Stream of Reading (Prepare to be Forwarded) – An Archive of What I'm Reading
In Tulsa, the police said investigators found the drug PCP in the shooting victim’s S.U.V. The drug is known to induce erratic behavior in some users. But Mr. Crump, who is representing the family of the victim, Terence Crutcher, said the discovery of the drug, if true, would not justify the deadly shooting. In an…
Video Shooting of Terence Crutcher by Tulsa Police The Tulsa Police Department released video on Monday of a white police officer fatally shooting an unarmed black man in Tulsa, Okla. By NEETI UPADHYE on Publish Date September 20, 2016. Photo by Mike Simons/Tulsa World, via Associated Press. Watch in Times Video » The Police Department…
What started as a peaceful demonstration against a black man killed by police devolved into a black man shooting another black man for no apparent reason. It all happened right in front of me. CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — A second night of protests over the police killing of a black man ended with another black…
This is a speech that I wrote for a local event. I thought I’d post it on Medium because it might help explain some context to white people. Recently, I was the only person of color in a discussion group about race. Always fun for us. During the first meeting, I introduced myself by saying that…
Black men who try to avoid an encounter with Boston police by fleeing may have a legitimate reason to do so — and should not be deemed suspicious — according to a ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Citing Boston police data and a 2014 report by the ACLU of Massachusetts that found blacks were disproportionately…
Michelle Yaa does not feel she converted to Comfa, the Afro-American religion practiced in Guyana. “I call it an awakening.” she says. “It’s just waking up.” Yaa, like increasing numbers of the African diaspora, decided to stop practicing Christianity in favor of a religion of African heritage. Raised a Seventh Day Adventist, she spent…
By JAY Z, MOLLY CRABAPPLE, JIM BATT and KIM BOEKBINDER | Sep. 15, 2016 | 3:58 Why are white men poised to get rich doing the same thing African-Americans have been going to prison for? Related: article: Jay Z: ‘The War on Drugs Is an Epic Fail’ Source: Jay Z: ‘The War on Drugs Is…
By now we’ve all heard Lena Dunham’s comments from an interview she participated in with Amy Schumer where the two discussed NFL star New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who Dunham was seated next to at the Met Gala last week. What the comments boil down to is yet another example of entitlement and…
Chance the Rapper is awesome. Not only does he have the kind of music that makes hip-hop exciting again, with his horns, his elastic lyricism and his constant praise of the most high, but he’s also got the kind of personality that can’t be ignored. He’s lovable, humble and hilarious. All of the goodness of…
Jackie Robinson, in his 1972 autobiography, I Never Had It Made, described the moment when he realized that he could not “stand and sing the anthem,” nor “salute the flag,” which calls to mind recent statements made by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Robinson strongly indicted this nation on charges of racism, classism and bigotry: There I was, the black grandson…