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Quote of the Day: Maria W. Stewart on Africa
Read the quote in its full context here. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and the director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute 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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We Need More Black Female Comic Book Characters!
Chaka Cumberbatch, in a piece at xoJane, takes issue with the lack of black female representation in the superhero genre: “Quick — off the top of your head, no Googling allowed — how many black female characters in comics, sci-fi or video games are you able to think of?” Cumberbatch is encouraging the powers that…
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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…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
