Posts Tagged: racism

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Businesses Panic as Yelp Launches Racism Alert Tag

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Yelp

Waves of panic rippled through the business community after Yelp announced a new consumer alert tag that allows users to flag any business as racist.

What could go wrong?

Yelp announced Wednesday that it was taking a "stand against racism" by placing a warning tag on any business that receives multiple consumer comments accusing even one employee of a racist act.

"Today, we're announcing a new consumer alert to stand against racism," the company tweeted. "In the last few months, we've seen that there is a clear need to warn consumers about businesses associated with egregious, racially-charged actions to help people make more informed spending decisions."

The complaints can consist of "racist language or symbols" that bring attention to "racist conduct" committed by any single employee or multiple employees of a business.

The racism consumer alert tag is a white exclamation point on a red background.

Yelp will place the tag on any business accused of racism -- even if that business is owned by a minority who employs non-minorities.

The page will be locked and consumers will be unable to leave a comment - negative or positive - until Yelp concludes its "investigation" into the complaints.

Any business hit with a racism alert tag is sure to attract press attention. Yelp will facilitate the further destruction of that business by linking to any press article that covers the alleged racist act.

Twitter reacted to the announcement on Wednesday.

"I'm concerned about declaring a business racist from on-high...," tweeted one user. "What if a Yelp employee has a bias or grudge?"

Another user wrote, "Yelp. Another entity I will block and ban. Its a useless app anyways."

And a third user tweeted: "and here i was thinking your service couldn't get any worse."

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Hundreds of Clicks Pharmacies Closed in South Africa After ‘Racist’ Hair Ads

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Protesters forced the closure of hundreds of pharmacies in South Africa after it ran a hair advertisement that many South Africans deemed racist.

The Clicks pharmacy advertisement featured pictures of African hair labeled as "dry and damaged," while an image of Caucasian hair was described as "fine and flat."

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Clicks.co.za

Opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) called the adverts "racist" and "dehumanizing."

EFF leader Julius Malema organized protests outside the Clicks stores and called for all Clicks to be closed.

The company has threatened legal action against EFF, but Mr. Malema urged his supporters to be "combat ready" and said EFF wouldn't be "intimidated by threats."

"The implications of this are that black identity exists as inferior to the identity of white people. It is an assertion that white standards of beauty are to be aspired to and features of black represent damage, decay and abnormality," the EFF said in a statement obtained by Yahoo News.

Videos shared on Twitter shows some stores closed while others are guarded by security. In one incident, a bottle filled with a flammable liquid was thrown inside a Clicks store. Another video shows protesters pulling items off shelves in one store.

But demonstrations have been largely peaceful. "We are confronting white arrogance decisively. #clicksmustfall," EFF tweeted on Tuesday.

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Hot 97 fires staffer who was part of mob that killed Yusuf Hawkins

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Hot 97 on Sunday fired an employee of 20 years after learning he was part of a mob of racists that killed Yusuf Hawkins in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY in 1989.

Pasquale "Paddy Duke" Raucci was identified as one of the youths in the mob, according to the HBO documentary Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn.

Hot 97 announced it was "shocked" to learn of Raucci's part in Hawkins' death after watching the documentary.

The station announced Raucci's termination in a tweet on Sunday.

Raucci was employed by Emmis Communications in 1994 and worked with DJ Angie Martinez during her time at the radio station. Martinez and Raucci are pictured above in an undated video still.

Hawkins, 16, was walking with three friends in Bensonhurst on Aug. 23, 1989, when they were ambushed by a group of about 30 Italian-American men and teens who demanded to know whether he was dating a neighborhood girl.

Hawkins, who was Black, was in the neighborhood with his friends to inquire about purchasing a used 1982 Pontiac automobile.

He was chased and beaten by men wielding baseball bats. One man, armed with a gun, shot Hawkins in the chest when he tried to defend himself.

Joseph Fama, the 19-year-old man who fired the shot that killed Hawkins, was convicted of second-degree murder in 1990 and sentenced to 32 years to life in prison.

