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'This Is NOT Okay': Model-Activist Munroe Bergdorf Calls Out the Hypocrisy in L'Oréal's Anti-Racism Posts
As we reflect on the impact of the past week’s protests and #BlackoutTuesday, it might be considered as much a social experiment as a social justice movement. While prompted by black women in the music industry, scores of individuals and other industries quickly followed suit, prompting many a side-eye as some who’d previously remained silent,…
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TikTok Apologizes for Claims of Suppressing Black Lives Matter-Centered Videos on Its App
TikTok, the popular video creation app, apologized for a controversy over the weekend involving the Black Lives Matter movement and those who aim to spread awareness about the senseless murder of George Floyd. TikTok users noticed that videos posted with the hashtags #BlackLivesMatter and/or #GeorgeFloyd had zero views, and others noticed that videos featuring these…
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Can Someone Explain #BlackOutTuesday to Me Because I'm Not Real Smart, but This Seemed Real Dumb
I tried very, very, very hard today to find a point of #BlackOutTuesday. Not a reason, mind you. There are many of those. It was created by two black women—Jamila Thomas (Senior Director of Marketing at Atlantic Records) and Brianna Agyemang (Senior Artist Campaign Manager at Platoon)—to “pause” the music industry. And that makes sense…
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Social Studies: The Conspiracy Theories Are True
If you’re protesting, the feds are watching. While that may sound like a harebrained conspiracy theory, it is also an incontrovertible fact. In cities across America, police departments, federal agencies and even private companies are using state-of-the-art technology to monitor and surveil black protesters. While we have written about this many times before, it is…
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What Is Blackout Tuesday? Industries, Brands and More Go Black in Solidarity of Black Lives Matter
If you’re scrolling down Instagram today, odds are you’re seeing nothing but black screens. What is this for? Blackout Tuesday, a collective action event started by black female music industry workers Jamila Thomas (Senior Director of Marketing at Atlantic Records) and Brianna Agyemang (Senior Artist Campaign Manager at Platoon), was initially intended to halt the…
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Jay-Z Spoke With Minnesota Governor Tim Walz About the George Floyd Case
Jay-Z reportedly called the governor of Minnesota in order to demand that all four officers who were involved in the death of George Floyd be brought to justice. He explained the conversation in a statement sent out by Roc Nation. In the statement, the music mogul thanked Governor Tim Walz for being open to having…
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Social Studies: Redemption Songs
Until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, everywhere is war. Until there no longer first class and second class citizens of any nation. Until the color of a man’s skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes, me say war.…
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Celebrities: Sometimes You Have the Range to Speak Out and Sometimes You Have Philanthropy
Unrest—it’s a word I’ve read and heard used to describe the emotional state of protestors around the country right now. To the people who are sitting in their homes self-isolating with a sense of helplessness on how to support, I’d wager that word would fit in describing that situation, as well. While we’ve been at…
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Social Studies: I'm Rooting for the 'Thugs'
This is not a riot. Riot: 1a: a violent public disorder, specifically a tumultuous disturbance of the public peace by three or more persons assembled together and acting with a common intent b: public violence, tumult, or disorder A riot is not the language of the unheard. They hear this shit. They have always heard…
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Social Studies: The Language of the Unheard
I like funerals. Of course, I don’t like it when people die. I take the loss of life very seriously. But I like being around black people in their finest clothes. I love pound cake. I love sitting next to cousins who crack jokes while I attempt to stifle giggles. I like church choirs and…
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