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'Keep Pushing Through With Black Joy': Letitia Wright on Mangrove and the British Black Power Movement
“No matter what, just keep pushing through with Black joy, Black beauty, Black love. Just being the shoulders for each other, to support one another.” — Letitia Wright, Actor text As a Guyanese actor who moved to the United Kingdom as a child, Letitia Wright had not heard the story of the Mangrove Nine growing…
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Black and Magical: Cast of Netflix's Jingle Jangle Plays Black Ass Game
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is pure magic. The David E. Talbert-penned and directed musical transports audiences to a mythical village of Cobelton and follows a brilliant but down-on-his-luck toymaker, Jeronicus Jangle, (played by Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker). Jangle is betrayed by Gustafson ( played by Keegan-Michael Key, who is so phenomenally wicked in this role)…
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Marc Lamont Hill on Black Elected Officials and Why the Political System Prevents Progressive Politics From Being Articulated
“There’s the narrative that they [Black elected officials] get into office and they sell out…That absolutely happens, but I don’t think most Black elected officials are sellouts. I just think the system doesn’t allow for the kind of work that needs to be done.” — Marc Lamont Hill, Professor, Author text Black Americans have seen…
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'We Have to Be Willing to Resist': Marc Lamont Hill on the Precariousness of Blackness, the Presidential Election and the Struggle for Freedom
“Even if Trump loses, the fact that this is a contested race—a race so tight that we couldn’t call it on election night— tells you everything you need to know about America.” —Marc Lamont Hill, professor and author text Professor and author Marc Lamont Hill was never one to mince his words. In his new…
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'Our Democracy Is Withering': Jemele Hill Talks Trump, the 2020 Presidential Election and the State of America
“If we don’t get certain factions up-out the White House now, and do a full steam-clean of what we’ve had to experience these last four years, we may really be looking at our last free and fair election.” —Jemele Hill, journalist text Jemele Hill was clear in 2017 when she called Donald J. Trump a…
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A Black Girl Who Is Magical: Lovie Simone Talks Self-Healing, Combating Colorism and The Craft: Legacy
“I choose to play like power roles for girls that don’t really usually have power because they look like me.”—Lovie Simone, Actor text Lovie Simone first watched the 1996 film The Craft when she was preparing for an audition. “I remember just being like, wow, like these girls are so cool!” Simone loved the idea…
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'A Mammogram Can Save Our Lives': Mary J. Blige Joins The Root for a Discussion About Breast Cancer Awareness
“I’m a voice to help people get informed about how a mammogram can save our lives” —Mary J. Blige, Singer-songwriter text When Mary J. Blige’s aunt died of breast cancer, the news was both shocking and devastating. “I didn’t find out that she died from breast cancer until she died,” said the nine-time Grammy winner.…
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'I Came Black Out the Womb': Why Filmmaker Dash Harris Denounces Latinidad
“How do we honor the Blackness within Latinidad? We don’t. Power doesn’t negotiate. That’s one. Power does not like to be shared. That’s two. And power is all consuming. — Dash Harris, Multimedia Producer, Filmmaker text It’s no secret that Latinidad has a fraught relationship with Blackness. Black Panamanian Dash Harris says that after centuries…
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'We've Been Here': A History of Black Women Protesting in the World of Sports
I’m an athlete and I’m a Black woman, so I want to be able to be both on the court. And I think that’s the narrative that just needs to be understood.” — Renee Montgomery, point guard, Atlanta Dream text In America, Black women are critical in the fight for justice. Full stop. This statement…
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La La Anthony: 'Proud to Be Black. Proud to Be Puerto Rican'
“I’m Black and that’s what Afro-Latina means to me.” — La La Anthony, Actor text For actor La La Anthony, there is no separating her Blackness from her identity. After all, the Black and Puerto Rican actor knew from the outset that she was just that—Black and Puerto Rican. In her career, the Power star…
