-
Fear of a Black Gun Owner
(The Root) — It may seem hard to believe, but the modern-day gun-rights debate was born from the civil rights era and inspired by the Black Panthers. Equally surprising is that the National Rifle Association — now an aggressive lobbying arm for gun manufacturers — actually once supported, and helped write, federal gun-control laws. In…
-
2013 Inauguration Highs and Lows
(The Root) — With the final inaugural ball finally wrapped up and all of the out-of-town attendees headed back home today, The Root decided to take a look back at the highs and lows of President Obama’s second inauguration. High: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday Hollywood could not have scripted it better. On the day the…
-
Aesop: Black, as Fabled?
(The Root) — This image is part of a weekly series that The Root is presenting in conjunction with the Image of the Black in Western Art Archive at Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research. Aesop, the ancient Greek fabulist, is seen here in an animated pose, apparently in the act of telling one…
-
Why I Won't Listen to Beyoncé
Maya Rockeymoore argues in a piece for the Huffington Post that it’s in our collective best interest to tune out the singer’s Pepsi endorsement, for the sake of health and that of our children. You would have to be living in a bubble to have missed the news that Beyonce cut a reported $50 million,…
-
Why Obama's 2013 Crowds Were Better
Monday’s inauguration crowds were smaller than they were in 2009, but was that really a bad thing? Slate‘s David Weigel unpacks how, four years later, supporters in Washington, D.C. — many of whom were African American — were different in their outlook as well as numbers: This was a smaller group than 2009, but it…
-
40 Years Later: Abortion Rights Still Matter
(The Root) — After many Americans finish celebrating the second inauguration of the first black president, many others, including feminists and progressives, will recognize another milestone: the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, a landmark Supreme Court decision that decriminalized abortion. The occasion has also sparked a great deal of reflection on the role of…
-
Report: Shooting on Texas College Campus
Houston’s KHOU is reporting that multiple people have been shot at Lone Star College’s North Harris campus in Houston and that law-enforcement officers are still searching for one of the men whose argument, witnesses say, set off the shooting: Dozens of law enforcement officers are searching for the gunman who got away. One of the…
-
Watch This: Anita Hill on Her New Doc
It was 1991 when Anita Hill gave her testimony during Clarence Thomas’ Supreme Court confirmation. Now the documentary Anita, which tells the story about her sexual harassment allegations, is selling out at the Sundance Film festival. It premiered on Saturday. In an interview about the film, here are Hill’s and director Freida Mock’s answers to…
-
Watch This: First Lady Side-Eyes Boehner
Even the most official event has its moments of absolute comedy. Have you seen this one from Monday’s congressional luncheon, just after President Obama took the oath of office? NPR describes the moment, which was originally posted on Tumblr by a blogger, as “a look first lady Michelle Obama gave Republican Speaker of the House…
-
Obama's Day, Jan. 22: National Prayer Service
THE WHITE HOUSEOffice of the Press SecretaryFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DAILY GUIDANCE AND PRESS SCHEDULE FORTUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2013 In the morning, the President, the Vice President, the First Lady and Dr. Biden will attend the National Prayer Service at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. There will be in-town travel pool coverage of the service.…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
