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In Kenya, a Legacy of Resilience
(The Root) — For many of Kenya’s well-off, Saturdays are for shopping, drinking lattes, nibbling on international fare like sushi and Greek frozen yogurt and window-shopping in Nairobi’s upscale malls. There’s the Sarit Center, the Village Market and the perhaps the glitziest of them all, the Westgate Mall, where the car park is often filled…
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Where Is George Zimmerman?
(The Root) — In a strange turn of events, it appears that no one knows exactly where George Zimmerman is, and therefore he can’t be served divorce papers, a lawyer representing his estranged wife, Shellie, tells TMZ. Until Zimmerman is served with papers, the lawyer says, the divorce cannot move forward. Sources close to George’s family…
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At CBC, Obama Delivers Fiery Message to GOP
(The Root) — “We will not negotiate over whether or not America should keep its word and meet its obligations,” President Barack Obama said on Saturday night during the dinner at the close of the 43rd Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual legislative conference. “We’re not going to allow anyone to inflict economic pain on millions…
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Kofi Awoonor, Ghanaian Poet, Among 39 Killed in Nairobi Attack
The Root’s editor-in-chief, Henry Louis Gates Jr., lamented the loss of 78-year-old Kofi Awoonor, a noted literary figure, who was among 39 people killed during a militant attack on a shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, according to news reports. “Kofi Awoonor was one of the pioneering figures in the history of African literature,” Gates said in…
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Can Hip-Hop and Politics Work Together?
(The Root) — On Friday, there was music in the message at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 43rd annual legislative conference. During a panel entitled “Hip-Hop and Politics,” hosted by Radio One personality Amos Brown, the Rev. Lennox Yearwood of the Hip-Hop Caucus, Global Grind’s Michael Skolnik, IMPACT’s Angela Rye, Public Enemy’s Hank Shocklee, MC…
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Quote of the Day: Nikki Giovanni on Self-Awareness
Read more about Nikki Giovanni 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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DJs Go Back to Old School
(The Root) — In hip-hop, the DJ has always been heralded as the most important member of a rap group. For years, artists have written odes to their mix masters, whether it was Run-DMC showering Jam Master Jay with praise or Rakim proclaiming that “Eric B Is President.” But recently a group of Atlanta-based DJs…
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Why Gun-Related Homicides Are Higher in the US
In a piece at BlackAmericaWeb, Don Lemon takes lawmakers to task on gun violence in America in the aftermath of recent mass shootings. He says they must make significant changes to gun laws if things are going to change. Well, first let’s remove the politics and truthfully talk about gun laws, about gun violence. After the Newtown…
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Republicans' Plan on Obamacare: Delay, Defund and Default
“There is no glory in this,” the New York Times‘ Charles M. Blow writes in a strong reprimand to House Republicans who have threatened to “wreak havoc on the economy” in a last-ditch effort to block implementation of the Affordable Care Act. “This is petty and small.” Delay and defund. And default. That is the…
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Jonathan Ferrell's Death Highlights Heavy Toll of Racial Stereotyping
The story of Jonathan Ferrell, who was shot dead by a North Carolina police officer as he sought help, highlights the deadly toll of racial stereotyping, Tressie McMillan Cottom writes in a piece at Slate. Last week, Jonathan Ferrell, a former Florida A&M football player who recently moved to the Charlotte, N.C., area to be…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
