L.A. riots,” have had lingering effects on black Angelenos. Twenty-five years ago, four white Los Angeles police officers were acquitted of beating Rodney King.…
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What About Rodney King? Spike Lee and Roger Guenveur Smith Speak on Their Netflix Film
Footage of four Los Angeles Police Department officers beating Rodney King kicked off Spike Lee’s great 1992 film, Malcolm X, months after the Los Angeles riots had died down. Now, 25 years later, he has directed Roger Guenveur Smith’s one-man show, Rodney King. Interestingly, Rodney King premieres on Netflix the day before the one on…
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Burn Motherf*cker, Burn!: Sacha Jenkins Digs Deep to Find the Root Causes of the L.A. Riots
In 1992, Los Angeles erupted in violent opposition to the not guilty verdict for four police officers captured on video brutally beating Rodney King within an inch of his life. Twenty-five years later, there is no shortage of documentaries examining the Los Angeles riots. A&E aired South Central native John Singleton’s L.A. Burning Tuesday. ABC…