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Barbara Smith, Who Helped Coin the Term 'Identity Politics,' Endorses Bernie Sanders
DES MOINES, IOWA—Barbara Smith, founding member of the black feminist Combahee River Collective that coined the term “identity politics,” has endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders for president, The Root has learned. In an exclusive interview, Smith, who endorsed Sanders in 2016, said her reasons for endorsing him again were clear. “Of all of the people who…
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Iowa Becky: The Hawkeye State Is Gentrifying Black People Out of Democratic Primary Relevance
During the 1976 presidential election, Jimmy Carter was a little-known governor from Georgia with faint name recognition who was a long shot to capture the Democratic nomination. Lacking the charm of Bill Clinton, the smooth-operator status of Barack Obama and the Hollywood pizazz of Ronald Reagan—who he would eventually beat in that 1976 general election—Carter…
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A Short Story of How a Black Yogi Made It Possible for Black Detroit to Namaste
DETROIT—Detroit is the blackest city in America. And in this black city exists a black-ass yoga studio where you can be your black-ass self. Amina Daniels, the owner and founder, works hard to keep it that way. Live Cycle Delight, located in Detroit’s gentrifying West Village neighborhood, has two spaces: one where the yoga classes…
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Marsha’s Plate Trans Podcast Wants to Liberate All Black People
For the past two years, Diamond Stylz and her podcast co-hosts Mia Sloan and Zahir Alexander have been providing space for black people to liberate themselves from transphobia. They want trans black people to speak freely about their experiences without the pressure of accommodating the white gaze. They want cisgender people to have a space…
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Tom Steyer Picks Up 3 Black Surrogates From the Carolinas
Tom Steyer, who is making some surprising inroads with African-American voters in South Carolina, has just picked up two more endorsements from powerful members of the state’s Democratic leadership and one more from neighboring North Carolina. Johnnie Cordero, chairman of the Democratic Black Caucus of South Carolina, and South Carolina state representative Jerry Govan, chairman…
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Step Ya Beard Game Up With Some Golden Grooming
Every man isn’t blessed with the God-given genes to grow a full beard. But, if you are one of those men, it is essential to groom it the same as you would the hair on top of your head. As my scalp has given way to baldness, grooming my beard has become a daily ritual.…
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Meet the Black Woman Who Is the Brains Behind the Green New Deal
Rhiana Gunn-Wright is constantly figuring out how best to engage black people on environmental justice and crafting policy that empowers them against under-investment and structural racism. As she sees it, environmental justice is central to black liberation. But, as Gunn-Wright explained to me, issues like climate change aren’t explained to people in ways that relate…
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Kamala Harris Wasn't Allowed to Fail Up Like a White Boy
A lot led to Kamala Harris’ campaign collapsing before the first ballot was cast in the Iowa caucuses. But what arguably doomed her chances was her struggle to disprove she was not the lock ’em up prosecutor many critics accused her of being. Much will be written and researched about Harris’ campaign—especially how black women…
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Kamala Harris' Mental Healthcare Plan Calls for Ending Solitary Confinement, Expanding Services for People of Color
U.S. Senator and 2020 presidential candidate Kamala Harris has released a comprehensive mental healthcare plan that calls for ending the “mental illness to jail pipeline” by reclassifying disorders, ending solitary confinement and a range of other proposals the campaign released this morning. It is a well-known fact that America’s jails are the biggest providers of…
