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What Makes White People Feel Invisible?
(The Root) — In the latest in a series of Reddit “Ask Me Anything” sessions, our Race Manners columnist, Jenée Desmond-Harris, opened herself up to more of readers’ questions about race (and about the story of the Race Manners advice column itself). Check out the conversation here. Bandjo: How do I apologize for being a white man…
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Chicago's Gangs Aren't the Problem
When discussing the problems of violence in Chicago, people should focus beyond gangs, Mikki Kendall writes at The Toast. Kendall argues that the city “needs healing and access to resources and opportunities that have vanished with each wave of gentrification.” Experts on Chicago (who often are neither from Chicago or remotely educated about Chicago politics or…
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Miriam Carey: When We Ignore Black Women and Mental Health
At Salon magazine, Brittney Cooper connects the incident in Washington, D.C., involving Miriam Carey — the African-American woman who tried to crash her car into a White House barrier — to the current dysfunction on Capitol Hill over the right to health care. Her case is a “cautionary tale about what can happen in a nation…
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Billionaires Save Head Start During Shutdown
(The Root) — There has been very little news worth celebrating during the current government shutdown, making it hard to decide which news is more depressing: that our leaders are collecting paychecks while hundreds of thousands of federal workers, including Secret Service agents and Capitol police, go without theirs; that politicians refuse to put the…
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A Comeback for Lauryn Hill? Too Late
(The Root) — From 1994 to around 2005, I was Lauryn Hill’s biggest fan. I’m sure there are plenty of people who have laid claim to that title and would challenge my statement. I’m happy to battle it out by quoting lyrics and dueling with an encyclopedic knowledge of every quote Hill’s ever given, interview…
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Feel Sorry for Chris Brown Now?
(The Root) — Like most people with a modicum of common sense, I have long considered Chris Brown to be a pretty despicable human being. Besides his horrific assault on ex-girlfriend Rihanna, there was his almost total lack of remorse after the event, followed by a series of additional violent outbursts, including a notorious incident…
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Say It Loud, I'm Coloured and I'm Proud
Editor’s note: The spelling of the ethnic term “Coloured,” used within the context of South African history and culture, reflects the writer’s preference. (The Root) — I know what you’re probably thinking, and to be honest, I don’t blame you. You probably took one look at the title of this piece and thought to yourself,…
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Once on Food Stamps, Now He's a 'Genius'
(The Root) — The other day during a recent business trip to Los Angeles, Kyle Abraham’s rental car got a flat tire. For most people, this inconvenience would spin their day out of control, but not Abraham. The dancer-choreographer was still floating on air after being named a MacArthur fellow. The 2013 fellowship from the…
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Immigration: It's Never Been 'Us vs. Them'
On Oct. 8, tens of thousands of immigration-reform activists are expected to rally in Washington, D.C., to call on Congress to create a pathway to citizenship for the nation’s 11.7 million undocumented immigrants. Among their number will be civil rights activists who primarily represent other causes. It won’t be the first time we’ve seen leaders…
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Connected by the Power of Music
(The Root) — 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 Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. A rustic barn provides the setting for a masterful study of the contrasting terms of village…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
