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There’s History Behind Those Halloween Blackface Fails
With Halloween approaching, we’ll soon see a rash of stories about young white college students who feel compelled to apologize for an unfortunate Instagram photo that depicts them in blackface at a campus party. The kind of real-life incidents that inspired the new film Dear White People. Yet despite the ambivalence, awkwardness and, sometimes, revulsion…
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Ta-Nehisi Coates on White Supremacy and a Life of Struggle
This year we selected writer Ta-Nehisi Coates as the top honoree on The Root 100, our annual list of influential and high-achieving African Americans. It was June when The Atlantic published his widely read and highly acclaimed cover article, “The Case for Reparations,” which “lays bare a compelling argument for the pecuniary redress of Africans brought…
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It’s a Mistake for Democratic Candidates to Distance Themselves From Obama
Less than one week before the midterm elections, President Barack Obama has, in many parts of the country, become the man who wasn’t there. Swing-state Democrats are afraid to mention his name in public, and consultants are cringing over interviews in which Obama has proclaimed that the upcoming election represents a referendum on his administration’s…
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Young Midterm-Election Voters Will Likely Vote for Republicans
Not so fast, Democrats. You don’t have young voters in the bag. A new Harvard University poll reveals that slightly more than half of young Americans (ages 18-29) who say they’ll definitely be voting in the upcoming midterm elections are planning to vote red. That’s right—for the Republicans. “The new survey, released Wednesday, found a preference for Republican…
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Finding Her Roots: Valerie Jarrett’s Family Made Some Fascinating Contributions to American History
If you missed Tuesday night’s installment of PBS’ Finding Your Roots—hosted by The Root’s editor-in-chief, Henry Louis Gates Jr.—it’s worth checking your local listings for a replay. This latest episode focused on “three enslaved families with three unique histories,” including the family histories of Yale-educated actress Angela Bassett, of Malcolm X and What’s Love Got…
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Painted Down: Exposing Hollywood’s Dirty Little Secret of Putting White Stunt Doubles in Blackface
Outside the world of film and TV, few had probably ever heard the term “painting down” until earlier this month, when Warner Bros. Television apologized for wanting to use a white stuntwoman in dark-skinned makeup in its Fox TV show Gotham. The embarrassed production company said it would hire an African-American stuntwoman instead. Yet any…
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Asian-American Couple Held in Qatar Over Death of Adopted Black Daughter
An American couple have been held in Qatar for nearly two years after the death of their daughter. According to Yahoo News, Matthew and Grace Huang have been accused by the Qatar government of starving their adopted daughter Gloria to death. After Gloria was found unresponsive and subsequently passed away on Jan. 15, 2013, the…
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Watch: Harry Potter Star Has Bars
British actor Daniel Radcliffe, best known for his role as Harry Potter, proves that he is also a lyrical wizard. On Tuesday Radcliffe performed “Alphabet Aerobics” by rap duo Blackalicious on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. If you aren’t familiar with the song, it lives up to its title as a tongue-twisting journey through…
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Nigerian Soldiers Arrested for Working as Spies for Boko Haram
It’s almost unfathomable, but some soldiers in Nigeria’s military might be working as moles for Boko Haram, giving the terrorist group vital information about the military’s strategies and tactics. That’s what the Nigerian military is claiming, and it has arrested those soldiers who it suspects are working as double agents for Boko Haram, AllAfrica.com is…
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3 NYC Corrections Officers Fired After Reports of Corruption at Rikers
Heads are rolling in the upper ranks of New York City’s Department of Correction because of the way it has handled allegations of violence and corruption at the city’s Rikers Island prison. The New York Times is reporting that three executives, including the department chief, William Clemons, got pink slips earlier this week. “The department has been…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
