Race Matters
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Slavery, But Make It a Bodice-Ripper: Ancestry.com to Pull Offensive, Ahistorical Ad
The DNA testing company Ancestry.com says it’s pulling an ad depicting a mixed-race couple during antebellum slavery after a furious—and well-deserved—backlash accusing the company of romanticizing and whitewashing the reality of interracial sexual relationships during that period. The ad, called “Inseparable” (Funny how hard it is to be separated when the circumstances are, uhmm, literal…
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Really? Arkansas, the Birthplace of the Little Rock 9, to Replace Its Confederate-Era Statues in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol
For some 100 years, Arkansas was perfectly happy having the statues of two Confederate-era stalwarts—attorney Uriah Milton Rose and statesman James Paul Clarke—represent it to the nation in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol. But now, it seems the state infamous for the Little Rock Nine and its fight against integration of its public schools…
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A Late-Night Food Run at Barnard College Turns Into a Racial Hashtag for One Black Student
A college student’s quest for late-night leftovers turned into a racially charged episode where the student was roughed up and six Barnard College security guards ended up on administrative leave pending an investigation by the school into their actions. “We deeply regret that this incident occurred, and we are undertaking a thorough review of our…
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Racism by the Numbers: How the Internal Revenue Service Targets Poor Black Taxpayers
Every single one of the 10 counties with the highest rates of Internal Revenue Service tax audits are overwhelmingly black. The 10 counties where the IRS audits the least are disproportionately white, with very few black residents. Sometimes, there is no need to beat around the bush. According to a new report from TaxNotes by…
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White Performers Temporarily Switch Races to Perform Porgy and Bess
Although one may not subscribe to the tenets of white supremacy, it is impossible to argue against the idea that white people are the undefeated, undisputed world champions of finding loopholes. They can get out of murder by claiming they “feared for their life” or were “standing their ground.” They will argue that their actions…
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Report: White People Still Tripping
The next time someone says that America needs to have a “conversation about race,” please remind them that, according to a new report from one of the most respected opinion researchers in the world, most white people in America think we talk about race too much. Most white people don’t think that being white has…
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Motel 6 Provided Personal Info of Guests with 'Latino-Sounding Names' to ICE Agents, Settles $12M Lawsuit
With direct access to your credit card, home address and Funyuns infatuation, hotels collect more personal data than just about everyone not named Mark Zuckerberg. As such, they possess a tremendous amount of power you would hope they would wield responsibly. But sadly, not only did Motel 6 miss the memo, but they purposely compromised…
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Three Black Churches Burned in One Louisiana Parish
Harkening back to darker days, authorities believe a common culprit may have resorted to a tried and true intimidation tactic. Federal authorities are lending a hand after a pattern of destruction has emerged. According to the New York Times, one Louisiana parish has seen three historically black churches burned in less than two weeks. The…
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Belgium Prime Minister Apologizes to African Nations for Colonization, Kidnapping of Mixed-Raced Children
It’s no secret that colonization has introduced unspeakable horrors to communities of color throughout the world. And while an apology could never remedy those atrocities, it can serve as the impetus for long overdue healing and accountability. On Thursday, the New York Times reported that Belgium Prime Minister Charles Michel began the process of doing exactly…
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White Teens in Maryland Sentenced to Weekends in Jail for Racist, Anti-Semitic Graffiti
Last year, four graduating seniors at Glenelg High School in Howard County, Md., defaced their school with racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic graffiti that they spray painted across the school—defacing sidewalks, parking lots and other parts of the high school building. Some of the graffiti directly targeted the school’s principal, David Burton—who is black—with the word…