Fama is not eligible for parole until 2022, when he will be 50 years old.

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Kevin Hart enjoys a glass of wine with Ellen DeGeneres

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Comedian Kevin Hart stepped up his public support for embattled TV host Ellen DeGeneres by meeting up for a Los Angeles lunch date.

On Saturday, he was photographed enjoying a drink with DeGeneres on the patio at Santa Monica's Rosewood Miramar Hotel.

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The Finding Dory star found herself under attack in recent weeks after past and present staff members came forward with claims suggesting misconduct, racism, and sexual harassment were rampant behind the scenes of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Hart, 41, was among the talk show host's few celebrity friends to speak out in her defense earlier this month.

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Hart had previously called for a stop to the hate directed at DeGeneres amid the TV scandal, branding her "one of the dopest people on the f**king planet", insisting she doesn't deserve all the "negativity".

The comedian took a lot of flack for defending DeGeneres, who invited the funnyman on her show after he was nearly canceled for past homophobic comments.

Ellen had previously stood by Hart after he stepped down as host of the 2019 Oscars following controversy linked to old tweets featuring derogatory homophobic words he had once posted.

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Octavia Spencer sends her support to Ellen DeGeneres amid rumors Ellen’s talk show is canceled

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Instagram.com

Oscar winner Octavia Spencer showed her love and support for embattled daytime talk show hostess Ellen DeGeneres on Thursday.

Spencer, 50, posted a B&W throwback high school photo of DeGeneres on her Instagram account. In the lengthy caption, she wrote:

"Sending love and support to Ellen and all of the employees of her show. All of my interactions with everyone from the show including ELLEN were supportive and fun! In that spirit I am praying all involved get the love and support they need."

Spencer updated her post after the comments went left, as her followers objected to the actress and other Black stars rushing to 62-year-old DeGeneres' defense.

"UPDATE: lively debate happening in the comments. I welcome that. I also believe that all of the voices of her employees need to be heard. Past and present. Speaking truth to power is the only way change happens. My truth is everyone was kind to me. From the PAs to the producers. So yeah! I want all of those people to feel valued and heard. And no, people are NOT always kind to talent! #AllVoicesNeedToBeHeard #beyekindonetoanother".

Spencer is one of the most decorated Hollywood actresses. Her list of accolades includes an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. She is one of two Black women to receive three Oscar nominations and two consecutive nominations.

Spencer is the latest Black star to defend DeGeneres publicly. Comedian Kevin Hart, who was nearly canceled for old homophobic statements, was among the first to show his support.

DeGeneres' set DJ, Stephen "tWitch" Boss, broke his silence to show love to his boss.

Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic

Boss is pictured with his wife, dancer Allison Holker, daughter Weslie Fowler and son Maddox Laurel Boss.

"We can't speak too much legally about it, but I'll say this, there's been love," the 37-year-old dancer, told Us Weekly.

"Obviously there's some things to address, but from my standpoint and from countless others, there's been love. I'll just leave it at that until there's a time where we can address more publicly. There's been love and there will continue to be love."

There are unconfirmed reports that DeGeneres's daytime talk show is canceled amid reports that she ignored harassment and racism on her show.
 

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Joe Biden: ‘Unlike the Black community, the Latino community is very diverse’

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Joe Biden said the Black community is not as "diverse" as the Hispanic community. He didn't clarify what he meant by that remark.

Biden made the comment during an interview with the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) which aired on Wednesday.

National Public Radio's Lulu Garcia-Navarro asked Biden whether he would stop the deportation of Cubans, if elected president.

"I'm going to look at every single country in the world... this guy [President Donald Trump] is sending them back," Biden said.

Biden assured Garcia-Navarro he would attempt to restore the Obama-Biden administration's policy of improving relations with communist Cuba.

Biden then added:

"And by the way, what you all know, but most people don't know, unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community, with incredibly different attitudes about different things ... it's a very diverse community."

