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Watch: King’s Mountaintop, 50 Years Later
When Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, the news shocked the world. The day before, King gave his last speech, known today as the “Mountaintop” speech—one that some would call a prophecy. The civil rights leader went to Memphis, Tenn., to shed light on…
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Episode 9: ‘We’ve Gotta March Again.’ Sanitation Workers Remember Martin Luther King Jr.’s Last Battle Cry
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. returned to Memphis, Tenn., on April 3, 1968, one day after the funeral of Larry Payne—the 16-year-old boy killed by Memphis Police Officer Leslie Dean Jones. King was exhausted and battling deep depression, the kind that makes it difficult to get out of bed. He was tired of…
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Watch: Officers Who Killed Stephon Clark Come From a Department Already Under Scrutiny
Police departments across the nation have long been under scrutiny for officer-involved shootings, particularly of unarmed African Americans, and law enforcement officers in Sacramento, Calif., are no exception. In addition to Stephon Clark, at least 16 people have been killed in encounters with Sacramento-area law enforcement officers since 2016, according to the Sacramento Bee. It…
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Watch: Roxanne Shanté Explains How She Created Hip-Hop Diss Records
Lolita Shanté Gooden, aka Roxanne Shanté, is a hip-hip icon, a living legend, if you will. Netflix has released Roxanne Roxanne, a biopic that chronicles Shanté’s humble beginnings in Queens, N.Y., in the ’80s. Shanté was a solidified rap staple from the Queensbridge Houses. She could rap circles around anybody and quickly became the go-to…
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Episode 8: Memphis Police Officer Guns Down 16-Year-Old #LarryPayne as Sanitation Strike Continues
Memphis, Tenn., exploded into chaos on March 28, 1968, as militarized police officers—armed with rifles, tear gas, billy clubs and the full authority of the state—terrorized black protesters who were out in full force to support Memphis sanitation strikers. It was amid this violent siege that Memphis Police Officer Leslie Dean Jones stuck a shotgun…
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Watch: Teens March 50 Miles in Honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
A group of teens began a 50-mile march in Mississippi on March 31 in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and to mark the 50th anniversary of his assassination. The group, which includes adult mentors, will finish its march on April 4 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., where King was killed on April…
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Watch: Patti LaBelle Is Everyone’s Favorite Mom
There’s something about Mrs. Wayne from A Different World. She was a black mother personified: Adele Wayne would put you in check, was protective of her kin (Chipmunk!), witty and intelligent, and boy, could Mrs. Wayne cook. In her role as Adele Wayne, Patti LaBelle did that. Over the decades, the legendary singer has played…
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Watch: This Is How New Legislation Puts Sex Workers in Danger
For Women’s History Month, Jezebel and The Root are partnering for JezeRoot, a series that focuses on women of color, domestic workers and sex workers. Earlier this month, a bill passed that can significantly impact the safety of U.S. sex workers. The Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act cleared the House and Senate on March 21…
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Student at Center of Howard University Financial Scandal Speaks Out Amid Campus Protests
As students at Howard University enter the second day of campuswide protests, the university’s board of trustees issued a statement moments before the immaculately dressed law student who has become a symbol of the administration’s mismanagement appeared with journalist Roland Martin and a very luxurious house plant to clear his name while everyone involved gulped…