Ekow N. Yankah
@ekownyankah
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Professor @umichlaw and @umphilosophy . Board member @Innocence . Criminal Law, Policing, Political Philosophy, sports and the odd cocktail moment.
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Joined October 2015
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Pinned Tweet
How did the racial reckoning withered into changing pancake logos?
@KeithNHumphreys
and I note (in
@chicagotribune
) that Black incarceration is at a generational low and there remain powerful reasons to continue working for criminal justice reform.
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Parenting: I wrote the tag on "Santa's" presents with my left hand so my child would not recognize them.
My wife points out that the 3 year old cannot read.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.
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Yesterday, I increased the text size on my phone.
I will not be taking any questions and appreciate your respect for my privacy during this harrowing time.
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Some News: Growing up, my African immigrant mom went to Thomas M. Cooley Law, then a commuter school, working full time and raising three kids alone. Life was... not easy.
This fall, I join
@UMichLaw
as the Thomas M. Cooley Professor of Law (and Professor of Philosophy).
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Professor Ekow Yankah (
@ekownyankah
)
A prominent voice in criminal law and political philosophy.
From voting rights to democratizing political campaign financing, Yankah pursues scholarship that has an impact, answers the call to be civically engaged.
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After a semester like no other, challenging and exhausting, I could not be prouder of my first year class.
They were generous enough to give me a dense and delicious chocolate cake to celebrate. And, yes, I deserve a bad puns after inflicting a semester of them.
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Breaking: New York City to end solitary confinement. So proud of my colleagues who have fought for this step for years.
BREAKING! NYC PLANS TO END SOLITARY CONFINEMENT IN JAILS Advocates--including people who survived solitary on Rikers, and loved ones of those who didn't--fought long and hard for this victory.
#KaliefBrowder
#LAYLEENPOLANCO
#JasonEchevarria
@nycjac
@NYCAIC
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This is just the world's most delightful... F*** around and find out...
Exclusive: Election denier Mike Lindell offered $5 million to anyone who could prove him wrong. An arbitration panel just ruled he must pay.
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When Baldwin was asked doesn't racism hurt Black people the most, he replied, "No. We are just dying the fastest."
@KeithNHumphreys
and I wrote about how mass incarceration, even if fueled by racism, ultimately consumes us all in
@washingtonpost
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This is a picture to remember... It could have been taken in generation after generation of American voting. The easy, happy smile to "fight" non-existent voter fraud while making it harder for minorities to vote.
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I know it is a blisteringly obvious point but tell me what this would have looked like if mobs of Black protesters stormed The Capital?
Scores of Trump supporters breached the Capitol building and neared the Senate floor on Wednesday afternoon as thousands cheered and clashed with police in front of the building.
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On the bleak bright side, we now have instructional video to all the "law and order" people who couldn't possibly imagine how police could avoid beating Black protestors.
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Leave it to
@ElieNYC
to write with power and exhaustion... Why talking about race can feel desolate.
The hubris of white people explaining racism to me is really starting to get on my nerves.
My latest in
@thenation
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Breaking: In what may have been the longest civil case in New York's history, a jury has found an opioid manufacturer liable for flooding the state with opioids, thus creating a PUBLIC NUISANCE.
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Breaking News: A jury on Thursday found an opioid manufacturer and distributor liable for inundating New York with pills that killed thousands of people. The case was the first of its kind, targeting every point of the prescription opioid supply chain.
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I told my students that there is one way out of their exam next... if I get drafted tonight.
Because my students endlessly optimistic and awesome, I just saw them circulating this!
I have informed my Crim Law students that if I am selected in this year's NFL draft, there will be NO EXAM.
@MelanieLeslie5
and
@mburstein
are hereby put on notice... I assume there is great worry in the Dean's suite.
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@haroldpollack
My favorite was when a smug Rand Paul asked a group of
@HowardU
students if they knew which party were segregationist in the pre-civil rights era, like he was in on a big reveal.
The students of course knew AND knew the history of the parties flipping. Priceless.
(
@KevinMKruse
)
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@jbouie
@janecoaston
Ironically, I think the line is also wildly misinterpreted. King's point was that he DREAMED of such a time. He makes clear that without background conditions of justice, we will not be allowed this basic decency.
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Thank so many of you for your support.
Except those of you who mocked me. If I can every make out your tiny twitter handles, I'm coming for you.
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A year later, I remain heartbroken with Trump's election. His victory reminded us of a constant and ominous American lesson; that dangers to people of color are all too often ignored or not seen at all by those not endangered. My heartbreak in print:
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@sonnyrollins
We met after a concert at U of Illinois and I launched into "I'm such a fan.”
But you stopped me & asked a young professor what I was teaching, listened like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
I swore to learn from that. A few heroes reveal such grace.
