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The 2014 Black Agenda: 5 Things to Focus On
As we enter into a new year, the black community should remain focused on five key areas that are vital to the promotion of racial justice and economic equality in 2014. Reducing Violence in Black Communities Nationwide Chicago’s violence-plagued communities have received the most national attention, in part because of President Barack Obama’s ties to…
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Filmmaker Shola Lynch’s New Role in Bringing Our Stories to the Masses
Shola Lynch has emerged as one of the most exciting black female filmmakers in recent memory. Her groundbreaking documentaries—2004’s Chisholm ’72: Unbought & Unbossed, on the history-making presidential campaign of black congresswoman Shirley Chisholm; and 2013’s Free Angela and All Political Prisoners, the story of iconic black activist Angela Davis—have established her as both a…
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Rest in Peace, Uncle Phil—Fresh Prince Star James Avery Dies at 68
According to a report from TMZ, actor James Avery, best known for his six-season run on the hit NBC comedy The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, died Tuesday evening, New Year’s Eve, at the age of 68 at a Los Angeles-area hospital. He appeared in numerous shows and movies during his career, including hits such as…
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2013: It Was Hard Out Here for a Racist
The year 2013 was tough for people who felt entitled to publicly express bigoted and intolerant views without suffering any consequences. There were the offenders who learned the hard way that jokes have to actually be funny to work, long before public relations executive Justine Sacco’s tweet, “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding.…
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Quote of the Day: Harriet Tubman on the Underground Railroad
You can read this quote, and others from Harriet Tubman, in Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations. Read how the quote is referenced 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 editor-in-chief of The Root. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
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Let’s Hope Hip-Hop Steps Up in 2014
Around the family dinner table over Christmas, the conversation turned to the recently announced Outkast performance at Coachella 2014—the event that pretty much all hip-hop heads are looking forward to—and the overall state of hip-hop going into 2014, which has decidedly more mixed reviews. Was 2013 a good year for the music we love, or…
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Melissa Harris-Perry Apologizes to the Romneys
MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry apologized to the Romney clan on Twitter today for off-color comments she and a panel of comedians made about a family photo in which Kieran Romney, Mitt Romney’s adopted black grandchild, is front and center. On Sunday, Perry hosted a gang of funny men and women for her year-end “A Look…
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Quote of the Day: Frederick Douglass on Biracial Children
You can read this quote from the book My Bondage and My Freedom (1855), and others by Frederick Douglass, in Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations. Read how the quote is referenced 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…
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NY Urban League Supports Common Core Standards
As we prepare for 2014, our thoughts turn to the events that shaped our year, from the acquittal of George Zimmerman to the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington to the recent passing of Nelson Mandela. Indeed, it has been a year of great loss, remembrance and, yes, hope. Hope that in honor of…
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Bride’s Story a Cautionary Tale of the Mistakes Some Black Women Make
Over the weekend, the New York Times published “A Reluctant Bride Conquers Her Fears” in its Weddings section. The story focused on a black couple who said “I do” on Dec. 14. It was a celebratory tale with a happy ending, but some women found themselves in tears before they finished. “I’m crying over this Demetria,”…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
