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Curated playlist

African-American-related controversies

  • Nation of IslamThe Nation of Islam began with a stranger preaching to African Americans in Detroit in July 1930. He gave his meetings three days a week, and they drew crowds of 7,000 to 8,000 people, most of them migrants from the American South. The man…
  • Trial of Michael JacksonPeople v. Jackson, filed under the number 1133603, put the pop singer Michael Jackson in front of a jury at Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria, California, in 2005. The charge was that he had molested Gavin Arvizo, who was…
  • Murder trial of O. J. SimpsonAround 95 million Americans watched the prelude to the murder trial of O. J. Simpson live, on the 17th of June 1994. Television stations had interrupted game 5 of the NBA Finals to show a slow police pursuit of a white Ford Bronco. Inside…
  • Racial segregation in the United StatesOfficers in Virginia dragged Mildred and Richard Loving from bed in 1958 for living together as an interracial couple.
  • Gone with the Wind (novel)Margaret Mitchell began writing Gone with the Wind to pass time while recovering from a car crash injury.
  • The Civil War (miniseries)Many viewers thought the fiddle theme of The Civil War was an actual Civil War song. Jay Ungar wrote it in 1982.
  • Slavery in the United StatesThe words slave and slavery never appear in the U.S. Constitution.
  • Fuck tha PoliceIce Cube reportedly threw the lyrics to "Fuck tha Police" in the trash. His friend Phoenix Phil fished the paper out.
  • Donald SterlingThe NBA banned Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life in 2014 after a private recording of him became public.
  • Chris Rock–Will Smith slapping incidentThe slapping incident between Chris Rock and Will Smith unfolded live at the 94th Academy Awards, and one witness waiting offstage captured the room's disbelief in a single sentence. Kevin Costner, who stood ready to present the award for…
  • 1984 New York City Subway shootingThe 1984 New York City Subway shooting began, by one account, with a request for five dollars. According to the New York Court of Appeals in 1986, it ended with Bernhard Goetz bending toward Darrell Cabey, who was cowering on the ground.…

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