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I just kissed my boys in bed. And tomorrow I have to send them to school. Just as though the world made sense and their parents weren't letting them down.
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In January, a lifetime ago, I moved back to New York from London to teach law and philosophy. Three months later, I was building a rabbit hutch in the New England countryside.
Now, goats have joined the home. That’s right, goats.
MY QUARANTINE IS GOING FINE!
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Happily received my second vaccine shot today!
My wife constantly expresses her disbelief that legal philosophers are essential.
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From my ever witty brother: "If there is a God, Obama will wear the tan suit to the inauguration."
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Breaking: The 2nd Circuit Court has shot down an appeal from the police unions challenging the release of disciplinary records following the repeal of 50a.
Police disciplinary records are now officially public.
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Well, I taught my first class
@Umichlaw
. We dove into hard conversations about policing, evidence versus torture. Examined the Scottsboro Boys trial as a way of weighing racism in criminal justice...
The students were terrific. What a start. What a joy.
Photos from the first day of classes:
🔹Criminal Justice w/ Prof
@ekownyankah
🔹Legislation & Regulation w/ Prof
@danieltdeacon
🔹Labor Law w/ Prof
@sanjuktampaul
🔹Legal Practice w/ Prof
@mch_tweets
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That’s right. In his “spare time,” this law professor built his kids a rabbit hutch.
My quarantine is going FINE.
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Some news... I am honored to join the board of
@MotherJones
! A unique, progressive and even mischievous voice for in journalism today!
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Last night, I repeatedly dreamed that I had to take a test in a “Political Economy” class I had not attended all semester but forgot to drop. I could feel the deep panic in my sleep.
I graduated from post-grad 20(!) years ago…
🙄
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Some professional news.
Honored to be appointed by Speaker
@CarlHeastie
& Senator
@AndreaSCousins
to the Public Campaign Finance Board.
I grew up in modest circumstances in East Lansing, MI. Ensuring running for public office is not only for the rich is so meaningful for me.
I am pleased to join
@AndreaSCousins
in announcing the appointment of Ekow N. Yankah to the Public Campaign Finance Board
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The boys have entered “the masks as toy soldier parachute” phase of the pandemic…
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@jbouie
@janecoaston
It is now frustratingly used as a reason to IGNORE background conditions of injustice, as though ignoring the effects of racism will simply make them disappear.
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I wrote this, nearly dizzy with rage and heartbreak, in the middle of the night.
Racialized violence never takes a break: On the killing of Ahmaud Arbery
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Thrilled to share my latest piece. The startlingly truth is that some racist killings - A. Arbery, T. Martin, J. Neely - are not failures of law; they are done in the name of the law! "Deputization and Privileged White Violence" is forthcoming in
@StanLRev
! DM for a draft.
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So the move hasn’t gone as smoothly as I might have hoped. But we are making the best of it.
Here’s to the Ann Arbor adventure…
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In a suburban living update, I am heading into Costco for the first time in my life.
Pray for me.
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If the last 24 hrs were reported from Ghana (Provinces where candidate for office was in charge of election; President fires AG & installs loyalist who has questioned investigations on tv, press passes of questioning journalist revoked) Americans would adopt haughty snickering
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My goal is to be the absolute best teacher I can be for my students
@UMichLaw
!
My alternative goal is to be SO BAD that my Dean would rather spend $7.5M than wait three weeks to fire me...
#LifeGoals
.
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The 7 year old upon opening a Jurassic Park dinosaur: “I didn’t ask for this one but it’s great... I always appreciate Santa’s work.”
Merry Christmas to all!
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I literally broke out into a dance today when my tort students started putting ideas from the start, middle and end of the semester together in their analysis.
Am I weird…scratch that…WEIRDER than other professors?
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I grew up in East Lansing... I still have family friends there who are blessedly safe. I work an hour away, watching our happy, wonderful students walk around campus everyday, heading to their futures.
I am immeasurably tired of following shootings. I pray for all in harm's way
Michigan State University 'Active Shooter Situation' Update:
Three confirmed shooting locations:
- Berkey Hall
- Student Union
- Phillips Hall
At least 6 shot, multiple fatalities reported.
Suspect is on foot and is not in custody, per Radio Scanner. police_frequency on…
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What is the title of the utterly trivial article or long form piece you would (earnestly) write if time and reputation where not an issue?
Mine: "Why the Weekender is the most Romantic Bag: A Theory of Aesthetics, Class and Status."
#ShouldBeGrading
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Ahh... Some Americans are so good at being moved by any Civil Rights so long as it was 75 years ago...
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Six Year Old: “Daddy, can we have a little sister?”
Me: “Nope.”
Six Year Old: “But Daddy, think of all the good times we’ve had together! You could have another person to have good times with!”
