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12 Ways to Be a White Ally to Black People
Michael Brown, an African-American teenager, was shot six times and killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, during a stop for jaywalking in Ferguson, Mo. Some facts are uncontroverted: Brown was unarmed when he was shot about 35 feet away from Wilson, who didn’t know that Brown was a suspect in an alleged shoplifting…
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In Ancient Egypt, Were Africans the Oppressors or the Oppressed?
This image is part of a weekly series that The Root is presenting in conjunction with the Image of the Black in Western Art Archive at Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Research Institute, part of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. A huge tableau, painted on a mural scale more than 10 feet…
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Stress Is a Growing Way of Life in Ferguson
Friday, Aug. 8, was a big day for Kizzie and Charles Davis. It was the day they opened Ferguson Burger Bar & More on West Florissant Avenue for the first time after taking it over from the previous owner, they told The Root Monday. But the next day, they were saddened to learn that Michael…
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The President’s Critics Are Wrong About His Response to Ferguson
Last year, right before President Barack Obama made his unannounced appearance in the White House briefing room to personally address the acquittal of George Zimmerman, Trayvon Martin’s killer, on murder charges, I was among those who argued, no, the president shouldn’t be called on to make a statement about the case. Although the words Obama…
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Ga. High Schoolers Develop Police-Accountability App
Three teen siblings from Georgia — Caleb, Ima and Asha Christian — have released an app that could bring about more police accountability, reports Black Youth Project. The Five-O app will allow users to rate their interactions with police officers. Released on Monday, the app comes at a pertinent time as protesters rally in Ferguson,…
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Trayvon Martin’s Father Has Sympathetic Advice for Michael Brown’s Family
Trayvon Martin’s father, Tracy Martin, knows a bit about what Michael Brown’s family is feeling. Brown was unarmed on Aug. 9 when he was fatally shot by a police officer in his hometown of Ferguson, Mo. During an appearance Sunday on MSNBC’s Weekends With Alex Witt, Tracy Martin pointed out the similarities between the character…
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Supporters: Officer Who Killed Michael Brown Is ‘Being Victimized’
Over the last week, thousands of residents of Ferguson, Mo., have protested the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown. Brown’s death has sparked rallies throughout the country as well as international support. Protesters and members of the press have been teargassed, shot with wooden bullets and arrested for exercising their right to peaceful assembly. But there…
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Ferguson’s White City Leadership Must Change
From Ferguson, Mo., to similarly afflicted hoods: It’s about time to put the hands down and roll the sleeves up. The strategy? A shrewdly engineered calculus for political engagement that fundamentally reshapes contemporary Ferguson. Sure, most of us are not on the ground in Ferguson, so I’ll take the predictable hit from some readers as…
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President Obama Interrupts Vacation, Returns to White House
President Barack Obama interrupted his Martha’s Vineyard vacation and returned to the White House Sunday evening to meet with Vice President Joe Biden and military officials to handle crises at home and abroad. According to the Associated Press, Obama made the move as tensions in Ferguson, Mo., and in Iraq continue to grow. AP notes that the…
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Mo. Gov. Jay Nixon: Releasing Video an Attempt to ‘Besmirch’ Victim
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson aren’t in agreement over the release to the press of a store security video that allegedly shows Michael Brown stealing cigars from a convenience store. Brown, an unarmed Ferguson teen, was fatally shot by police Officer Darren Wilson a week ago, and the shooting has…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
