I felt my heart sink when Kalief Browderâs name suddenly began trending on Twitter in June of last year. Just a couple years older than I am, Browder ended his life after suffering through three years of being beaten and held in solitary confinement in a Rikers Island prison for a crime he did not […]
Police have a long history of conflict with communities of color for a very, very long time. It’s not too much of a stretch to assume that this checkered past plays a role in today’s strained relationship between the two. Terrence Cunningham, president of the International Assn. of Chiefs of Police, took the opportunity to apologize.Â
There’s an episode of Law and Order: SVU out there where a young white woman and her boyfriend were looking to cover up a crime by blaming it on “a black guy” they “couldn’t really see”. Fortunately, the detectives caught on early and let them bury themselves in their lies. But it was Detective Fin Tutuola’s […]
On Sunday, the North Carolina GOP reported vandalism and firebombing at its Hillsborough office. Apparently, an unknown individual or group of individuals caused fire damage to the inside of the building and spray painted a swastika symbol and the words âNazi Republicans Get Out of Town Or Else â on the side of the office. […]
This article was originally posted at Water Cooler Convos. I am reluctantly writing this piece. Both because I am still unsure about my exact sentiments on Hillary Clinton as the preponderant answer to our nationâs lingering political issues and simultaneously dissatisfied with the notion that her candidacy has been reduced to what lies âbetween Donald Trump and […]
This article was originally posted at Water Cooler Convos. Over the past two weeks, I have watched Black girl after Black girl medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics. Simone Biles has dominated gymnastics. Simone Manuel did the same in swimming. Michelle Carter won gold in shot put. And, while I felt immense pride watching each […]
BY SAM FLEMING âPlease don’t call me conscious/Donât call it political/Please don’t deem this lyrical/These are negro spirituals,â Kemba mutters on the second track of his newest project Negus. These lyrics set the tone for this forebodingly beautiful album, and bring up a more potent point about hip-hop in general. Negus is not an album […]
This past week in Columbus, Ohio, Rae’Lynn Thomas, 28, was shot and killed by her mother’s ex-boyfriend, a man with a history transphobic comments, who repeatedly called her “the devil,” according to Mic.
Give it about a year, tops. The most popular name for newborn girls, especially magical black girls, will be Simone. Screenshot this as proof. Yesterday (Aug. 11) will be remembered as the day that Simones ruled the world with their superb athletic ability for the entire world to see.
At only 14 years old, Bresha Meadows is currently sitting in Trumbull County Juvenile Detention Center facing a charge of aggravated murder. The victim? Her allegedly abusive father, who Meadows shot in the head with the same gun she claims he threatened to kill her mother and entire family with.
The July 2016 results from the GenForward Survey have some important findings: young people, especially young people of color, prefer Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump. Clinton has a sizable advantage with all young people over Trump, polling at 35% to 19% in a poll that also includes third party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein.
One of my favorite gospel songs growing up said, “Give me my flowers, while I yet live, so that I can see the beauty that they bring.” The song always stuck with me now it resonates even more. This past Friday, Joyce Quaweay was brutally beaten by her boyfriend and his friend reportedly because she would […]
