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Actually, Obama’s Record Compares Just Fine With LBJ’s
The tenuousness of making comparisons between President Lyndon B. Johnson’s vaunted vote-wrangling prowess and the allegedly ineffectual legislative skills of President Barack Obama was nicely summed up on Wednesday with this tweet: Although it’s meant to get a laugh—and it’s hard to imagine a future where Obama’s remembered as a Tea Partier—the upshot—that perceptions change…
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Obama Could Stand to Be a Little More Like LBJ
On Thursday, President Barack Obama joined other dignitaries at a civil rights summit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s signature accomplishment as president—passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. And in a nod to the shoulders that he stands on, Obama said, “I have lived out the promise of LBJ’s efforts.”…
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Dear Disgruntled Dater: We’re Sorry. Don’t Quit
It’s come to our attention that you might have had a less-than-stellar experience with a couple of our members. Specifically, upon meeting these young men on separate occasions, each asked you to buy him a drink. First, allow me to apologize on behalf of brothers everywhere for our members’ ghastly errors in judgment. This is…
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The Latest From the National Action Network Convention
The National Action Network’s annual convention is under way this week in New York, featuring dozens of panel discussions tackling civil rights topics from voter repression to stop-and-frisk laws, as well as planned remarks by President Obama. The event’s primary goal, founder and president Al Sharpton told The Root, is to create an “action agenda”…
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Equal-Pay Bill Fails; Petition Against Michael Vick Gains Momentum
The News: For the third time in four years, the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would aim to narrow the wage gap between men and women, failed to pass in the Senate on Wednesday. As expected, the Democratic bill fell short of receiving the 60 votes needed to avoid a filibuster by Republicans. The legislation would…
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Writer Pearl Cleage Tells the Messy Stories of Her Life
By her 20s, Pearl Cleage was on a completely different trajectory, living the kind of life for which a Spelman College degree presumably prepped one: power career as press secretary-speechwriter to Maynard Jackson, Atlanta’s first black mayor; power marriage to up-and-coming politico Michael Lomax (now president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund); powerful friends occupying powerful…
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Barack Obama's Aunt, Zeituni Onyango, Dies at 61
Zeituni Onyango, the aunt of President Obama, became ill in January and passed away on Tuesday at the age of 61. According to NPR, Onyango had been receiving treatment for respiratory problems and cancer within recent months. She died at a Boston rehabilitation center in her sleep. Onyango moved to the United States in 2000.…
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Belle: A Lesson About British Slavery Buried in a Love Story
Fresh off the Oscar success of 12 Years a Slave, another slavery-themed, major motion picture is set to hit theaters next month. For now you’ll just have to take my word that it’s about slavery, because if you watch the trailer for Belle, you might think it is strictly a love story. You wouldn’t know…
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Should a Black Writer Write White Characters?
Dear Race Manners: I’m a young black woman, a recent college graduate and aspiring writer, but I’m paralyzed by concerns about race that are keeping me from beginning my book: Is it wrong that I see the main character as white? Is that OK? If I make the character white, am I pioneering a new avenue for…
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Protect Our Communities From Predatory Payday Lenders
For millions of Americans, the financial crisis that robbed them of their homes, retirement savings and jobs is still in full swing. The urgent need to build and rebuild lost wealth is daunting, especially because predatory payday lenders have made it their mission to supercharge debt for the already downtrodden. They do this by trapping…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
