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Ebola Crisis in Sierra Leone Reportedly Led to Spike in Teen Pregnancies and Rapes
Classrooms are filling up again in Sierra Leone now that the Ebola crisis is under control, but the outbreak didn’t only claim the lives of some students; it also created an environment that led to a spike in pregnancies, RFI reports. That, too, is affecting attendance, since pregnant girls are not allowed to come to…
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How a Black Saint Was Used to Convert Slaves Into Catholics
This image is part of a weekly series that The Root is presenting in conjunction with the Image of the Black Archive & Library at Harvard University’s Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. The pious figure of a black person is often presented as a subsidiary figure within religious works of early-modern Europe.…
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Poll: Who Should Play Dorothy in the TV Version of The Wiz?
When we think of “Home” we think of Stephanie Mills in her iconic performance as Dorothy in the original 1974 production of The Wiz on Broadway. Diana Ross took over the role in the 1978 film version alongside Michael Jackson, who gave an unforgettable performance as the Scarecrow. Now NBC is launching a live television…
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Cop Who Put Eric Garner in Choke Hold Is Being Sued for Allegedly Causing a Car Accident
Daniel Pantaleo, the New York City police officer who administered a fatal choke hold to Eric Garner last summer, is being sued for a different incident involving a man named Leonardo Aguirre, the New York Daily News reports. In his suit, Aguire claims that Pantaleo caused a car accident last June in Staten Island that…
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Mich. Dad Inadvertently Eats Daughter’s Pot-Laced Brownies and Is Rushed to the ER
It all started as an innocuous grab for some delicious-looking brownies that a Michigan dad saw laid out in his home Wednesday morning. He popped some into his mouth but soon started to suffer from hallucinations, the New York Daily News reports. The father, according to the Detroit Free Press, called 911, explaining that he had…
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Chicago Mayor’s Race: Rahm Emanuel Takes a Few Jabs, but He’s Still Standing
Incumbent Mayor Rahm Emanuel sat through the second of Chicago’s three runoff debates looking as if he needed to pinch himself while trying not to look as if he wanted to punch his opponent’s lights out. He wasn’t supposed to be there. All bets were on Emanuel brushing aside his four much lesser-known challengers in…
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Who Was the 1st Black Female Ph.D.?
Who was the first African-American woman to receive her Ph.D. degree from an American university? (Hint: Three pioneers are considered to share this distinction.) Let’s start with some numbers. In 1903 W.E.B. Du Bois published The Talented Tenth. Here he introduced the term by which he meant the “college-bred Negroes,” the race’s “exceptional men” who…
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Michelle Obama Delivers Inspiring Speech at Black Girls Rock! Event
Less than 24 hours after attending the 2015 Black Girls Rock! event at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, I’m still in awe of the tremendous inspiration and sisterhood that filled the room. The star-studded event, which occurred against the backdrop of Women’s History Month, was co-hosted by actresses Tracee Ellis Ross and…
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Watch: Destiny’s Child Reunites for Surprise Gospel Performance in Vegas
In a long-awaited move for fans of Destiny’s Child, the group reunited for a brief performance Saturday night at the 2015 Stellar Gospel Awards at Las Vegas’ Orleans Arena, according to the New York Daily News. Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland teamed up with Stellar Award nominee Michelle Williams on the song “Say Yes.” The single…
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Roger Moore Denies ‘Racist’ Comment About Idris Elba Playing James Bond
Former James Bond actor Roger Moore found himself backpedalling from comments in which he balked at the notion of Idris Elba portraying the superspy, according to the New York Daily News. The 87-year-old actor, who portrayed Bond in seven films, reportedly made the comments during a recent Paris Match interview, according to the news outlet.…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
