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A week after President Obama’s inauguration, I’m still experiencing a joy—and painful exhaustion—that I’ve never felt before. How do we cope with this lingering post-inauguration meltdown?
Post-Inaugural Meltdown -
In his new album, Madlib channels the late, great hip-hop producer J. Dilla. Clearly, the two artists are twin musical souls. But will their common sensibilities be enough to bring Dilla back from the dead?
Madlib: Beat Konducta -
So you took a celebratory picture last week with a life-size cutout of Barack Obama. But look closely at your souvenir. Turns out everyone’s favorite cardboard president is not our president at all. Just when we thought our nation was finally in black hands…!
Obama's Cutout with White Hands -
What is clean coal?
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As honored attendees of Barack Obama during the inauguration ceremonies, a group of Tuskegee airmen watch history take flight.
Obama's Special Guests -
In his economic recovery plan, Obama called on Congress to 'act without delay' and warned of dire consequences 'if we don’t take dramatic action as soon as possible.' This same sense of urgency must be applied to foreign policy. And the situation in Gaza demands immediate attention.
Gaza: No Time To Play -
Jan. 20 cannot come soon enough with respect to the Middle East crisis. Hillary Clinton may be taking over the State Department, but new signals of respect and active engagement must come, quickly, from President Obama.
Prioritizing the Middle East -
What are we to do with the assault of mothers, fathers and children of Gaza? Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker opens up about her sister's death and grief for her other sisters in the Middle East.
Alice Walker on Gaza -
Chloe Mortaud’s selection as the face of French beauty and elegance has so few precedents that the French media have named her, perhaps cheaply, “Miss Obama.” Yet, the very discussion of Mortaud’s worthiness represents an advance in the way the French deal with race.
Miss France and the New Black -
Can Mbeki—and South Africa—survive the challenge?
Here Come the 'Zumacistas'
TOP OF THE TREE
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Oprah's Blackest Moments
by The Root ContributorsOprah Winfrey recently announced plans for retirement in 2011. The talk show host may have a stronghold on white, suburban housewives, but The Root contributors remember moments when Oprah kept it real—black.
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What Kobe, LeBron and Dwyane Owe Spencer Haywood
by Martin JohnsonForty years ago, Haywood became the first player to leave college early and go to the pros—proving that young players got game, too.
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Shaniya's Shame
by Malika Saada SaarThe murder of 5-year-old Shaniya Davis highlights a disturbing and growing trend in the U.S.: the trafficking of young girls into sexual slavery.
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Storming the Court?
by Sherrilyn A. IfillWhen it comes to appointing federal judges, President Obama shouldn’t try to play center. Centrist judges will not balance judges on the right. Left balances right.
VIEWS
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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.
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.
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?
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.
Color-Struck Around The Globe
Sammy Sosa’s new vampire complexion is a jarring reminder that, from the Dominican Republic to Dakar to New Delhi, white is still right, yellow is still mellow and if you’re black, get back.









