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#TheRootTrip: In Irving, Texas, There’s a Black-Owned Franchise Hotel Hidden in Plain Sight
Until the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, most hotels and motels actively discriminated against blacks. And hotel and motel ownership was a rare instance unless the building was completely built by the African-American hotel owner from the ground up (more on that later). The idea that blacks would own a corporate hotel franchise…
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What Will 2017 Bring for Black People? We Have 5 Guesses
So The Root asked me, “Hey, L, do your best and think about what’s gonna happen in 2017.” And I was like, “Bet!” As I’ve said before, I may not be Negrodamus, but I’m damn sure Negrodamus’ play cousin, so I’m pretty sure that these are not the only things that we’ll see in 2017.…
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Black Federal Workers in ‘Wait and See’ Mode Over Looming Trump Presidency
Black federal workers in Washington, D.C., are used to working under Democratic administrations and Republican administrations, all while acknowledging that even if a president’s policies differ from their own, they have a duty to their agencies to keep the government humming along. But what if the new president is thought to be a racist, who…
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This Definitive History of Racist Ideas Should Be Required Reading
There are some books that just demand space on your bookshelf—not just because they’re interesting but also because these books break new ground in a way that will enrich your intellectual life. A new book on racism, Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, written by Ibram X. Kendi, Ph.D.,…
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It’s the Super Bowl of Holidays for Black Uncles, and 4 Other Reasons to Love Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. Yes, you receive gifts during Christmas, and Easter was great because you got chocolate candy, but Thanksgiving? Nah, Thanksgiving has always been the gift that keeps on giving. Thanksgiving is the one place where family, particularly black families, come together to remind themselves about why they’re connected to…
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5 Good Things About to Happen to Blackness in the Era of Trump
A segment of the American populace decided to elect a racist, xenophobic misogynist named Donald Trump to the presidency, and as a result, we as black folks are gonna have to mount up and fight his white supremacist policies for the next four years and beyond. But that being said, I’ve been thinking about some…
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Welcome to the New Nadir
The impossible happened. Against all odds, against all prognostications, America elected a racist, xenophobic and misogynist man in Donald Trump as president of the United States. It’s not as if America hasn’t done this before, of course; we’ve elected plenty of racist, xenophobic and misogynistic white men. But this hurt more because we were all…
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It’s Election Day; You Know What to Do
Today is the election, and like millions of other African Americans, I’m headed to the polls to cast my vote. I can’t really say who I’m voting for, but let’s just say that I’m voting for a woman, and her party symbol is a jackass donkey. But wait; you say you’re not gonna vote? Why?…
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Hey, Cam Newton, All Quarterbacks Matter, Except When They Don’t
As we were all mesmerized by the Alpha Kappa Alpha-inspired outfit Cam Newton wore Sunday, I have to admit that I missed the delicious irony of Newton talking about feeling unprotected on the football field. My fraternity brother Bryan Kelly noted that as Newton talked about his unfair treatment, and how he felt that he…
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Blackface on College Campuses Isn't About Freedom of Speech; It's About White Supremacy
It’s Halloween, so put on your seat belts, brothers and sisters, and get ready for an onslaught of racist Halloween costumes coming from white college students who think your humanity is fair game for chuckles. The blackface paint will flow as white students think that smearing it on, along with a sign that says, “Black…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
