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The ‘Acting White Theory’ Doesn’t Add Up
(The Root) — Do black students purposefully underachieve because they attribute being smart to “acting white”? For more than a decade, academics, policymakers and cultural critics have publicly chided black children for having an anti-intellectual attitude, based on the “Acting White Theory.” The Acting White Theory originated in the 1980s with Dr. John Ogbu’s ethnographic…
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50 Years Later: Remembering a Female Civil Rights Activist
Harvard Law School professor Kenneth W. Mack writes at the Huffington Post that it’s an African-American woman, attorney Pauli Murray, who deserves credit for expanding the language of civil rights in 1963 to include women’s rights — and even LGBT rights. President Obama’s unprecedented endorsement of gay rights in his inauguration address last week —…
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Jamaican Accent: Super Bowl's 1st Ad Controversy?
Jamaican accent the Super Bowl’s first ad controversy? In this Volkswagen spot, a man from Minnesota takes on a Jamaican accent. The New York Times’ Charles Blow called it “like blackface with voices.” Today-show “ad expert” Barbara Lippert said, “This is so racist.” VW responded that the company spoke to 100 Jamaicans who said it was fine. Discussion…
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'The Root Live' Video: Cash-Savvy Kids
(The Root) — Now more than ever, children need to learn the value of the dollar and how to spend and save responsibly. On the latest webisode of The Root Live, which taped Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, Michael Lomax, president and CEO of United Negro College Fund; Teri Williams, president of OneUnited Bank and the…
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How Howard University Produces Great Cinematographers
How does a historically black college with no formal cinematography program churn out the likes of Sundance Award winner Bradford Young? Howard University professor Alonzo Crawford tells the Washington Post that his institution’s formula for producing some of film’s black notables has to do with a mix of theory and pragmatism in instruction. I Will…
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Race Bias? Execution Postponed
Update: Wednesday, Jan. 30, 11:00 a.m. ET: A state district judge has rescheduled Kimberly McCarthy’s execution for April 3 to allow her lawyers time to file an appeal focused on whether her predominantly white jury was improperly selected on the basis of race. Earlier: McCarthy is set to be executed by lethal injection on Tuesday…
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Obama's Day, Jan. 29: Immigration Talk in Las Vegas
THE WHITE HOUSEOffice of the Press SecretaryFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DAILY GUIDANCE AND PRESS SCHEDULE FORTUESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2013 In the morning, the President will depart the White House en route Las Vegas, Nevada. The departure from the South Lawn and the arrival at McCarran International Airport are open press. While in Las Vegas, the President…
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7 Young Black Writers You Should Know
Ebony‘s Patrice Peck pulled together this list of up-and-coming black wordsmiths — from journalists to poets to fiction writers — who are making their unique marks on the literary world. Here’s just a little about who they are, why they write and why we should be reading them: Jenna Wortham As a technology reporter for The…
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Racist, Sexist Slurs to Be Removed From World Trade Center
Black people, white people, Jewish people and women: That’s not even the full list of groups targeted by racist and sexist graffiti discovered in the bathrooms at New York City’s One World Trade Center construction site. On Tuesday the Daily News reported that workers have been assigned to paint over the vandalism. The worst part…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
