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Outgunned: Reducing Violence With Economic Opportunity
Editor’s note: Read part 1, part 2 and part 3 of the series. Chicago. New Orleans. Detroit. All of these cities are frequently cited as epicenters of gun violence, with stories about neighborhood shootings regularly appearing on our nightly news. But rarely will news coverage offer the full context for inner-city violence: In particular, these cities are among…
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What’s in a (Black) Name? An Interview With Searching for Shaniqua Director Phill Branch
The blogosphere has been on fire over a story about Kylie Austin, a biracial teen who changed her name from Keisha to Kylie because she was frustrated with being taunted about her “black” name by her mostly white peers. And there’s a new film on the way that takes this issue head-on. There have been…
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Quote of the Day: Paula Gunn Allen on Oppression
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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Chicago Violence: Mom Still Mourns Heaven
Editor’s note: For the past two weeks, The Root and the NAACP have partnered to present a series of reports on gun violence, its causes and potential solutions. To highlight the urgent nature of the problem, The Root is updating cases we have previously reported, including this Chicago story from 2012. A few days from…
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Get a Clue: If He’s Not Calling Back, He’s Not Into You
“I’m interested in a guy, but he’s inconsistent in calling and texting me. Usually when I call or text, I don’t get a response, but then I’ll see that he’s using social media. I take that to mean he has the time but he’s not using it to stay in touch. That means he’s not…
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Dear Black Professional Athlete
Or perhaps I should say “dear brother athlete”? You should know you are kindred to your community, not simply from a genetic perspective but from a socioeconomic aspect as well. Do you recall when you were a child playing the game? You most certainly remember those days practicing your craft in cutoff corduroy shorts and…
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Outkast Will Reunite! Well, Maybe?
Revolt TV confirmed rumors on Wednesday that hip-hop duo Outkast will go on tour in 2014. (My Slate homies Forrest Wickman and Aisha Harris remind us why we should trust Diddy’s network when it comes to concert announcements.) There’s another shaky rumor that Outkast will headline Coachella next year. Let’s pretend that all of this…
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Man Poses With 19-Month-Old Daughter on Facebook, Kills Her Minutes Later
Terrible. Denver resident Merrick McKoy shot his 19-month-old daughter, Mia, in her mother’s apartment Monday morning, just before turning the gun on himself, and minutes after posing in a photo with the girl on Facebook. The two were taken to a Denver-area hospital, where the girl was pronounced dead. McKoy, 22, survived his gunshot wound, but…
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Oprah Winfrey, Bayard Rustin Among Medal of Freedom Recipients
Recognized for their outstanding contributions to the United States, four African Americans received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in a Wednesday morning ceremony at the White House. In a presentation in the East Room attended by first lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, President Obama awarded this year’s…
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A Fallen Black Girl: Remembering Latasha Harlins
Latasha Harlins would not live long enough to witness the birth of Twitter or the era of the hashtag. Yet it’s difficult not to summon her name—or her story—amid hashtag memorials for another dead black girl, 19-year-old Renisha McBride, who was shot in the face earlier this month after knocking on a door in suburban…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