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It is striking that major networks have decided not to show the shooting in the Capital of a White woman today lest it traumatize viewers.
Black people have to watch Black murder porn every month...
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A bunch of Democrats I love, who couldn't bring themselves to vote for Hilary Clinton, are about to find out how terribly expensive their purity will be for those they champion.
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To all my students taking the Bar Exam tomorrow: While I cannot wait to celebrate this success and many more to come with you, know that I am *already* proud of you.
Good luck.
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@UMichLaw
Thrilled to continue as a board member
@innocence
. (I will step down as Chairman of NY's Public Campaign Finance Board.
Will miss friends, colleagues and students
@CardozoLaw
terribly. I will miss my beloved New York everyday.
But excited to join an amazing group in Ann Arbor.
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Asking my Jewish friends... Can you use the "secret" giant space laser to do anything about the public school snow day?
I'll pay you back with whatever crazy QAnon theory applies to Black people.
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I recently joined a team at
@UMichSPH
to investigate the fatal effects on Black patients of contemporary segregation WITHIN hospitals… You read that right…
Modern day segregation in hospitals still kills Black patients.
A thread.
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Some news.
I’m honored to have been elected Chairman to share in the important work of the Public Campaign Finance Board!
Chairs elected for Public Campaign Finance Board via
@altontelegraph
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My country is struggling to choose between the uninspiring, decent hearted livelong civil servant and the nearly illiterate, racist who recommended injecting bleach into your body.
...
...
Sigh.
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When I teach it, I think there may be no better speech than Douglass's "What to a Slave is the Fourth of July."
Soaring praise of the American ideal turns into the searing inspection of how it has failed Black Americans and forceful demand it be met now!
Remains powerful today!
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Parenthood means making Solomonic pronouncements like, “Give him four of your m&m’s.”
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@ElieNYC
@michaelharriot
And somehow... Death threats is the first stage of all of it... huh...
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Should someone remind Joe Biden that Trump took out full page ads in major New York newspapers calling for the execution of five innocent Black men?
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@ElieNYC
@thenation
For scholarship (you may already know on the subject): The law permits stops on any trumped up violation, ignoring how pretextual policing enforces racial second class citizenship.
My work on reforming traffic stops to account for racial subordination:
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@imillhiser
Let’s not fall for the fake culture outrage.
“Hey, our party just sunk a commission to investigate a Trump led attack that killed those sworn to protect the Capital BUT the VEEP’s have a nice weekend is OUTRAGEOUS!”
🙄
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My six year old just asked a parent for a play date like he was in the 40s asking for a hand in marriage.
“R and I have been playing a lot…(long pause)… and I think I’d like to have a playdate.”
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Breaking news... I just met
@jdmortenson
... He is, despite all rumors, an actual living person.
He reported he does in fact like okra.
Things went downhill quickly; we had to be separated in the halls.
(He couldn't have been friendlier.)
It was vicious.
(Lovely really.)
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8 yr old niece: Where you teach, do they get recess?
Me: (Laughing)
Me: No dear, we don’t.
8 yr old: How sad!
Me: You may be right!
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My staunch criticisms of unjust policing policies stand right next to our collective gratitude for countless officers who put themselves in harms way.
The utter silence of the funeral for Detective Rivera is just moving.
Rest in Peace.
Police officers attend a funeral service for NYPD officer Jason Rivera, who was killed in the line of duty while responding to a domestic violence call.
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My two best commutes of a lifetime remain my stroll through the West Village to
@CardozoLaw
and my walk through the Grachtengordel (Canal District) of Amsterdam to
@UvA_Amsterdam
.
Yours?
#ShouldBeGrading
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30 seconds until McConnell tells us why this is different without blinking.
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About to teach Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics in Jurisprudence. Amazing how anxious and excited still I get.
It is as ancient an ethical view as we have and yet today, students still find it surprising and confrontational...
I'll return to being a nerd in the corner...
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I am honored to be giving this year's Gilbert Lecture at Swathmore College this Thursday.
Philadelphia friends, let me know if you can join for the conversation.
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So one thing you people neglected to tell us about the wonders of having more space than New York is the sinking, weary feeling of… LEAVING SOMETHING UPSTAIRS.
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@UMichFootball
, all of
@UMichLaw
’s legal philosophy group is at the ready.
@nico_cornell
, Daniel Fryer, Gabe Menlow, Steven Schaus and even
@shershovitz
!
If any political obligation questions come up… you know where to turn.
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Professional News: I will be spending fall in London with the terrific criminal law and theory group at
@KCL_Law
, teaching tort theory, jurisprudence and a policing and contestation class at
@ctls_london
.
Upon my arrival, the British government dissolved.
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Six year old sitting on my lap. Gets up and moves a foot over.
“Daddy can you get me some water? You’re closest.”
