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2 Strikes for Florida Voting Laws
(The Root) — Two contentious efforts regarding voting in Florida, led by Republican Gov. Rick Scott, suffered major setbacks on Thursday. In a legal one-two punch, both were struck down. First up: a provision in a state law that requires anyone who registers voters to hand in all registration forms no later than 48 hours…
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Black Church Divided on Same-Sex Marriage
(The Root) — On day 2 of the national meeting of the Conference of National Black Churches (day 1, in partnership with the Congressional Black Caucus, focused solely on voting matters), black church leaders explored a range of issues: economic inequity, technology and the black church and how faith leaders can foster healthier communities. But…
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Preachers Prepare to Get Souls to the Polls
(The Root) — “Our duty today,” said Barbara Arnwine, executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, before a crowd of African-American clergy members, “is to remember that the Bible tell us: ‘For lack of knowledge, the people perish.’ “ With this guiding mantra, the Congressional Black Caucus and the Conference of National…
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Mitt Romney Clinches GOP Nomination
(The Root) — It’s been a long, winding road to the Republican presidential nomination for Mitt Romney (remember the days when Herman Cain and Rick Santorum were front-runners?). But upon winning the Texas primary election on Tuesday, the former Massachusetts governor finally reached the magic number of 1,144 delegates needed to clinch his party’s nomination…
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Toni Morrison Receives Medal of Freedom
(The Root) — President Obama awarded the Medal of Freedom to 12 honorees on Tuesday for their contributions to peace and culture and other significant public or private endeavors. The president described the recipients of the nation’s highest civilian honor as individuals who have inspired, enriched and changed people’s lives. “What sets these men and…
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Black PACs: Greeks Take Action
(The Root) — The terms “PAC,” short for “political action committee,” and “super PAC,” a reference to its mightier cousin, often conjure unsettling images of a pay-to-play electoral system: pharmaceutical-industry-backed groups that contribute thousands of dollars to members of Congress to sway legislation in their corporate interests, for example, or a staggering $10 million campaign…
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New Challenges to Obama's Contraception Law
(The Root) — A coalition of 43 Catholic institutions — including the University of Notre Dame, Catholic University of America, the Archdiocese of Michigan and the Archdiocese of New York — filed 12 lawsuits around the country this week, opposing the Obama administration’s requirement for insurance plans to cover contraception without a co-pay. While churches…
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Did Cory Booker Have a Point?
(The Root) — After appearing on Meet the Press on Sunday, Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker, a surrogate for President Obama’s re-election campaign, raised more than simple awareness about the president’s tax cuts for small businesses and middle-class families. The popular mayor, widely considered a growing Democratic star, also raised quite a few eyebrows. During…
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NAACP: Marriage Equality Is a Civil Right
(The Root) — On Saturday the board of the NAACP endorsed marriage equality in a vote by the 64-member body. On Monday the civil rights organization’s chairman and president held a press conference to clarify what this position means exactly. Laying out the organization’s guiding principles of political, educational, social and economic equality for all…
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3 New Steps in the Voting-Rights Fight
(The Root) — It’s been an eventful couple of days in the world of voting rights, with a variety of political and legal factions ramping up efforts to protect access to the polls. From Congress to the courts to the Obama campaign, here’s the latest election-protection news you need to know. A Bill to Modernize…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