Biden's comment drew mixed reaction on Twitter.com, with some accusing him of being an overt racist.

Twitter user @jg091297 wrote: "He could have said 'they all look alike to me' and this would have sounded less racist."

User @KenAndTonic tweeted: "Wonder how all of his VP candidates feel about this, you know, being all the same and everything."

User @NthingInPrtculr tweeted: "I'm Black and I find what Biden said incredibly condescending, clearly he thinks he can say whatever he wants & still get our votes & I fear that he is right."

But some Black Democrats shrugged off Biden's latest gaffe: @MrNicdraw wrote: "Still better than the alternative. Like wtf."

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Amy Cooper’s case going forward despite Christian Cooper’s refusal to cooperate

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The case against Amy Cooper -- dubbed Central Park Karen -- will go forward as planned, despite victim Christian Cooper's refusal to cooperate with the Manhattan district attorney.

Amy Cooper was charged last week with filing a false report against Christian who asked her to leash her dog in a section of Central Park where he was bird watching.

In the May 25th 911 call, she claimed, "There's an African-American man threatening my life."

But Christian doesn't want her prosecuted, he has previously stated.

"She's already paid a steep price. That's not enough of a deterrent to others? Bringing her more misery just seems like piling on."

Amy was fired from her job and briefly lost custody of her rescue dog after the video of her incident with Christian went viral.

TMZ reports that the D.A.'s Office would like Christian to cooperate, but in this case, it's not necessary -- because he's technically not the victim, the city is.

If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 1 year in jail.
 

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Behavioral health worker fired for saying Breonna Taylor was “deep in the drug game”

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Facebook.com

A registered behavioral health technician for Centria Healthcare in Saginaw, Michigan was fired Thursday after Internet sleuths "canceled" him for making disparaging remarks about Breonna Taylor.

Benjamin Holthaus is the latest casualty of social media's "cancel culture.” Internet sleuths tracked him down and doxxed him after he wrote an offensive post saying Taylor was not an emergency medical technician and accused her of being "deep in the drug game".

Taylor was shot multiple times in her bed by three plainclothes officers who executed a no-knock warrant at her home in the early morning hours. They were searching for a drug suspect who was already in police custody.

One of the officers was fired but the other two are still on active duty.

Instagram blogger @GossipoftheCity doxxed Holthaus (published his employee's name and phone number) and urged her followers to contact his employer, Centria Autism, who confirmed Holthuas was no longer employed there on Thursday.

"Thank you for sharing this information with us as that type of behavior does not align with our mission or values.

We were informed of this post last week and we have confirmed with our HR Department that this individual is not a current employee. We have requested removal of their association with our organization on social media through each platform."

 

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Open Post: Amy Cooper’s Central Park victim refuses to cooperate with prosecutor

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The woman who was widely criticized for calling 911 on a Black man in Central Park was charged with a hate crime and filing a false police report.

But the Manhattan district attorney will have a hard time making the charges stick. The victim, Christian Cooper, is not cooperating with the prosecution's case against Amy Cooper.

Christian previously condemned the "cancel culture" that destroyed Amy Cooper's life after his video of the incident went viral in May.

Amy lost her high-paying job and was publicly shamed for claiming an "African American man" was threatening her in the park.

Christian defended Amy again on Tuesday in a statement explaining why he won't cooperate.

"On the one hand, she's already paid a steep price. That's not enough of a deterrent to others? Bringing her more misery just seems like piling on... So if the DA feels the need to pursue charges, he should pursue charges. But he can do that without me."

Christian's decision not to cooperate drew disbelief, anger and indignation on Twitter.

"Looks like dude don't want to mess up his relationships with other white people......Zaddy must have got in his ear," Twitter activist Tariq Nasheed tweeted.

Others expressed their bitter disappointment in Christian Cooper.

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Candace Owens exposes Pro-Trump strategist Caleb Hull’s old racist tweets

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Caleb Hull, a Republican pro-Trump strategist in Washington, D.C., apologized Wednesday for posting offensive racist messages on social media.

