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Is 'Caucasian' Losing Its Meaning?
Shaila Dewan at the New York Times explores why America classifies people by race and determines that some classifications remain useful. She says, however, that “Caucasian” has outlived its usefulness in today’s society, much like “Negroid,” and should be retired. As a racial classification, the term Caucasian has many flaws, dating as it does from a time…
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13 Telltale Signs You're a Delta
(The Root) — Starting this weekend, the streets of Washington, D.C., will be flooded by a sea of red. With letters on their sleeves and immeasurable pride in their hearts, the women of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. will flock to the city that birthed their organization 100 years ago. While every Delta woman is…
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Black and Transgender: Still on the Margins
(The Root) — Following the recent Supreme Court decision declaring the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, President Barack Obama’s embrace of marriage equality and the repeal of “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” gay Americans are experiencing their very own civil rights era. But the struggle isn’t over, and there are forgotten faces among the jubilant crowds:…
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Quote of the Day: Ralph Ellison on Black Humor
Read how the quote is used to explain America’s post-World War II culture 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. Like The Root on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
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DOMA: 'I Still Can't Marry My Girlfriend'
The Supreme Court’s decision on same-sex marriage is good for the LGBT community, but it doesn’t lower the unemployment rate or provide health care for gay people of color, Jasmyne A. Cannick writes at The Advocate. Cannick uses bits and pieces of her own story to describe how the right to marry is not a…
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Why Section 3 Could Save the Voting Rights Act
MSNBC‘s Adam Serwer writes that Section 3 of the Voting Rights Act could save the law because it allows the federal government to require jurisdictions with recent records of discrimination to submit their election-law changes for clearance. Voting rights advocates are testing whether a little-used provision of the Voting Rights Act could limit the damage of…
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Is Empathy for Zimmerman Racist?
(The Root) — In her third Reddit Ask Me Anything, our Race Manners columnist, Jenée Desmond-Harris, opened herself up to more of your burning questions about race. Check out the conversation here. jdaniels2002: Growing up, I always heard my dad say, “NOTHING in America happens where race isn’t a factor.” My dad is 60 now,…
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Mariah Carey Rushed to the Hospital
The New York Post is reporting that Mariah Carey was rushed to the hospital late Monday after dislocating her shoulder while filming her latest video. The superstar was rushed to New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery on the Upper East Side late last night to have her shoulder reset after she fell while filming a…
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Kobe Bryant Unfollows Dwight Howard
(The Root) — Lakers fans aren’t the only ones displeased with Dwight Howard’s decision to leave and join the Rockets. Shortly after Howard’s decision was announced, ex-teammate Kobe Bryant unfollowed Howard on Twitter. He offered an explanation in one single tweet. Well, then. That’s that. Read more at USA Today. Tracy Clayton is a writer,…
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Johnny Depp's African-American Roots
While Johnny Depp’s latest effort in The Lone Ranger as Tonto may be a box office flop, the actor has a great personal story to tell. New research from Ancestry.com reveals that he is a direct descendant of Elizabeth Key, a former slave who worked within the law to win her freedom on July 21, 1656. Before there was…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
