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TOP OF THE TREE

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  Black Labor's Laborious Road Ahead

  by Jon Jeter

  The economy hasn't been kind to organized labor -- especially black organized labor.

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  GALLERY: The Top Black Labor Union Leaders

  Before sleeping-car porters organized in 1925, most labor unions excluded blacks. Today 20 percent of black workers belong to a union, and black members' median salary is 36 percent more than that of non-members. The Root celebrates black labor leaders, past and present.

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  Journal-isms: First Significant Decline in Illegal Immigrants in 20 Years

  From March 2007 to March 2009, the annual flow of illegal immigrants into the United States was two-thirds smaller than it was from March 2000 to March 2005.

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  How Iraq Ties Bush and Obama Together

  by Lenny McAllister

  Even in keeping a campaign promise to get the troops out of Iraq, the president finds himself tied to the legacy of George W. Bush.

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  Jay Mariotti Gets a Taste of His Own Medicine

  by Deron Snyder

  A merciless critic of primarily African-American athletes finds little sympathy after his own arrest for an alleged incident of domestic violence.

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  The GOP Crows at Obama

   

  Vox Africanus weighs in on Republican criticism of the president.

   

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  Can Nonviolence Change the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict?

  by Cord Jefferson

  As peace talks begin, President Obama should see Budrus, a film that captures a case where Palestinians borrowed tactics from the civil rights movement.

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  GALLERY: Would a Black Person Get Away With This?

  The Root takes a look at a handful of brow-raising incidents and asks if race and privilege influenced the outcome.

   

• VIEWS

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The Root Interview: Esperanza Spalding on Taking a Big Risk

by Jozen Cummings

Jazz is in a free fall; record sales continue to plummet. Can jazz's hottest new talent buck the trend?

Fisk Says It Must Sell O'Keeffe Art Collection to Survive

by Jennifer Brooks

In October, a judge will decide whether saving one means sacrificing the other.

Single-Minded: Being Black Abroad

by Helena Andrews

Sometimes it takes going halfway around the world to find yourself.

We Don't Need Another Civil Rights Movement

by Lester K. Spence

We have become so distrustful of the political process that we think marches and cultural transformations will solve our problems.

The Root Interview: Sonny Rollins

by Greg Thomas

As he prepares for a rare live concert, the living legend riffs on the nature of jazz, his spiritual concerns and why it's important for young people to embrace the music.