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Obama Praises US-Africa Leaders Summit
President Obama concluded the three-day U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit on Wednesday by praising it as “an extraordinary event” that has the potential to be “a forcing mechanism for decisions and action,” the Washington Post reports. He added that the gathering of U.S. officials and nearly 50 African heads of state in Washington, D.C., “will be a…
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Professor in Arizona Arrested for Jaywalking Given 9 Months of Probation
Arizona State University professor Ersula Ore—who made national headlines after video of her being manhandled during an arrest for jaywalking went viral—has been sentenced to nine months’ probation, according to the Arizona Republic. The English professor was charged with assault after a confrontation with an ASU police officer in Tempe. Despite arguing that the arrest…
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Meet the Miss Black USA 2014 Contestants
Nicole L. Cvetnic is The Root’s multimedia editor and producer. Title: Miss Black USA 2013 Hometown: Raleigh, N.C. Age: 21 School: University of North Carolina at Charlotte Title: Miss Black Alabama USA 2014 Hometown: Montgomery, Ala. Age: 27 School: Auburn University Title: Miss Black Arkansas USA 2014 Hometown: Little Rock, Ark. Age: 21 School: Philander…
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Social Conservatism Is the Way the GOP Can Win With Black Voters
The black electorate is back en vogue. After saving Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran from defeat in the Republican primary just months after propelling Democrat Terry McAuliffe to Virginia’s governorship, black America has demonstrated that it indeed can determine the outcome of elections. More important, perhaps, is the subtext of these results: The black vote is…
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In Eric Garner’s Last Words Was a Demand for Dignity
“This stops today.” Eric Garner’s haunting declaration, made during his deadly encounter with New York City police officers, has become a rallying cry for New Yorkers outraged by the latest example of police violence. Garner’s words speak to the frustration of a man—and a community—besieged by repeated police harassment, and they echo his basic human need…
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We Must Restore the Promise of the Voting Rights Act
Forty-nine years ago today, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Nearly a century ago, the 15th Amendment to the Constitution stated, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color…
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Eric Garner Videographer’s Wife Is Arrested
In what is surely just a coincidence, Chrissie Ortiz, the wife of Ramsey Orta, who recorded the video of Eric Garner’s death, has been arrested. Ortiz was arrested for assault after a dispute with another woman on Tuesday evening. She was later released with a desk appearance ticket to appear at an arraignment, reports The Gothamist.…
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PHOTOS: Obamas Host African Leaders at a Dinner Soiree
Although the event wasn’t billed as a state dinner, it most certainly had an air to it. Dignitaries and heads of state in attendance for the three-day U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit were feted Tuesday night at the White House. Chief of Protocol Peter Selfridge told the Washington Post that he was prepared to pull out all the…
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4 NYPD Officers Beat Emotionally Disturbed Man: Report
An emotionally disturbed man, who was handcuffed and on a stretcher, was beaten by four New York City police officers who only stopped hitting the man when EMTs with the Fire Department of New York broke it up, the New York Daily News reports. Two Fire Department EMTs reported the officers to authorities after the July…
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Donald Trump Hit for Ebola Rant on Twitter; Calls for Flight Ban
Billionaire Donald Trump said doctors in the U.S. should not treat patients infected with the Ebola virus, and called on airline officials to ban all flights from countries where the deadly disease has been known to spread, Sky News reports. He was responding to reports that a U.S. doctor and a missionary arrived this week…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
