Multimedia
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Bipartisan bill aimed at fighting sickle cell disease signed into law by Trump
A bipartisan bill aimed at fighting sickle disease was signed into law by President Donald Trump on Tuesday night. The Sickle Cell Disease and Other Heritable Blood Disorders Research, Surveillance, Prevention, and Treatment Act of 2018 was introduced by Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Tim Scott, R-S.C., in February and passed in the Senate in…
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NAACP launches #LogOutFacebook after reports on black voter suppression
The NAACP has temporarily signed off Facebook and is calling on others to do the same due to the tech company’s “history of data hacks which unfairly target its users of color.” In a week-long protest called #LogOutFacebook that started Tuesday, the civil rights organization will not post on the social media platform or the…
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Author of memo blasting Facebook’s ‘black people problem’ speaks out
The Facebook manager who wrote a memo accusing the company of systemic racism has described an atmosphere that he said was dismissive when he raised the issue with the company’s human resources department. Mark S. Luckie, who was a manager on the company’s entertainment and partnerships team, on Tuesday publicly posted the memo in which he alleges…
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Regina King “If Beale Street Could Talk” Red Carpet Premiere
“I want people to not see black first. I want them to see love first.” At the Smithsonian African American Film Festival premiere of “If Beale Street Could Talk”, Regina King spoke with me about what she hopes people take away from the film and what her character Sharon Rivers means to her.
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Trump addresses hundreds of young black conservatives, praises Kanye
WASHINGTON — During the 2016 campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump consistently tried to reach black voters with one controversial question: ‘What the hell do you have to lose?” Friday, in front of hundreds of young black conservatives attending a leadership summit at the White House, Trump recalled members of his campaign telling him the question was…
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‘LGBT’ flyers — picturing Lady Liberty, Gun, Beer and Trump — sent to Nashville gay bars
The acronym “LGBT” typically stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. However, flyers sent to Tennessee gay bars last week with the acronym emblazoned on them were not interpreted by the local community to be supportive of gender and sexual minorities. Gay bars in Nashville received pamphlets with the acronym and images of the Statue…
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Alabama memorial reveals horrors of racism, honors victims
When The National Memorial for Peace and Justice opened this April in Montgomery, Alabama, attorney and author Bryan Stevenson was told no one would want to claim such painful and egregious part of history. Stevenson created the 11,000-square-foot memorial in the capital city through his organization the Equal Justice Initiative. The memorial features over 800 steel monuments…
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Former first lady Michelle Obama launches When We All Vote campaign
My reporting on former first lady Michelle Obama’s initiative When We All Vote was featured on a segment of AM JOY on MSNBC. — Former first lady Michelle Obama has just launched her When We All Vote campaign to get the vote out during the midterms. Former senior adviser to President Obama, Valerie Jarrett, joins…
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Michelle Obama hits the road to push midterm voter turnout
WASHINGTON — Former first lady Michelle Obama is hitting the road to encourage people to show up for the midterms. Hosting events through her new initiative, When We All Vote, a nonpartisan organization that she launched in July, Obama and various celebrities will promote voter registration, awareness on issues and civic participation. “The truth is, when we…
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Meek Mill Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference Interview
Meek Mill spoke with me and other reporters after a panel discussion on music, criminal justice, and equality at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference. He said he is “always open to talking to the president to make change.”
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Dominique Tipper “The Expanse” Interview
Dominique Tipper talks about her character Naomi of “The Expanse” being true to life and how “representation is key” on screen at Dragon Con.
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Cas Anvar “The Expanse” Interview
‘It’s incredibly damaging for people to be looking at images on screen that don’t reflect the real world.’ Cas Anvar of “The Expanse” tells me about the importance of diversity in sci-fi at Dragon Con.
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Hollywood still casts based on looks, even as it makes strides to diversify
When the cast of “Crazy Rich Asians,” scheduled for release Aug. 15, was announced in 2017, many celebrated the opportunity to see a major Hollywood film with a cast of Asian descent. But despite the excitement, there was some backlash centered on the film’s star, Henry Golding, who plays a character of Chinese descent raised…
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Trump praised as ‘pro-black’ at White House prison reform event
WASHINGTON — President Trump focused on efforts to reform the prison system Wednesday, meeting with faith leaders and lawmakers at the White House. In a roundtable discussion with nearly 20 inner city pastors and faith leaders, Trump touted a low unemployment rate and booming economy that he said would make it easier for former prisoners to reintegrate…
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Papa John’s founder resigns as chairman of the board amid backlash after admitting he used the N-word
Papa John’s founder John Schnatter resigned as chairman of the company Wednesday amid growing backlash over his use of the n-word during a conference call in May. In a statement late Wednesday night, the company said it had accepted his resignation and that Olivia Kirtley will be the company’s Lead Independent Director. The company said it…
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Hundreds gather to celebrate life of Antwon Rose II
SWISSVALE, Pa. — Hundreds gathered in a school auditorium Monday to pay respects to Antwon Rose, the unarmed 17-year-old high school student who was killed by a police officer last week. Rose, a rising senior and honor student, was shot three times after fleeing a vehicle during a traffic stop and running away from officers. The funeral…
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Protests erupt following fatal police shooting of 17-year-old Antwon Rose
Chanting ‘black lives matter’ and demanding justice, hundreds of people gathered outside of the Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh on Thursday to protest the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen who was running away from officers when he was killed. “I am not what you think. I’m confused and afraid. I wonder what path…
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Roseanne Barr blames racist tweet on Ambien after ABC cancels ‘Roseanne’
Roseanne Barr went on an extended apology offensive Tuesday night after ABC canceled her hit sitcom “Roseanne” over a tweet in which Barr referred to a former adviser to President Barack Obama as an “ape.” Barr said she had been under the influence of the prescription sleeping pill Ambien on Monday night when she referred…
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Pulse survivor and others gather to celebrate ‘freedom’ from being gay
WASHINGTON — Pulse nightclub shooting survivor Luis Javier Ruiz joined a few dozen others at a so-called Freedom March in Washington, D.C., on Saturday where those in attendance celebrated no longer identifying as gay or transgender. “I don’t want to tell everyone it’s a ‘gay-to-straight’ thing because God is not calling me to that,” Ruiz told…
