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Who's Up for a National Talk on Race? No One
(The Root) — I just finished reading an editorial in Virginia’s Richmond Times-Dispatch, the dominant newspaper in the city I now call home. It reminded me why I’m so skeptical about the idea of a national conversation on race. It was about the death earlier this week of 98-year-old former U.S. Sen. Harry F. “Little…
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Still Not at Home in America
(The Root) — No one is more American than I am. Our country’s history is inscribed on my genes. Some of my ancestors came here on slave ships. One arrived on The Mayflower. Others fought in the Revolution and the great Civil War. But because I am 67 — old enough to have personally experienced…
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No Affirmative Action for Clarence Thomas?
(The Root) — Something occult was taking place at the Home for Retired Racial Stereotypes. Smoky incense filled the air of a darkened room where Kingfish, the Frito Bandito, Charlie Chan, Tonto and the rest of the crew were gathered in a circle, chanting to the sound of exotic music. In the middle of the circle stood…
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Bill Clinton Needs to Shut Up
(The Root) — I wish that when President Bill Clinton started spouting off the other day about the need for President Barack Obama to intervene in Syria’s horrific civil war or risk looking like “a total fool,” Obama had followed the example set by his wife when she was recently confronted by a heckler. I…
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Obama at Morehouse: Try Another Listen
(The Root) — As I suspect is the case with many African-American voters who hoped against hope that Barack Obama’s presidency would bring about a sea change in the condition of our people, I’ve been disappointed with what he has been able to accomplish. I give him full credit for the considerable achievements of his…
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Syria: A 'Red Line' Obama Shouldn't Cross
(The Root) — If Barack Obama is truly concerned with how history will judge his presidency, he will resist the intensifying pressure to intervene militarily in Syria’s horrendous civil war. Instead, he should complete the planned withdrawal of most U.S. forces from Afghanistan and refocus our national energy on reinvigorating the still-shaky domestic economy during…
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Did We Overreact to Boston Bombings?
(The Root) — If exterminating tens of thousands of people with a nuclear suitcase bomb would rate a 10 on the scale of terrorist acts, the slaughter of more than 3,000 innocent people on Sept. 11 might rank as an 8, and the Oklahoma City explosion that claimed 168 lives might come in at a…
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Rand Paul Must Think Blacks Have Amnesia
(The Root) — So now we know the basis of Kentucky’s libertarian Sen. Rand Paul’s strategy for expanding the Republican Party’s appeal to African Americans: amnesia. That’s the only conclusion I can reach after watching the C-SPAN broadcast of Paul’s 52-minute appearance today at Howard University. He deserves credit for appearing before a potentially hostile…
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Are Rich Pols Less Susceptible to Corruption?
Writing at the New York Times, The Root’s contributing editor Jack White proffers the argument that while enormous wealth may inoculate some politicians from the bald-faced greed that has landed so many public officials in prison, they tend to be out of touch with the electorate. … But it is just as likely to infect…
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MLK's Children: They Have a Scheme
(The Root) — It must be the incurable cynic in me, or a twisted sense of humor, or some other flaw in my character. But whatever the reason, I just can’t get upset by the latest news about the alleged perfidy of Martin Luther King Jr.’s children. That’s the story broken the other day by…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
