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What We're Still Getting Wrong About Martin Luther King Jr.'s Teachings and Legacy
For many, Civil Rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. is still best known for his “I Have A Dream” speech at the 1963 March on Washington. But Emory University’s political science professor Andra Gillespie says Dr. King’s legacy is more complex and significant than those inspirational words. She joined LX News to talk about the uncomfortable conversations Americans still need...
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Biden Will Hit Limits to His Presidential Powers as He Seeks to Reform the Criminal Justice System
President-elect Joe Biden made criminal justice reform a major campaign promise. But presidential power is limited in its ability to overhaul the country’s sprawling prison network. PBS NewsHour’s political reporter Candice Norwood joined LX News to explain some of the challenges a Biden administration could face reforming the U.S. criminal justice system.
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Food Deserts in Chicago Are Actually ‘Food Apartheid,' Says Community Fridge Co-Founder
More than a dozen colorful community refrigerators are now available on the streets of Chicago for people suffering from food insecurity. Ramon “Radius” Norwood and James Wurm joined LX News to discuss “The Love Fridge” program and how racial discrimination leads to food deserts in the city.
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Civil Rights Leaders Say Police Response to U.S. Capitol Riots Confirms a ‘Rotten' System of Racism
Viral images comparing police treatment of Black Lives Matter demonstrators to the pro-Trump Capitol rioters are clear examples of structural racism, says Derrick Johnson, the CEO of the NAACP. He joined LX News alongside Rashad Robinson, president of Color Of Change, to talk about claims of racist double standards after the events that unfolded on January 6.
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Police Response to Capitol Hill Riot and Black Lives Matter Protests Appears Black and White to Many
The violent breaching of the U.S. Capitol by a mob of President Trump’s supporters struck many as a glaring black and white display of a racial double standard. Police officers were assaulted. Tear gas was used against them. Yet there were reportedly just 52 arrests made in Washington D.C. on Wednesday. In contrast, between May 30 and June 2, 2020,…
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There Are Very Few Black Women Federal Judges Today — Here's Why and How It Needs to Change
A history of racism and sexism in our country has translated to a lack of diversity in our federal judges. But it’s also due to neglected talent and political will, says the co-author of an opinion piece in The National Law Journal about the lack of Black women federal judges. Professor Catherine Smith of the University of Denver Sturm College...
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‘Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' Is a ‘Salve' After a Year of Reckoning About Race, Says Star Colman Domingo
Colman Domingo stars alongside Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman in the new movie “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” out now on Netflix. The actor talked to LX News about why this is the perfect movie to end a year of racial reckoning.
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Santa Monica's Pico District: A Historic Black Neighborhood at a Crossroads
In the wealthy city of Santa Monica, California, the historically Black Pico district retains its memories of the generations of families who called it home — and the legacy of racial segregation that created it. But today, soaring real estate prices are making the price of leaving hard to pass up, and longtime residents like Michele Duncan are saying good-bye.
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This NYC Doctor is ‘Overwhelmingly Excited' to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine After Watching His Patients Gasp for Air
An NYC ER doctor who has seen the devastating impact of COVID-19 on his patients is now working to fight misinformation about the vaccine. Dr. Steven McDonald of Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center joined LX News to explain why communities of color are less likely to trust medical authorities and why it’s so important to reduce those doubts.
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Tuskegee Syphilis Study, Henrietta Lacks and the Roots of Black Distrust in the Health System
With the first batches of the COVID-19 vaccine now being distributed in the U.S., a major priority is ensuring that everyone has access to it, especially people of color. Jennifer Gardy, deputy director for the Gates Foundation, joined LX News to discuss the roots of health disparities as well as the history of the Black community’s distrust in the health...
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Slavery Reparations for Black Americans Are About More Than Just Money
Following a year of massive protests against systemic racism, the long-discussed possibility of slavery reparations for Black Americans is closer than ever to becoming reality. But how would that work, and what would it cost? As Black Lives Matter cofounder Patrisse Cullors told NBCLX’s Chase Cain, reparations are about more than just money.
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HBO's '40 Years a Prisoner' Documentary About the ‘MOVE Nine' Black Activists Chronicles a Son's Mission to Free His Parents
The HBO documentary “40 Years a Prisoner” chronicles the controversial 1978 police raid of the Black activist organization MOVE, which sparked a shootout that killed a police officer. Two of the radicals imprisoned after the shootout were the parents of Mike Africa Jr., who joined LX News alongside documentary director Tommy Oliver, to talk about his lifelong battle to free...
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Justice for Quawan ‘Bobby' Charles: The Brutal Death of a Black Teen Is Raising Questions About Bias
Quawan “Bobby” Charles went missing from his home in Louisiana on Oct. 30 and was found dead in a cane field four days later with injuries so brutal that they drew comparisons to the infamous murder of Emmett Till. An attorney representing Charles’ family, Chase Trichell, joined LX News to discuss the ongoing investigation and why they are so frustrated...
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The 1776 Commission: How Trump's Slap at The 1619 Project Stifles, Rather Than Promotes, Free Thought in Education
When President Trump announced the creation of the 1776 Commission for education, he billed it as a program that will promote American values and honor U.S. history. But the commission was seen as a direct attack on The 1619 Project, a venture from The New York Times that looked to shine a light on the legacy of slavery and racism...
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This Black Physician Joined a COVID-19 Vaccine Trial to Honor Her Deceased Father and Defy the Legacy of Racism in Medicine
Dr. Chris Pernell, a New Jersey public health physician, became a patient in Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine trial after she lost her father to the virus. She joins LX News to discuss why it was important for her to join the trial to honor her father and to advocate for better health care for Black and brown communities that have suffered...
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Black Officers Break From Unions Over Trump Endorsements
Police unions nationwide have largely supported President Donald Trump’s reelection, amid mass demonstrations over police brutality and accusations of systemic racism.
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There's Only One Way to Cure Racism in Our Criminal Justice System: Vote
American imprisons more people than any other country in the world. And we imprison a larger percentage of our Black population than South Africa did during apartheid. Do you want this to change? With Election Day around the corner, the ball’s in your court.
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Environmental Racism and the 2020 Election: Why It's the Top Issue for These First-Time Voters
The climate crisis is a major issue in this year’s election among members of Generation Z. NBCLX’s Ngozi Ekeledo talked to two 18-year-olds who are speaking out against environmental racism as first-time voters in the upcoming election.
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‘Greyboy' Author Cole Brown Discusses His Journey to Find His Black Identity in a White World
Growing up in a mostly white suburb of Philadelphia, author Cole Brown didn’t see people who looked like him in his neighborhood or in the media. He wrote his book “Greyboy” about his journey to find a Black identity in a white world.
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Psychologist Speaks to Impact Chadwick Boseman's Death May Have on Black Children
Psychologist Erlanger Turner speaks to the significant impact that the film “Black Panther” had on the lives of Black children and provides tips for coping with emotional stress due to the loss of Chadwick Boseman, systemic racism and COVID-19.