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Quote of the Day: Amy Jacques Garvey on Women as Leaders
You can read this quote by Amy Jacques Garvey, from her essay “Women as Leaders” (1925), in Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations. Read the quote in its full context here. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and founding director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. He is also the…
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A Memorable Portrait of an Ex-Slave
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. Bundled in a heavy overcoat, high-collared jacket and knit cap, an…
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Amber Rose and Wiz Khalifa’s Son Is the Cutest Thing on Instagram Today
Yesterday, Amber Rose posted footage of her adorable son, Sebastian “The Bash” Taylor Thomaz, to Instagram. And, well, just watch. Is it normal for children to know numbers before the age of 1? Someone call Mensa. He’s a curious fellow, too. Also, he has expensive taste. And those cheeks. Shouts to Bash for winning the…
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Kanye Reflects on College Dropout 10 Years Later
In a rare appearance, Kanye West took to Twitter today to commemorate the 10th anniversary of his debut album, The College Dropout. His 2004 album, which gave us “Slow Jams,” “All Falls Down” and Jesus Walks,” became a classic. It won three of the 10 Grammy nominations it received in 2005, and has gone on…
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How a Gay Football Star Could Change Black America
On Sunday night, Michael Sam made history. The college football standout and likely top NFL draft pick publicly acknowledged that he is gay, which would make him the first athlete in a major American professional team sport to announce he is gay at the very beginning of his career. Sam’s announcement is already one of…
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Quote of the Day: Hattie McDaniel on Her Academy Award
You can read this quote by Hattie McDaniel, from her acceptance speech at the 1940 Academy Awards, and other quotes from McDaniel in Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations. Read the quote in its full context here. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and founding director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research…
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Why the Black Vote Is Crucial in 2014
In 2012, history was made—again. For the first time, African-American voters turned out at a higher rate than the national average, and helped lift President Barack Obama to a second term while helping Democrats add eight seats in the House of Representatives. As we honor the 88th Black History Month, we celebrate the strides so many…
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The World Insists That I’m ‘Exotic,’ but I Just Want to Be Black
The first time I remember someone saying that I looked more “other” than African American, I completely misunderstood the comment. My second-grade teacher told my mother that I looked Samoan. I had no idea that “Samoan” referred to an ethnic group and wasn’t some frivolous adjective like “cute.” In my 7-year-old mind, the word sounded…
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Great African-American Entrepreneurs Who Made History
Teresa Wiltz is senior staff writer at Stateline, the journalism outlet of the Pew Charitable Trusts. From the very beginning, black Americans have struggled to make a way out of no way. Faced with rampant racism and discrimination, industrious African Americans decided to do for self, launching their own businesses and empires. In honor of…
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From Khalil Gibran Muhammad: A Message to Our Young Futurists
I recently taught history to a group of Harlem’s best and brightest teens. They are kids from all walks of life. Some are outgoing and energetic. Others are shy and reserved. All of them are leaning forward, toward a brighter future, leaving the past behind. These young people are very much like you. Their optimism…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
