Elon James White

So this is incredibly disturbing: two brothers in South Carolina are facing charges that they treated Christopher Smith, a mentally handicapped black employee, like a slave, beating him regularly and paying him what amounted to less than $3,000 a year in salary. He also lived in a cockroach-infested apartment described as “sub-human.” Two attorneys are filing a civil suit on Smith’s behalf after he was rescued by social workers after an anonymous tip:

Smith was routinely called the N-word, according to the suit. He was savagely beaten with a frying pan, hot tongs, butcher knives, belt buckles and fists. He worked 18-hour shifts Monday through Saturday and 11-hour shifts on Sundays with no breaks, receiving little pay. … He was targeted for abuse by the Edwards brothers, they said, because he is black.

 

Team Blackness also discussed a House member who claims he’s not racist concerning Syria because he had a black roommate, Democratic presidential nominee fails on Black Lives Matter, and what an “anti-white” symbol looks like.

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Filed Under: Little Shop Of Racist HorrorsPost + Comments (8)

While terror and pandemonium hung in the air after the six-pronged attack in Paris on Friday leaving 129 dead and 300 injured, it’s good to know that there were ways to check in with your loved ones. Facebook rolled out a Safety Check feature for Facebook users in the Paris area so they could alert those in their network that they were safe. But the new feature has also been criticized as it was not used in a southern Beirut suburb after twin bombings:

Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended Facebook in a comment on his page Saturday saying, “Until yesterday, our policy was only to activate Safety Check for natural disasters. We just changed this and now plan to activate Safety Check for more human disasters going forward as well.” … Vice President of Growth Alex Schultz … explained that before Friday, the safety check has only ever been used for natural disasters, including earthquakes in Afghanistan, Chile and Nepal, Tropical Cyclone Pam in the South Pacific and Typhoon Ruby in the Philippines. Because of “a lot of activity on Facebook as the events were unfolding,” Schultz said they decided to use it for something other than a natural disaster for the first time.

Team Blackness also discussed a White House summit focusing on women and girls of color and much more.

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Paris Terror Attack Victims Use Social Media To Check InPost + Comments (38)

The president of Howard University announced Thursday increased security on campus and nearby metro stations after a racist death threat was posted on an online forum:

“I left MU yesterday because I didn’t want to put up with it anymore,” the commenter wrote. “I go home to MD and what do I see? The same old shit. Turn on the news and it’s always n****rs causing trouble everywhere. So I’ve decided. Any n****rs left at Howard University after 10 tomorrow will be the first to go,” the message continued. “And any of those cheapstake [SIC] n****rs who try to get out using the metro will regret that choice real fast. … After all, it’s not murder if they’re black.”

Yup, just another day in post-racial America.

Team Blackness also discussed a nationwide walkout planned by students calling for free tuition, Obama’s historic cover shot on LGBT magazine Out, and Missy Elliot returns and she’s hot like fire.

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Another Horrible Day in Post-Racial AmericaPost + Comments (7)

So the holidays are fast approaching. Wanna know an ad strategy that won’t sell your product? Date rape! Bloomingdales has learned this after posting a tone dead ad of a laughing woman with a man looking at her and the copy “Spike your best friend’s eggnog when they’re not looking.” Bloomingdales posted an apology, but not before a barrage of negative feedback:

We heard your feedback about our catalog copy, which was inappropriate and in poor taste. Bloomingdale’s sincerely apologizes.

— Bloomingdale’s (@Bloomingdales) November 10, 2015

Team Blackness also discussed people’s issue with the Google Veteran’s Day doodle not being white enough and further developments with the University of Missouri protests and the press coverage, or lack thereof, surrounding it.

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How Not To Sell Your Product 101Post + Comments (30)

It’s been a very busy couple of days for those at the University of Missouri. After repeated racial incidents and tensions that students felt were mishandled or ignored, protests began and graduate student Jonathan Butler went on a hunger strike, calling for the removal of university president Tim Wolfe as well as a list of demands for a more inclusive community. The turning point was when black football players, with the support of their head coach, insisted they would not play or practice until the president resigned.

The chairman of the state’s House Higher Education Committee said it had become clear that Wolfe could “no longer effectively lead.” Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill pressed the university to act. The university system’s governing board responded by calling an emergency meeting. That is where Wolfe appeared Monday morning, appearing to hold back tears as he announced that he would step down. “I’ve thought and prayed about this decision. It’s the right to do,” Wolfe said.

The future will tell if the university is really committed to change.

Team Blackness discussed the events at the university in detail, as well as the “gentler” war on drugs, and the latest controversy for Christians, this time concerning Starbucks.

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Protests At the University of Missouri Create Change, Gain National AttentionPost + Comments (39)

Ben Carson continues to try to be relevant to everyone. In between his lies about his West Point “scholarship” and his theory about the real use for the pyramids (grain silos not mausoleums!), he released this $150,000 rap-based ad buy to appeal to the African-American vote:

And that flute breakdown? Man….listen.

Team Blackness also discussed more Ben Carson tomfoolery and the gymnastic feats of Simone Biles.

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What America Needs? A Ben Carson Rap.Post + Comments (14)

One of the sad outcomes of Election Day is the repeal of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO), a city ordinance that stops discrimination on the basis of 15 different characteristics including sex, sexual orientation, race, and gender identity. In a recent piece on HuffPost Gay Voices, LGBT program director of Media Matters feels that there’s one person responsible for this not passing, and her name is Beyonce:

Beyoncé has repeatedly refused the opportunity to speak out against the legalization of discrimination against LGBT people in her hometown. And as hard as it is to say this, her refusal should raise serious questions about her support for her gay, bisexual and transgender fans. … Being an artist doesn’t require someone to also be a social justice warrior, and Beyoncé is entitled to avoid political disputes in the name of protecting her public brand. … HERO is gone, now. And for her queer fans who watched and waited while Beyoncé decided it wasn’t in her brand’s interests to speak out in defense of her hometown’s non-discrimination law, all there’s left to do is ask “why not?”

While it is incredibly disappointing HERO has been repealed, it is ludicrous to hold someone who has never been a crusader for a cause as the reason for why something fails.

Team Blackness also discussed why four boys are in solitary confinement in South Carolina, the man who is responsible for the bomb that went off at a Colorado Springs NAACP gets 5 years of prison time, and the story of the Illinois cop whose shooting sparked national outrage actually killed himself.

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Houston Equal Rights Ordinance Is Repealed. Media Director Blames…Beyonce?Post + Comments (63)