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  • Artist Hank Willis Thomas Shines Spotlight on the Power of Protest

    America’s No. 1 protest artist? Forget Banksy—meet Hank Willis Thomas. The African-American conceptual artist challenges ideas and oppression through themes of pop culture. He’s gained a huge following in the art and celebrity community, among them art lover Swizz Beats. Whether it’s photography, sculptures, installations or video, the messages are deeper than they appear on…

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  • Watch: You Have a Black Man to Thank for Your Video Games

    All right, listen up, gamers. Gerald Lawson is the pioneer of games you almost never hear about. In the mid-’70s, he perfected the game cartridge, making it possible to play multiple video games at home. As a teenager, the electronics genius operated a radio station from a housing project in the Jamaica neighborhood of New…

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  • Watch: Is MLK’s Legacy Under Attack?

    In November, President Donald Trump’s administration released declassified FBI documents on President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. But the release also included a batch of Martin Luther King Jr. documents filled with allegations of “abnormal” sexual behavior and of being a “slow thinker” and a “Marxist” (pdf). The Root spoke with Clayborne Carson, the Martin Luther…

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  • Watch: NFL Star Michael Bennett Refuses to Stay in His Lane

    “If you’re silent about the issues … then you’re telling a lie; you’re just a part of the crime.” —Michael Bennett The Root 100 honoree Michael Bennett is not only an NFL star as a Seattle Seahawks defensive end but also an activist, author and philanthropist. Here’s why sports does not define him and why…

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  • Watch: Victims of African Terrorism Matter, Too

    When terrorists killed 300 people and injured hundreds more in Somalia during a horrific single attack, the world was silent. No talk-show posturing. No wall-to-wall coverage even though it was one of the most devastating terrorist attacks anywhere in the world for many years. Why this double standard? Watch the short video above for more…

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