A Kaffeeklatsch on Race

The constantly called-for “national conversation on race” is not some grand conclave. We need to stop calling for the it and realize that we are already in it. Charles Blow analyzes FBI Director James Comey’s recent speech re: 3 hard truths – history of law enforcement as oppression, unconscious racial bias and lazy thinking/cynicism by police.

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Tonight: Premiering on BET, “The Book of Negroes” mini-series

Based on the award-winning novel by Lawrence Hill, The Book of Negroes tells the story of Aminata Diallo after her capture and the pain she endured as part of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Starring Aunjanue Ellis as well as Cuba Gooding Jr. and Louis Gossett Jr., The Book of Negroes will premiere as an epic miniseries that highlights Aminata’s powerful journey.

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History of Lynchings in the South Documents Nearly 4,000 Names

On Tuesday, the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Ala., released a report on the history of lynchings in the United States, the result of five years of research and 160 visits to sites around the South. The authors of the report compiled an inventory of 3,959 victims of “racial terror lynchings” in 12 Southern states from 1877 to 1950.

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