Politics
Politics
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MLK Would Never Shut Down a Freeway, and 6 Other Myths About the Civil Rights Movement and Black Lives Matter
On Saturday, as protests mounted across the country following the police killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed explained the large police presence at downtown protests to reporters: “Dr. King would never take a freeway.” Reed’s claim was historically absurd. Martin Luther King Jr. took many a highway—most famously, perhaps, in…
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Philando Castile Laid to Rest in Minn.
Philando Castile, a Minnesota man who was fatally shot by a St. Anthony, Minn., police officer during a traffic stop, will be laid to rest Thursday following public funeral services, KARE-TV reports. According to the news station, the procession started near J.J. Hill Montessori Magnet School, where Castile was a beloved worker in the cafeteria,…
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Family of Darrius Stewart Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit
The family of Darrius Stewart, a black teen who was shot and killed by a Memphis, Tenn., police officer in the aftermath of a traffic stop, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city, WREG reports. According to the news station, lawyers representing the family believe that a lawsuit is the only way to…
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La. ACLU Sues Baton Rouge City and Police Over Protests
The city of Baton Rouge, La., the Baton Rouge Police Department and other law-enforcement officials are facing a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana and other civil rights groups, accusing authorities of violating protesters’ rights to free speech and assembly during large protests over the past week, the Times-Picayune reports. “This…
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To Black Church Folks Just Waking Up: A Welcome and a Warning
The past few weeks have been rough. We are dying daily, and yet many of you have been sound asleep. You saw Mike Mike’s body lying in the middle of Canfield Green in Ferguson, Mo., on Aug. 9, 2014, but you did not “cry aloud and spare not.” Some of you prayed, and others recited…
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5 Things That Show America Has Gotten Worse Since Dallas Shootings
It has been less than a week since the “newsplosion” of the police-shooting deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile and the ambush of five Dallas police officers, and America is still in recovery mode. There have been the obligatory calls for healing, ubiquitous photos of black people hugging white police officers and a few…
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The Politics of Being Woke
“Who polices the woke?” The question caught me off guard. My line brother posed it to me as I was on my way to a meeting. We are members of the first historically black Greek collegiate fraternity and are called line brothers because we joined at the same time. He called with a question that,…
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Can The Preachers Be Saved?
Does the world need a saved version of The Real? According to Jamal Bryant, a co-host of The Preachers, “There’s never been more of a need for a show like this.” The faith-based panel show, currently on a three-week test run in New York and Los Angeles, features “four outspoken preachers known for their unique takes on…