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It is really hard to be this callous, dense and cruel in so few letters.
We have a major under-incarceration problem in America.
And it's only getting worse.
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At beautiful
@swarthmore
today to give the Gilbert Lecture.
There is something about being on another campus I’ll always love.
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Me: “Hmmm... this old sweater finally gave out.”
Wife: “Well, you need to get back to the gym.”
Me: “It gave out in the elbow.”
Wife: “... you still need to get back in the gym.”
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I don't usually do this for obvious reasons...but I walked by the
@BoweryMission
this week and saw the staggering need in our City.
If you can afford it, use what you would have spent on a plane ticket for your local food bank. A wonderful to remember why we are so thankful.
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My five year old son complained it felt like something was in his shoes.
Upon fixing his socks and tightening his velcro shoes, he asked in wonder, "How did you learn to do all these things? Did Nana teach you?"
I'm taking the rest of the day of as befits a hero.
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From our family to you and yours, Merry Christmas. Every blessing in whatever Holiday season you are celebrating.
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Really special evening Monday, seeing Fire Shut Up in My Bones
@MetOpera
!
First Met Opera by a Black composer, the brilliant
@T_Blanchard
and librettist
@kasi_lemmons
! Of course inspired by
@CharlesMBlow
’s powerful book!
The chance to congratulate him end a perfect night!
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Tell me again how “All you have to do is comply...”
A white man swinging an axe approached NYPD officers, watch how close he comes to cutting one of them. If this man was Black, this would have ended very differently.
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Did you feel it?!?
Today was PALSGRAF DAY in Tort Law! My students and I had a blast unraveling this classic gem. And a group of students surprised the class by bringing celebratory donuts for all!
Even with a professor sporting a bit of a flat tire (bum knee) it was great.
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For those who want more background on why
@innocence
has worked so tirelessly (with great partners) to halt the execution of Maria Lucio, an overwhelmed Mexican-American mother, based on the flimsiest evidence, read on...
Update: On Monday, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halted Melissa Lucio's execution because of significant doubts about her guilt. Her case will now return to a lower court.
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After 18 quiet months, hybrid teaching or just gesticulating wildly at my Zoom class, students
@CardozoLaw
are back. They keep knocking on my door (w/o appointments), re-introducing themselves, interrupting my work and chatting about their summers...
Loving. Every. Minute.
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6 yr old: “But we never got desert!”
Me: “There is literally chocolate all over your face right now.”
6 yr old: “Oh yeah.”
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Nearly five years ago, the Supreme Court rocketed the 4th Amend. into the digital age, ruling police cannot continuously track your location through your phone without a warrant.
Today,
@NateWessler
, who argued U.S. v. Carpenter at SCOTUS, discussed it with my class
@UMichLaw
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I don't have to read what Nicki Minaj said and you can't make me!
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This is what it means to stand by each other
Navy vet seen in viral vid clashing w/federal officers in Portland tells
@ABC
he wants to use attention on him "to refocus this whole discussion back to Black Lives Matter."
“If I had been a black veteran...do you think I would have gotten as much attention as I did?”
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Hoping the mid-May snowfall will stop the murder hornets before quarantine ends tells you everything you need to know about 2020.
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@cjane87
@chrislhayes
@AdamSerwer
This entire (shifting) story is ridiculous and trying to obscure what is a panicked, reckless and racial response. Here's a simple trick, forget that the person is a police officer. (Also replace the victim with a white person.) Tell yourself the story again. (Nope.)
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For everyone insisting that Trump speak now...
Have you HEARD him speak?
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7 yr old: “But Dad, do you say prayers at night?”
Me: “I do.”
7yr old: “What do you say?”
Me: “I just pray for patience, to be a good dad, be a good example and for my boys.”
7yr old: “But why do you need to pray for patience?”
Me: 😐
…
…
“Wait until you have children.”
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The world is full of quiet heroes.
Iris Meda, a 70-year-old Texas nurse, came out of retirement to teach before dying of covid-19 - The Washington Post
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When James Baldwin was asked doesn't racism hurt Black people the most, he replied, "No. We are just dying the fastest."
@KeithNHumphreys
and I wrote about how mass incarceration, even if fueled by racism, ultimately consumes us all in
@washingtonpost
.
The incarcerated population is getting Whiter, and that could transform the American debate about mass incarceration.
@ekownyankah
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Irony can be pretty ironic sometimes
Coronavirus: Mexico wants to close border with US to halt spread.
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Watched Part I of
@ava
's heartbreaking
@WhenTheySeeUs
. Brilliantly depicts how hungry we are to punish and cheaply we view Black men.
@dr_yusefsalaam
could have been in law school with me instead of 7 years in prison. Lucky get to work with this elegant and admirable man now.
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