sandra bland
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The Root’s Guide to the 10 Blackest Experiences of the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival
If Beyoncé can bring Wakanda to Coachella, we’re going to do the same for Tribeca, the annual film festival that reps the grit and greatness of New York City. As with last year, we here at The Root are here to give it to you, racks on racks of that beautiful black (except, perhaps, No. 5).…
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Black Students at Stoneman Douglas High Want Gun-Violence Solutions to Address Police Violence
On Wednesday afternoon, black students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., assembled to draw attention to their growing safety concerns since returning to class—concerns they say may not necessarily be shared or highlighted by their white classmates, who have received the bulk of the national media’s attention following the deadly shooting that…
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Judge of Characters: An Ode to Black Twitter
Black Twitter is an almighty force that’s not only been able to make the best memes the internet has ever seen but has also managed to get movies made and racists fired, as well as expose the horrific trend of police brutality across the country. It’s so big, it can’t be contained. And for that,…
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Charges Dropped Against Only Officer to Face Criminal Charges Related to Sandra Bland’s Death
Former Texas State Trooper Brian Encinia, who arrested motorist Sandra Bland two years ago, was the only officer to face criminal charges in connection with her mysterious death in a Texas jail, but as of Wednesday, the criminal charges against him have been dropped. Encinia pulled Bland over in Prairie View, Texas, on July 10,…
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Texas Governor Signs ‘Weakened’ Sandra Bland Act Into Law
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the Sandra Bland Act into law Thursday, in what was supposed to be a decisive move to address the issues that led to Bland’s death. As the Texas Tribune notes, the act obligates county jails to channel individuals with mental-health and substance abuse issues toward treatment, and to make it…
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Texas Senate Unanimously Passes ‘Weakened’ Sandra Bland Act
The Texas Senate unanimously passed a significantly diluted Sandra Bland Act Thursday, and now the bill will go to the Texas House of Representatives, KHOU.com reports. The bill has been stripped of any measure of police accountability, including consent searches and pretext stops. But lawmakers believe it is still a good first step. The legislation…
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Watch: Hashtag Revolution: Break the Silence for Black Women and #SayHerName
Hashtags have defined pop culture. You spot them all over social media, and now many of them have become popular phrases, especially when they highlight blackness: #BlackBoyJoy, #BlackGirlMagic, #GrowingUpBlack and the list goes on. Usually these hashtags are met with laughter and reflection on relatability in blackness, but there’s one hashtag that serves not only…
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Why SHE Is the Epitome of Black Women’s Radical Self-Care
It’s no secret that black women are caught in the crosshairs of violence—not just when encountering the police but also in our own communities and homes. But how often do we really talk about it? While the Black Lives Matter Network was co-founded by three black women—two of whom identify as queer—police brutality continues to…
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When Incarcerated People Die, Blame the Prison-Industrial Complex
Early Wednesday morning, Aaron Hernandez joined the long list of incarcerated people, including Sandra Bland and Kalief Browder, who allegedly committed suicide while in prison, or soon after being released. We should not be mistaken about who or what is to blame: prisons and jails. The prison-industrial complex and the various ways it promotes the…