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The (Not So) New World Order
Yinka Shonibare MBE’s career retrospective at the Smithsonian just goes to show how strange things get when the empire strikes black.
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Maybe Your Great-Grandmother Really Was Cherokee
A new exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian traces black-Native American relations from the 1500s to the present.
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Is the USDA Still the Last Plantation?
During the Bush administration, 13,999 racial discrimination cases were swept under the rug at the Agriculture Department. What will Secretary Tom Vilsack do about it?
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Rakim's Back
Def Jam is 25. "Rapper’s Delight" is 30. And Rakim is 41. But with his latest album, The Seventh Seal, hip-hop heads can remember the best of the golden age.
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Color Clash?
Sammy Sosa is not the first celebrity to change his complexion. The Root takes a look at other celebrities who have had drastic, ahem, makeovers.
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Who Ever Said Jazz Had To Be Drab?
Distinguished alto saxophonist Greg Osby and noted trumpeter Sean Jones recently posted a blog entry and a Facebook discussion board thread, respectively, bemoaning the decline of fashion, or more pointedly just looking presentable, on the bandstand. In a response to that, The Root contributor John Murph has compiled this list of 15 fashion-forward jazz musicians who rock the stage in decidedly 21st-century mode.
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Actin' Up
A Rogue's Gallery: The Root looks back at a year's worth of scandal and skullduggery. The President's had one heck of a year, no thanks to these folks.
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44 Moments Celebrating the 44th President
Where were you on Nov. 4, 2008? Relive the best moments of Election Day 2008.
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The Root Rewrites the Western Canon
Forget about Paradise Lost and The Canterbury Tales. Here's a list of books that students should be reading in school.
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A Decade of Black Genius
Take a look at this selection of African-American MacArthur fellows from 1999 to present whose creativity and innovation helped them nab the award.
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I Heart Hillman: A Visual History of HBCUs On-Screen
Many Americans were first introduced to HBCUs in the 1980s through movies and TV shows. From step shows and marching bands to political rallies and color-complex issues, take an insider's tour of the classic TV shows and movies that celebrated the rich and legendary collegiate culture of black institutions.
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Cosby Cameos
Take a look at the actors, singers and dancers who hung with Cliff, Clair and the kids.
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Prince's Protégées: Then and Now
Prince loves to play Svengali. But as the Purple One's first ladies of the '80s can attest, being a Prince disciple can be hazardous to your career.
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What Being 'Black in America' Really Means
The Root recently partnered with Black Web 2.0 to discuss “Black in America 2” with a panel of young professionals and academics. We wanted to know what role race plays in the lives of young Americans and you were there to tell us! Take a look at what can happen when young Americans take the mic and speak their minds.




