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The Root Interview: The Former President of Ghana Speaks Bluntly
Jerry John Rawlings is addicted to politics. Son of a Scotsman and a Ghanaian, he twice led coups against what he saw as corrupt governments and he acknowledges that his regime committed “a few punishments here and there,” during 19 years as head of state of Ghana. Yet, he gave up power in 2001, after…
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The Oscars and Why We Can’t All Be Sidney Poitier
Writers don’t give prescriptions. They give headaches! —Chinua Achebe Sidney Poitier is the doctor who saves the life of the racist who wants him dead. Sidney Poitier is the teacher who becomes the Great Black Hope for bratty white students that British society has written off. Sidney Poitier is the dignified handyman who builds a…
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Marion Barry Stripped of Chairmanship
Marion Barry, the grassroots hero who overcame a cocaine bust to resume his political career, has been stripped of his power on the Washington, DC City Council. The former mayor lost his chairmanship in a 12-0 vote by the council, the most serious rebuke of Barry in his long up-and-down career. The Washington Post reported: In a stinging…
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What Do the Taliban and Our Youth Have in Common?
For those checking in on the conflict in Afghanistan, the latest buzzword on the war isn’t “surge” any longer, it’s “population-centric.” Despite the recent civilian fatalities of Operation Moshtarak, U.S. officials continue to emphasize a strategy of reduced combat and increased reconciliation with the Afghan community. This includes supporting President Hamid Karzai’s overarching plan to…
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Julianna Smoot To Replace Desiree Rogers as Social Secretary
The White House has decided it’s time for the kind of social secretary who will stand by the door with a guest list in hand to keep out party crashers. Desiree Rogers’ replacement as White House social secretary will be Julianna Smoot, a veteran fundraiser who served as national finance director for the Obama campaign…
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The Root’s Gates Among Winners of NAACP Image Awards
We had a lot of advice for the NAACP before their 41st annual Image Awards ceremony Friday. In at least one case, they did listen and passed up on giving the award for literary non-fiction to Al Gore. Instead, the winner in that category was The Root’s editor-in-chief, Henry Louis Gates Jr. for his book, “In…
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NEWS STAND: Noose Leads Students to Storm Office, Pro-Life Blacks
Latest in “Compton Cookout” Controversy Black students at University of California in San Diego have finally had enough. First there was the off-campus “Compton Cookout” party parodying black stereotypes. When black students complained, the campus TV station mocked them with a racist broadcast. Black students and others protested that, after which a noose was found dangling in a…
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France, Slavery and Colonization
Louis-Georges Tin is a French intellectual and the vice president of CRAN (Conseil représentatif des associations noires de France or the Coalition of Black French Associations). As Black History Month comes to an end in the United States, he reviews the role of France in slavery and colonization, and talks about the social scars left…
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Win Your Own 'Faces of America'-Type Moment
There’s only a few more days to enter for a chance to win a free DNA kit, with the results personally delivered by editor-in-chief of The Root and “Faces of America” host Dr. Henry Lous Gates, Jr. Find more details and an online entry form on the Rooted For The Future sweepstakes page.
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New York Governor Paterson Drops His Bid to Get Re-elected
The dream is over for New York Governor David Paterson. The Empire State’s first black governor announcedannounce this afternoon that he will withdraw from the race for a new term after news reports that he and New York State Police officials had intervened in a domestic violence incident involving a close aide. At a news…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
