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Former NFL Coach Dennis Green Dies at 67
Former NFL coach Dennis Green, who led the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals over 13 seasons, died Thursday night from complications of cardiac arrest, according to ESPN. He was 67. In 10 seasons with the Vikings, he led the team to eight playoff appearances and reached the NFC Championship Game twice, in 1998 and 2000.…
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The 8 Wokest White People We Know
#Woke is having a moment. As The Root contributor Lawrence Ware notes, because of police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement, âThe masses of black folks who were lulled to sleep by economic opportunity have now awoken to the fact that race is, and will remain, a central part of the black experience.â But…
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Prince Stopped Cursing in His Music Because of Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali, who died Friday, was one of the most inspirational figures in the world, both inside and out of the boxing ring. His words and deeds were a call to action for many, but it was the words he didnât use that led Prince to stop cursing in his music. The artist known for some of…
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Prince Wrote a Slow Jam About Donald Trump and It Is Glorious
We all know that Prince was a brilliant songwriter who could make anythingâfrom casual sex to partying down before the nuclear apocalypseâsound cool. That skill even applies to loathsome politicians like Donald Trump. Among the many musical treasures he left us is a song called âDonald Trump (Black Version),â which he penned for R&B group…
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No Jail Time for Ex-NYPD Officer Who Killed Akai Gurley; Instead, Heâll Serve 800 Hours of Community Service
Peter Liang, the former New York City police officer who was convicted of manslaughter in the 2014 shooting death of Akai Gurley, was sentenced Tuesday to five yearsâ probation and 800 hours of community service, according to the New York Post. The judge in the case, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun, also reduced the…
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At SXSW, Michelle Obama Revealed the Spark That Inspired Her to Help Empower Girls Around the World
When first lady Michelle Obama took the stage to deliver the keynote address at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, she brought an all-star squad of women to help her deliver her message of inspiration and female empowerment. Joined by Queen Latifah (who served as moderator), rapper Missy Elliott, actress Sophia…
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Spirit Awards Honor Black Actors, 1st Transgender Woman
Yo, Academy Awards, this is how itâs done. At Saturday nightâs Film Independent Spirit Awards, which recognize the best in indie films, three of the four acting awards went to black people, with Beasts of No Nation stars Abraham Attah (Best Male Lead) and Idris Elba (Best Supporting Male) winning alongside Tangerine breakout Mya Taylor (Best Supporting…
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Guide to the Grammys: 4 Things You Need to Know About Musicâs Big Night
The 58th annual Grammy Awards may be airing on Monday for the first time instead of Sunday, but thereâll be some things that look familiar. LL Cool J will host for the fifth straight time, and the show will continue its tradition of being a music festival masquerading as an awards show, focusing on the…
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Want to Make Hollywood Pay Attention to Diversity? Boycott the Box Office, Not the Oscars
Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith are planning to boycott this yearâs Oscars ceremony because of the lack of diversity among this yearâs nominees. Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who is the first black woman to head the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, issued a statement saying that she was “heartbroken and frustrated about the…
