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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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The White House Beerfest Gallery
The president of the United States turns the Rose Garden into a beer garden.
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Remembering Billie Holiday
Of all the great jazz divas, none blended pain and pleasure better than Billie Holiday. Her small, stinging voice conveyed a "been there" aesthetic, whether she was singing about romance or sadness or about the trials of the underdog. Fifty years after her death, Lady Day's legacy informs a litany of singers, from jazz to R&B, as well as electronica, pop, rock and country.
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African Rogues and Royalty
Barack Obama's first presidential trip to Sub-Saharan Africa will focus on the good guys—but we couldn't resist calling out the bad.
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PHOTO ESSAY: The Evolution of Bed-Stuy
Twenty years after the fires of 'Do the Right Thing', the block is still hot in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. By Adda Birnir.
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15 Reasons Why We Love the Caribbean
A summer vacation spot with easygoing locals, amazing scenery and sex on the beach. What more can ask you for?
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The Legacy of Loving
On June 12, 1967, the landmark decision in Loving v. Virginia overturned nearly all U.S. laws that banned interracial marriage. Several states still kept the hateful laws on their books, but more than 40 years later, coupling across color lines has become the norm. Here's a look at some famous faces who now celebrate the right to love freely.
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Real Housewives of D.C.
Bravo's hit reality TV show is on its way to Washington. Its producers may be interested in the city's socialites, but our suggested cast gives viewers a real taste of the Chocolate City—drama and all.
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King Casting Call
Any black actor chosen to play Martin Luther King Jr. in the upcoming big screen biopic will have some pretty big shoes to fill. Rumor has it that Jamie Foxx wants the part, but The Root has other actors in mind. Take a look at our veteran and rookie picks and tell us who you think should be King.
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What Black Leaders Think About Sotomayor
President Obama has chosen Judge Sonia Sotomayor as his first nominee to the Supreme Court. Democrats are defending her, and the GOP is up in arms. But what does the black intelligentsia have to say about this controversial and experienced legal mind and her potential impact on The Court?
