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Dear White People, Muhammad Ali Didn’t ‘Transcend Race’
When famous African-American celebrities die, you can bet your bottom dollar that if white folks liked them, the word “transcend” is going to pop up in their obits like lies in a Donald Trump speech. For white America, “transcend” is that gold stamp of approval, much more elevated and polite than the old word “credit”—as…
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A Silenced Ali Was a Likable Ali for White People
“I am the greatest.” There will be thousands of well-deserved tributes to Muhammad Ali, and all will talk about his transformation from heavyweight boxing champion to international humanitarian. And that is important to note. But the thing most will miss is how Ali’s voice—a bold black and Muslim voice that spoke eloquently for the aspirations…
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Scold-in-Chief? The Love-Hate Relationship Between HBCUs and President Obama
It’s complicated. That could be the official theme of President Barack Obama’s rapport with the African-American community in general, but even more so regarding his administration’s eight-year relationship with HBCUs, which we examine in this edition of The Root’s monthly series His Lasting Legacy. The expectations that came with the election of America’s first black president—combined…
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Hazing Lawsuit: And the Deaths Keep Coming
Another promising life ended, another senseless death in the name of brotherhood. The latest victim making headlines is Cornell University sophomore George Desdunes, a 19-year-old Haitian immigrant, who died on Feb. 25 from alcohol poisoning while pledging Sigma Alpha Epsilon. The aspiring doctor allegedly had his hands bound with zip ties and duct tape and…
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Basketball Wives Recap: New York, New York
In our last episode, Messy Meeka came at Tami with all types of wrong, causing Tami to tap into her inner Rosa Parks so as not to beat her down with a polo mallet. This episode, the secret word is “healing.” Everyone say it with me: healing. We start out with Messy Meeka explaining to…
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'Basketball Wives' Recap: Here's Tami!
Guess who else is back? Our home girl Tami! Tami was missing in action last week for the Royce-and-Evelyn wineglass-slinging brouhaha, but she’s now back to Warren G this whole situation. But before she can do that, we first have to talk about Suzie. I’ve come to the conclusion that Suzie is simple. That can…
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'Basketball Wives' Recap: Let the Wine Throwing Begin
It’s the 60-second recap of this week’s Basketball Wives, so let’s get crackin’! We begin with Suzie and Royce pretending to play tennis. Royce needs to get her roots done but instead complains about Meeka. Suzie is confused. Shocker. Evelyn meets up with Shaunie at the beach. Shaunie wears a nice beach outfit and hat;…
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The Root Interview: dream hampton on 'Black August'
dream hampton first attracted attention in the ’90s when she was writing for the hip-hop bible, The Source, but what most people don’t realize is that writing was simply a diversion from hampton’s real love, film. “You can’t help how people identify you, but film was the only reason I was in New York in…
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The White Noise of 2010
Lawrence Ross is the author of the Los Angeles Times best-seller The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities. His newest book, Blackballed: The Black and White Politics of Race on America’s Campuses, is a blunt and frank look at the historical and contemporary issue of campus racism on predominantly white college…
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Democrats Digging Deep for Support
Lawrence Ross is the author of the Los Angeles Times best-seller The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities. His newest book, Blackballed: The Black and White Politics of Race on America’s Campuses, is a blunt and frank look at the historical and contemporary issue of campus racism on predominantly white college…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
