Opinion
Opinion
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I'm Rooting for the Coronavirus
I remember Michael Harriot. Yesterday would have been his birthday. He was a human being. Before his untimely demise, Michael spent most of his time doing things like inhaling oxygen, exhaling carbon dioxide, and figuring out why people consume candy corn in a world where Skittles, Starburst and Now & Laters exist. Michael even believed…
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We Need to Talk About the White-on-White Virus In the Republican Community
This weekend, I watched in horror as members of the white community took to the streets in support of another so-called “victim” of COVID-19. While our beloved Constitution guarantees us the freedom of speech, it’s time we said something about these dangerous members of antifa (The anti-facemask movement) running wild in our streets. Politico reports::…
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Why Jason Whitlock Is Not a Black Man
This article contains two opinions: Jason Whitlock is not stupid. Jason Whitlock is Black. The rest is fact. Whether you like him or not, most people share these opinions of Jason Whitlock. Although I often disagree with his viewpoint, I understand that his function in life is to serve as a funnel through which anti-Black…
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20 Years of Bringing It: What Bring It On Did for the Culture and the Conversation Around Cultural Theft
“Every time we get some, y’all come trying to steal it, putting some blonde hair on it, and calling it something different,” Isis (Gabrielle Union), captain of the fictional East Compton Clovers cheer squad, tells Rancho Carne Toros leader Torrance (Kirsten Dunst) in a confrontational scene during the cult classic film Bring It On. The…
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A Call to Action to Ensure That Our Community Is Counted
The year 2020 has felt like a decade, and we are only two-thirds of the way through it. This year was already slated to be packed with important moments: the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, the presidential election in the fall, and of course, a host of weddings, births, graduations and other important moments in one’s…
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Black Women's Trauma Is No Laughing Matter
A few weeks back, chart-topping emcee Megan Thee Stallion revealed via Instagram that she was shot in the foot on July 12 “as a result of a crime committed against [her] and done with the intention to physically harm [her],” despite early reports that she stepped on glass during a night out in the Hollywood…
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Police Reforms Must Include Reparations for Those Living Through the Trauma of Police Violence
When Eric Garner died after being put in a chokehold by then-New York Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo on July 17, 2014, his daughter Erica Garner immediately became an activist of the highest caliber. She organized marches, wrote articles, and stood up to demand a conversation with President Obama at the presidential town hall on race…
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Black Leaders, We Need You to Tell the Full Story When Talking About Black Crime—and Black Humanity
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has acceded to the presence of federal police in her city—the same federal officers who have been tear-gassing and beating men, mothers, and Navy veterans in Portland, Ore.—as part of President Trump’s ridiculously and ominously termed “Operation Legend.” The decision from the mayor, the city’s first who is a Black woman,…
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Mike Espy: With the Confederate Emblem Gone, I Look Forward to Seeing a New Flag Fly Over Mississippi
It’s taken a long time, but change is coming to Mississippi: our state flag—with its archaic symbol of the confederacy—is finally coming down. Unlike the flags that commonly fly over other states, our flag was never intended to unite and uplift. It was designed to perpetuate a longstanding division among our citizens. It did not…
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Finding Black Joy in Times of Crisis
The other week, I cried. For some, shedding tears in times of chaos and terror seems quite normal. Anticipated, even. To me, it felt strange. I am a black woman. As a journalist and a ‘student of the game,’ I am keenly aware of the systems of racism that—from this country’s inception—were created to oppress…