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Was My Ancestor a Free Afro-Hispanic of Color?
I am wondering if you can give me any advice on how to research one of my family lines: the Driggerses. I have learned that the Driggers family was one of a few free African-American families in the South during slavery. I didn’t know that was even “a thing” until I read about it. My…
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A Look Inside the National Museum of African American History and Culture
The day has finally come for the new National Museum of African American History and Culture to open. On Sept. 24, the doors to the museum will open to the public. A few of our staff members had the opportunity to visit the museum Thursday on its media day, and trust us, you will not be disappointed.…
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Confounding Fathers: Paternalism and the Sociopathic Nature of Racial Discourse in America
Not even 24 hours after Hollywood has-been Michael Rapaport tweeted to me the last of his puerile, racist memes, I looked up at a television in my gym and saw him on ESPN, contributing some inane wind about the NFL to keep the 24-hour sports-entertainment mill spinning. Paul Finebaum—who two weeks ago apologized after his…
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Mother Conned Out of $10,000 by Women Pretending to Be Her Daughter and a Friend
A 61-year-old woman from the Maspeth neighborhood of New York City’s Queens borough was conned out of $10,000 by crooks who pretended to be her upset daughter and a friend in urgent need of cash, the New York Daily News reports. Two suspects called the woman, one of them pretending to cry hysterically as her…
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CBC Week: Black People Are Hurt by Climate Change, but It’s Not on the Agenda
It’s no secret: The climate is changing, and black communities are on the front lines. From the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans to the Rockaways in New York City and westward to San Francisco’s East Bay, African Americans are bearing the brunt of climate impacts. Black people contribute much less to the problem (pdf)…
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9 Artists Whose Breakout Albums Defined 1996: Where Are They Now?
From hip-hop releases like The Score and Ill Na Na to R&B albums like Ginuwine … the Bachelor and Dru Hill, 1996 definitely gave us some breakout hits from some of our favorite ’90s artists. By the time you’re finished reading this list, you’ll find out what these musicians have been up to lately—and have…
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School Bus Driver Hailed as Hero After Saving 20 Children From Burning Bus
Twenty Maryland elementary school children are alive today thanks to the heroic actions of school-bus driver Renita Smith. Smith rescued the children one by one Monday afternoon as the bus she had been driving just moments before burst into flames. Then she got back on the bus to make sure that no child had been left behind,…
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Family of Rikers Island Inmate Who Died From Untreated Ulcer Receives $1,500,000 Settlement
The family members of Victor Woods, 53, reached a $1.5 million settlement with New York City after Woods died from untreated, bleeding ulcers while incarcerated at Rikers Island, according to the New York Daily News. Woods’ relatives sued the city after he slowly bled to death internally on a cot at the Anna M. Kross…
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Police Identify Woman Suspected of Stealing Elderly Woman’s Purse in NYC
New York City police officers believe that Adrienne Terry, 37, grabbed 86-year-old Bernice Starnes’ purse around 9 a.m. as she was sitting in her wheelchair outside her building in the Bronx, the New York Daily News reports. Terry allegedly walked up to Starnes, grabbed her pocketbook and took off as Starnes yelled after her. “She…
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NC Police Searching for Man Who Allegedly Shot Police Officer
Officer Tim Brackeen of the Shelby, N.C., Police Department was shot early Saturday and later died Monday morning from his injuries. Police suspect that Irving Fenner Jr., 23, is the man behind the shooting, and cops are now searching for the North Carolina man, USA Today reports. “I saw this man shoot this cop and…

