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Gabrielle Union Speaks Up for Planned Parenthood
We’ve heard before that “a hit on Planned Parenthood really becomes a hit on African-American women.” Willie J. Parker, M.D., made that clear to The Root after the House passed a measure to strip the organization of funding. He explained that many patients who use the services provided there are uninsured African-American women who have…
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How Racism Tainted Women's Fight to Vote
“I am in Great Britain today because I believe that the silent indifference with which she has received the charge that human beings are burned alive in Christian Anglo-Saxon communities is born of ignorance of the true situation. America cannot and will not ignore the voice of a nation that is her superior in civilization.”…
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Should Russell Simmons Be Chris Brown's Life Coach?
Chris Brown says he’s disappointed in himself for the destructive tantrum he threw after his appearance on Good Morning America earlier this week. His explanation: He felt “exploited” when Robin Roberts strayed from the agreed-upon talking points to discuss his attack on Rihanna (ABC says there weren’t any talking points), held it together through the…
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Syrian Hospital Says 37 Protesters Killed
Reuters reports that the main hospital in the southern Syrian city of Deraa has received the bodies of at least 37 protesters who were killed in a confrontation with security forces on Thursday, according to a hospital official. The activism in the country, inspired by the wave of pro-democracy protests around the region, has represented…
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VIDEO: Whoopi Says Donald Trump's Birther Routine Is 'a Pile of Dog Mess'
The Huffington Post reports that Whoopi Goldberg and Donald Trump went head-to-head on The View this morning over whether President Obama should “show his birth certificate.” Trump reiterated what’s become his first pre-presidential campaign talking point, asking, “Why doesn’t he show his birth certificate?” Whoopi fired back with, “Why should he have to?” Trump said…
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Elizabeth Taylor, Dead at 79
Elizabeth Taylor, who went from child star to Hollywood sex symbol to cinema grand dame, is dead at age 79. Taylor, who was born in England to American parents, was a close friend of another child star who, by contrast, never seemed to grow up: Michael Jackson. She burst into the public eye with “National Velvet” in…
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The Root Recommends: 'My Times in Black and White'
Released almost four years after his death in 2006, My Times in Black and White: Race and Power at the New York Times is the memoir of Gerald M. Boyd, the first black managing editor at the New York Times. The ambitious and determined journalist recalled what it felt like to be black in an…
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The Root Recommends: Aretha Franklin's 'Take a Look'
A slimmed-down Aretha Franklin has recently been seen out on the town looking like a brand-new woman, and now she has a brand-new album as well. Take a Look: Aretha Franklin Complete On Columbia hits record stores today. The 12-disc box set includes all of Aretha’s hits from the record company, as well as unissued…
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The Root Recommends: 'Dancing With the Stars'
The highly successful reality series Dancing With the Stars returns to ABC tonight with a new cast of dancing wannabes and celebrities trying to reclaim their stardom. Some dancers to look out for include famed boxer Sugar Ray Leonard; former college basketball star — and the son of Master P — Romeo; football standout Hines…
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Wyclef Shot in Hand in Haiti
Hip-hop star Wyclef Jean was shot in the hand in Haiti on the eve of the second round of presidential elections. Jean is reported to have been treated and released from the hospital. The circumstances of the Saturday-night shooting were not explained. Jean, who was disqualified as a candidate for president last year, has been…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
