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If Weâve Ever Needed the LDF Before, We Sure Do Need Them Now
To attend the LDFâs 32nd annual National Equal Justice Awards Dinner themed: âJustice. Equality. Democracy,â is to swell with a sense of pride in the organized, brilliant pushback of our people in courts all over the land; itâs to know that two black women (Sherrilyn Ifill and Janai Nelson) are at the helm of this…
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Lost-Found âNegroâ: Never-Before-Seen Chapter From Autobiography of Malcolm X Open to the Public
When I was growing up, The Autobiography of Malcolm X was like manna; it was part of my introduction to âblack consciousness,â at least from a proto-nationalist, the-black-man-is-god perspective. Malcolm was larger than life, especially for us inner-city girls who were as well versed on Surahs as Psalms; his words our Sunday sermon, his persona…
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Crooked Lines:Â Ahead of the Midterms, 3 Women of Color Highlight Racial Gerrymandering in North Carolina
For filmmaker Yoruba Richen, the germ for Crooked Lines, a documentary about the fight against racial gerrymandering in North Carolina, was born of the tragedy that was Donald Trumpâs election in November 2016. Richen, along with co-directors Monica Berra and Jackie Olive, came together to make the 11-minute short about how the Republican legislature in…
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Banging From the Inside: Activist Cat Brooks Runs to Become Oaklandâs First Black Woman Mayor
Oakland, Calif., has long been a bastion of historical and cultural reverie in blackness. The âDetroit of the Westâ holds a special place in African-American esteem: Oakland incubated a nascent Black Panther Party; gave us Hieroglyphics, Too Short, and MC Hammer; and nurtured icons such as Elaine Brown, Zedanya, and Killmonger. It even has its…
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Itâs Time to Listen to Black Women. Weâve Been Talking About Police Sexual Violence for a Long Time
âItâs never true that *no one* is talking about a thing. Itâs often true that *not enough* people are talking about a thing …,â anti-violence activist Mariame Kaba recently tweeted from her popular @prisonculture account. That is certainly true of sexual violence by police officers, described as something âno one talks aboutâ in a recent…
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Pooch Hall Facing 6 Years in Prison After DUI Involving 2-Year-Old Son
Although may be best known as a player on the Showtime series, Ray Donovan, most of us got to know and love Marion âPoochâ Hall from BETâs The Game. But what the 44-year-old actor is facing is anything but. TMZ reports that Hall has just been criminally charged with one count of child endangerment and…
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ACLU Files Discrimination Complaint on Behalf of Black Students in Central California
In response to claims of sustained racial abuse against the two percent of black students who attend the Visalia Unified School District, the ACLU of Northern California has filed a discrimination complaint against the district in court. The complaint, filed with the Department of Education, charges the district with violating Title VI of the Civil…
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2 Texas Judges Sent 20 Percent of All Juveniles to State Prisons Last Year
Two Harris County Texas judges accounted for more than one-fifth of all children sent to the stateâs juvenile prisons in 2017. Unsurprisingly, the overwhelming majority of the children were black or Latinx. The Houston Chronicle reports: The two courts â overseen by Judges Glenn Devlin and John Phillips â not only sent more teens to…
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Georgia College Students Circulate Petition to Have Clarence Thomasâ Name Removed From Building
There may never be a full reckoning for prominent men in the public eye accused of sexual assault and rape, such as Kobe Bryant, R. Kelly or Nate Parker. But in a time where those harmed by the deeds of such men are coming forwardâin addition to this being an era in which college buildings…
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Kobe Bryant Cut From Film Festival Jury After Blowback From 2003 Rape Case
Looks like that 2003 rape allegation has caught up to Kobe Bryant after all these years. Variety reports that the former five-time NBA world champion was cut by the Animation Is Film Festival jury last week, as a result of fallout from over his 15-year-old rape charge. Bryant won an Academy Award this year for his…