Conservative activist Candace Owens, who has been accused of being anti-Black, shared her fellow Trump supporter's offensive tweets on her Twitter account, writing, "I'm waiting for literally any Republican or conservative to try to defend @CalebJHull’s tweets..."

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According to Mediaite.com, Hull is known for his pro-Trump posts on social media, and "his relentless targeting of Trump critics online."

In posts dating back to 2014, Hull expressed racist views on Twitter.com. Not surprisingly, his offensive posts were not flagged or taken down by Twitter.

In one tweet, he wrote: "I need to increase my arsenal of offensive pictures... I'm out. Every N*ggas Dream."

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In a tweet on July 1, Hull wrote a lengthy apology for his tweets, which he says were made when he was just a teenager.

"For a long time, I have been extremely ashamed and embarrassed that I could have ever written such vile things," he wrote. "...to atone for my behavior, I've shared these experiences with those closest to me and asked for forgiveness."

But Owens says Hull is not remorseful for his racist past. "And yes, it is known that he routinely says n*gger all the time— it is not a thing of the past. He is a racist today."

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Meghan Markle offers support to biracial teenager allegedly set on fire by four white men

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Meghan Markle offered her support to an American biracial teenager who was allegedly set on fire in an alleged hate crime.

The Duchess of Sussex reached out to 18-year-old Althea Bernstein, a biracial teen who was allegedly set on fire by four white men wearing masks last week.

Althea told police she was driving with her window down near the Wisconsin state Capitol at about 1 a.m. Wednesday when she stopped at a red light.

She said she heard a man call her a racial epithet, then another man allegedly sprayed her with lighter fluid and threw a lighter at her, according to a local ABC affiliate.

So far, there are no suspects, police say.

Meghan was so moved by the young woman's alleged ordeal that she contacted Althea through a spokesperson.

"Thank you Meghan for reaching out and checking on our kids in Madison, Wisconsin today," wrote Michael Johnson, the family's spokesperson, in a Facebook post. Johnson is CEO and President of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dan County, Wisconsin.

Johnson told news outlet Channel 3000 that Meghan and Althea spoke during a three-way, 40-minute phone call on Saturday afternoon.

Prince Harry also joined the call for 10 minutes.

Meghan, 38, spoke with Althea about her faith and being biracial herself. She also encouraged Althea to avoid social media and its negativity.

"As I heard her, I thought 'She has to talk to more kids,' and I'm thankful she agreed to do it," Johnson said. In addition to calling Althea, Markle agreed to be part of a virtual town hall for Wisconsin girls, to be scheduled in the next few weeks, Channel 3000 reports.

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Tameka ‘Tiny’ Harris SLAMS racist restaurant for discriminating against Black people

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A racist employee at a restaurant was shamed by Tameka "Tiny" Harris for discriminating against a Black boy for wearing a t-shirt and shorts.

In a video re-posted by Tameka, a white restaurant employee tells a Black woman she can't eat in the establishment because her minor son is not in compliance with the dress code.

The woman points out a white boy - about the same age as her son - who is also wearing a t-shirt and shorts with white sneakers.

The employee says tennis shoes are allowed but not an athletic shirt or shorts.

"Are you telling me the little boy who just ate here does not have on an athletic shirt?" the woman asks the employee.

The employee responds, "I'm sorry, I would love for you to come back and eat here."

Tameka captioned the video: "A bunch of B.S period!! Really [middle finger icon] this restaurant!!"
 

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Really ?? this restaurant ???

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Johnson & Johnson to stop selling skin whitening products

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Johnson & Johnson will stop selling its line of popular skin whitening creams in the U.S. in response to criticism that the company promotes white skin as preferable over Black skin.

The pharmaceutical company announced its decision on Friday after multiple corporations decided to "retire" Black characters that served as logos on their consumer products for over a century.

