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Fast Food Kills More of Our People Than Gangs
(The Root) — In an occasional series, The Root will showcase the talent of spoken-word artists from the around the country. Their stories about race, social justice, community and relationships move us to action, to anger — even tears. Clint Smith teaches English at Parkdale High School in Prince George’s County, Md. In the classroom,…
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Sweet, Memorable Photos of the First Family
(The Root) — Five years ago, The Root launched to deliver news and analysis focused on the issues of black Americans and the greater Diaspora. However, we’d be remiss if we didn’t put our conception into context. The creation of our site in January 2008 was in large part because of the success of Barack Obama’s campaign…
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Sen. Cory Booker Takes Office
(The Root) — Thursday will be a whirlwind day for the new senator from New Jersey, Cory Booker. His public swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., will be conducted by Vice President Joe Biden, and later in the afternoon he’ll visit with President Barack Obama at the White House. Booker will be one…
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Howard Homecoming a Waste? No Way
(The Root) — Like many Howard University alumni, I’m pretty committed to — and really sentimental about — my alma mater’s annual homecoming weekend. I haven’t missed one since I graduated. Just as I was giddily putting the last touches on this year’s plans, I received the following email, sent to The Root by a…
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Are Geisha Costumes Always Racist?
(The Root) — “Help me settle a debate with my roommate. I’m white and she is of mixed heritage: African American and Japanese. However, she was raised by her African-American father and is not very much in touch with her Asian side. She plans to be a geisha for Halloween, and my opinion is that…
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Skip Gates' 'Many Rivers' Premieres
(The Root) — “The story of the African-American people is the story of the settlement and growth of America itself, a universal tale that all people should experience,” says Henry Louis Gates Jr., the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and founding director of the Hutchins Center for African and African-American Research at Harvard University. Gates, who…
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Why Do Italian Men Love Black Women?
(The Root) — “I went to Italy, where Italian men love black women. My male friends here in the U.S. seem to think I’m exaggerating this when I bring it up, or act offended when I rave about the great time I had there and how much I enjoyed the unusual amount of attention and praise (yeah, I’ll…
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Ending Female Genital Mutilation
Nice Nailantei Leng’ete escaped her own planned circumcision at age 8, and she committed to save others, too. Now, at 22, she’s working with her Masai community and others in Kenya to implement alternative rites of passage programs in which more than 800 girls have taken part so far. These images show Leng’ete’s efforts to…
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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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Please Stop Assuming All Blacks Are Christian
(The Root) — “I’m so frustrated. Just because I’m black/African American doesn’t mean I’m Christian. I was raised in a home where we attended church, but during college I decided to officially call myself an atheist. Yet other black people are constantly assuming that I have a ‘church home’ or saying they will pray for…