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Quote of the Day: Marian Wright Edelman on Service
You can read this quote from the book The Measure of Our Success: A Letter to My Children and Yours, and others by Marian Wright Edelman in Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations. Also read this quote and more by her here. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and founding director of the Hutchins Center…
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The Meaning Behind a Nubian Ruler’s Offering to a Falcon God
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. For many, the grandeur of ancient Egypt is evoked by its…
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Jahi’s Family Reflects Deep Mistrust of End-of-Life Decisions
Anyone following the case of Jahi McMath, the California teenager declared brain-dead after an operation at an Oakland, Calif.-area children’s hospital went awry, awoke Monday to substantive news. After weeks of legal wrangling, the girl was transferred out of the hospital Sunday to an undisclosed facility. But beyond the emotionally wrenching details of the McMath…
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Finally! SNL’s Newest Cast Member Is a Black Woman
Kenan Thompson said something dumb. We all responded. And Saturday Night Live listened. Yay for democracy. Deadline reports that Sasheer Zamata will join SNL as its newest cast member. She’ll be the first black female cast member on the show since Maya Rudolph left five years ago. Zamata, who first made a name for herself…
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Ever Hear About a White Athlete’s Baby-Mama Drama?
The jury on whether life imitates art or vice versa will forever be hung. Celebrities and their work definitely have an impact on how individuals perceive the world. We are wowed by the exploits of athletes, croon along to the angelic voices of singers, marvel at the on-screen personas of our favorite thespians and nod…
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7 Flawlessly Choreographed Beyoncé Songs That Will Make You Wanna Dance
Since Beyoncé’s self-titled album dropped on iTunes this past December, some videos featuring choreographed dances to her songs have surfaced. We’ve collected a few for your viewing pleasure. These folks make the wilderness look good with “Grown Woman”: Rising dance star Charlize Glass kills this rendition of Beyoncé’s “Yoncé/Partition”: And then there’s Yanis Marshall. He…
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Quote of the Day: Ishmael Reed on Cultures
You can find this quote from the book Writin’ Is Fightin’ (1988), and other quotes by Ishmael Reed, 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…
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The ‘Chiraq’ War Mentality in Chicago Prevents Solutions
Now that Chicago has recorded the fewest number of murders since 1965, maybe the hyperbole that the city is the murder capital of America will die. Doubtful. But I would like to use this opportunity for the city’s residents to think differently about crime and neighborhoods, and how we respond to perceptions. Chicagoans, let’s please…
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How Many Slaves Landed in the US?
Editor’s note: This week we are revisiting the “amazing fact” from Oct. 15, 2012, that kicked off this series and takes us back to the genesis of the African experience in America. Amazing Fact About the Negro No. 1: How many Africans were taken to the United States during the entire history of the slave…
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Kendrick Johnson: Family Still Seeks Answers to His Death 1 Year Later
It’s been nearly a year since 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson was found dead, rolled up inside of a mat in the gym of his Georgia high school. Investigators concluded that he died in a freak accident, falling head-first while reaching for a shoe and becoming trapped, the Associated Press reports. But almost a full day passed…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