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Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson will cease selling skin brightening products such as Neutrogena Clean & Clear dark spot reducer and Neutrogena Naturals skin brightener cream in the U.S.

"Conversations over the past few weeks highlighted that some product names on our Neutrogena and Clean & Clear dark-spot reducer products represent fairness or white as better than your own unique skin tone," reads a company statement. "This was never our intention — healthy skin is beautiful skin."

Johnson & Johnson will continue to sell the majority of skin whitening products in Asia.

The company will not remove products that are already on store shelves in the United States. But the products will not be replaced once supplies run out.

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Ashley Walters seen for the first time since breaking down on social media

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Ashley Walters was seen for the first time in public since breaking down on social media as he recalled being stabbed by a white racist gang as a teenager.

Ashley was pictured out for a jog in his North London neighborhood.

The 30-year-old rapper broke down in tears in an emotional response to George Floyd's death.

In response to his fans questioning why he remained silent about Floyd's death in the U.S., Ashley recalled being jumped by a racist gang in London when he was only 15.

"I've spent the evening in my feelings and my thoughts about this George Floyd situation," the Bulletproof actor said.

"My point of coming on here today is that no one can tell me I am complicit. I haven't posted anything about the scenario for several reasons, but for the main one, I've been posting this thing all of my f***ing career."

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Ashley, who was comforted by his wife Danielle, continued:

"I've seen black people and big corporations posting 'Your silence is a betrayal'. Don't ever f***ing tell me that my silence is a f***ing betrayal when I've been left for dead on the street by white men. Stabbed and left for dead and these people have never been brought to justice."

Ashley is known his star role as Dushane in Top Boy, and his role as Antoine in Get Rich or Die Tryin'.
 

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Stassi Schroeder’s brother pleads for forgiveness after she’s fired from ‘Vanderpump Rules’ for a racist incident

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Instagram

Stassi Schroeder's little brother pleaded for forgiveness for his sister after she and other "Vanderpump Rules" cast members were fired for racist incidents in the past.

According to Page Six, in a now-deleted Instagram video, Nikolaoi Czermak, 15, pleaded:

"This goes out to Lisa Vanderpump, 'Vanderpump Rules,' Bravo TV, anyone that has been involved with Stassi getting fired. I want everyone to hear me out because my sister is one of the most loving people you will ever meet in your life. She deeply apologizes for what she said and I'm so desperate for her to succeed ... I just want her to go as far as she can."

Nikolai, who appeared in episodes with Stassi, continued:

"I'm asking for another chance for her, and she'll show everyone how good of a person she is and how much she cares about everyone. She likes entertaining people, that's why she does all this TV stuff ... My family is heartbroken from what’s been going on with her. Everything’s been taken away from her."

Brands terminated Stassi's sponsorships and Bravo TV fired her after former castmate Faith Stowers recalled a racist incident in 2018.

Desiree Stone/Getty Images

Faith, 31, appeared on Instagram Live chat with "Floribama Shore" star Candace Rice and discussed a 2018 incident where Stassi and co-star Kristen Doute tried to get cops to investigate her for a crime she did not commit.

Faith said Stassi read a Daily Mail article about a light-skinned woman who resembled Faith. "I guess this woman was robbing people," Faith said. "And they called the cops and said it was me. This is like, a true story. I heard this from, actually, Stassi during an interview."

Stassi bragged about her detective work on "the Bitch Bible" podcast in 2018, saying, "We are like, we just solved a f--cking crime. We start calling the police. The police don't give a f--k."

Bravo also fired Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni on Tuesday for their past racist tweets.

Nikolai addressed Faith in his video, begging:

"Faith, please, is there any way that she can fix anything or do anything that can benefit both of you guys — to get her career back and to make you live the best life ever? Is there anything that we can do for you? Please. I don't want to see my sister like this anymore … I love all you guys, but please, one more chance to forgive her."

Stassi apologized to Faith on Instagram, although Faith says she hasn't heard directly from her.

