Month: June 2020

‘A War of Words.’ Why Describing the George Floyd Protests As ‘Riots’ Is So Loaded

June 19, 2020
As unrest has continued day after day and in town after town in the wake of George Floyd’s killing, a secondary skirmish has emerged: deciding how to describe what’s happening. In speeches and newsrooms and social media posts, people have had to make choices about how to characterize widespread, evolving unrest. Are cities in the…

The Challenge to White Quarterbacks to Step Up on Race

June 15, 2020
When New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees told Yahoo Finance on Wednesday that NFL players kneeling during the national anthem was “disrespectful,” the condemnation, from inside and outside the NFL, was understandably swift. (In an emotional video posted on social media, teammate Malcolm Jenkins called Brees “part of the problem”; protestors in New Orleans, where…

As Da 5 Bloods Hits Netflix, Black Vietnam Veterans Recall the Real Injustices They Faced During and After the War

June 15, 2020
It’s often said that relationships between soldiers transcend race. Movies, books and personal testimonies have told us repeatedly that when two people fight for their lives alongside each other, a lasting sense of camaraderie and understanding is forged between them, regardless of background. But many Black veterans of the Vietnam War have told a different…

‘The Edge of an Abyss.’ How the World’s Newspapers Are Responding As the U.S. Descends Into Chaos

June 13, 2020
As protests over police racism and racial inequality have spread to more than 140 U.S. cities in the week since the death of George Floyd, the world has been watching. Demonstrators have marched through streets or gathered at U.S. embassies in Canada, the U.K., Germany and beyond, both to express solidarity with American protesters and…

Minneapolis Police Department Is Withdrawing From Union Negotiations in Wake of George Floyd’s Death

June 10, 2020
(MINNEAPOLIS) — The Minneapolis Police Department will withdraw from police union contract negotiations, Chief Medaria Arradondo said Wednesday as he announced the first steps in what he said would be transformational reforms to the agency in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Arradondo said a thorough review of the contract is planned. He said the…

Valerie Jarrett Says She Doesn’t Support Defunding Police Departments: ‘Democracy Depends Upon Having Law Enforcement’

June 9, 2020
Valerie Jarrett said the protests throughout the country in the wake of George Floyd’s killing have “shone a light” on issues between police and communities of color. But President Barack Obama’s former senior advisor said she does not support defunding police departments, which has become a rallying cry for many activists. “Democracy depends upon having…

White Woman Who Called Police on a Black Man at Central Park Apologizes, Says ‘I’m Not a Racist’

June 7, 2020
In a video that has gone viral, a white woman holding her dog by the collar in New York City’s Central Park can be heard saying “I’m calling the cops…I’m gonna tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life.” The woman, since identified as Amy Cooper, apologized for making the call in a…

America’s Adversaries Are Trying to Capitalize on George Floyd Protests to Criticize U.S. Leaders

June 7, 2020
(DUBAI, United Arab Emirates) — Standing at a lectern with a backdrop map of the world behind him reminiscent of one at the State Department, the spokesman of Iran’s Foreign Ministry made a point Monday to criticize the U.S. in English amid ongoing protests over police killings of black people. “To the American people, the…

I’m a Black American Vet and a Former Police Officer. I Decided to Speak Up With My Camera

June 4, 2020
Doug Barrett, 37, is a photographer, Army Veteran and former police officer from Atlanta who moved to Kansas in 2011. I was a former police officer in Gwinett County, Ga., working in SWAT and narcotics. So, part of why I feel comfortable shooting photographs and getting into the thick of things is because I understand…

George Floyd’s Death and the Long History of Racism in Minneapolis

June 1, 2020
The May 25 death of George Floyd, 46, marks one more chapter in a long history for America — and for Minneapolis, which has been the site of protests in the days following Floyd’s death. After Floyd, who was black, died in police custody, bystander video revealed that a white police officer knelt on his…