Faith told Page Six: "I feel so vindicated studios and production are able to see blatant racism and make these positive changes and help move the race forward — help with the fight forward."

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Amy Cooper is allowed to keep the rescue dog in racist incident in Central Park

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The woman who was widely criticized for calling 911 on a Black man in Central Park will be allowed to keep the rescue dog she apparently mishandled during the incident.

Rescue group Abandoned Angels apparently decided Amy had had enough punishment after she lost her lucrative job as an investment banker as a result of the backlash.

Amy adopted a rescue dog named Henry from the group shortly before the incident. Abandoned Angels took Henry back after viewing a viral video that showed her apparently choking the dog while on the phone with 911.

In an update shared to Facebook on Wednesday afternoon, the group said their vets had determined the pooch was in good health and therefore law enforcement refused to seize the dog from Cooper.

"Consistent with input received from law enforcement, we have now complied with the owner’s request for return of the dog,’ the group’s post read.

A friend posted a photo of a smiling Amy holding the dog.

Christian Cooper filmed Amy's meltdown after he politely asked her to leash Henry during a bird watching session in The Ramble.

Rather than comply with Christian's wishes, Amy made a fuss and called 911 to claim "There's an African American man threatening my life."

Social media users dubbed Amy "Karen" - a pejorative term for a snitch who targets Black people for petty retribution.

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Black Twitter Cancels Doja Cat After Video Shows Her Using Racial Slurs with White Supremacists

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Screengrab: YouTube.com

Black Twitter's cancel culture has claimed another high-profile victim. Doja Cat saw her fame and career tumble overnight after video leaked that showed her in an "alt-right" chat room using racial slurs with white supremacists.

Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images

The biracial singer, rapper and songwriter is best known for her hit song "Mooo!" that went viral in 2018.

Doja Cat was trending on Twitter.com on Friday after video leaked showing the 24-year-old in a chat room with a group of white supremacists and nazi sympathizers.

FameFlynet / BACKGRID

In the video, Doja is seen flirting with the white men. At one point she blurts out "ni**er" while the men laugh. Doja, whose mother is Jewish-American, seemed comfortable using racial slurs.

After the clip began doing the rounds online, fans also dug up one of her songs, believed to be from 2015, entitled "Dindu Nuffin" - which is known to be a racial slur for Black criminals, who claim to be innocent after facing police brutality.

She sings on the track: "How much nothing can a dindu do / If a dindu, dindu nothin' / How much money could a dindu make / If a dindu did all the things that you wish to."

Some believe that the song was targeted at Sandra Bland, a Black woman who died in police custody in 2015.

Accusations of her alleged history of racism have resulted in the hashtag #DojaIsOverParty, which quickly started trending on Twitter.

In a recent interview, Doja Cat said she has never met her father, Dumisani Dlamini, a South African actor, choreographer and film producer, best known for Sarafina!
 

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Charlamagne tha god SLAMS Joe Biden’s track record, Says his crime bill was ‘intricate’ part of ‘systemic racism’ in America

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Charlamagne tha god came out swinging a day after Joe Biden dropped a racist remark about Black voters during their short Skype interview.

Biden, 77, sparked outrage when he told Charlamagne "If you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't Black."

The humiliated radio host told CNN that Biden's statement was part of his track record with Black voters, that includes his crime bill and the war on drugs that decimated Black communities.

The radio host blamed "systemic racism" in healthcare as the reason the coronavirus hit Black people hardest during the coronavirus pandemic.

"Like I said before if you have created legislation that has hurt then you have to create legislation that helps, it's just that simple. The whole system needs to be dismantled and rebuilt and he has been a very intricate part of that system."

Charlamagne added:

"Whether you're talking about '84 with the mandatory minimum sentences for drug dealers, when you talk about '86 with crack laws that gave you more [prison] time for crack cocaine and powder cocaine, or if you talk about the '94 crime bill. He really was one of the people on the front lines when it came to the war on drugs, and mass incarceration. If he wants to be president, he needs to fix that."