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The Birth of the Blerd
(The Root) — With all the media attention they’ve been getting lately, I think it’s safe to say that “blerds” — black nerds — are now officially a thing. Since Eric Deggans’ 2012 NPR story “Move Over Urkel, There Are New ‘Blerds’ Around,” the Internet has been ablaze with blerdness: What is a blerd? No,…
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Revenge of the Blerds
(The Root) — Welcome back to The Root’s Blerd History Month series. If you’re just joining us, we’re taking a humorous look at the origins of the “blerd” — the black nerd — which has recently become a thing. The Internet has been all abuzz with blerds over the past several months, and we want…
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Blerd Power
(The Root) — Our Black History Month series on the history of the blerd continues! We’ve traversed from the blerd’s beginnings at the dawn of America, and this week we follow the blerd from the mid-20th century to the rebellious end of the century. This was a time of thunderous social change, and though you…
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The Coolest Black Nerds You Know
(The Root) — As Black History Month comes to a close, so, too, does our series on the history of the blerd. It’s been a wild, informative ride, no? From Crispus Attucks to Jack Johnson to Public Enemy, blerds are everywhere. They have been forever, and you didn’t even know it. Today’s blerds are loud…
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So You Want to Be a Relationship Expert!
(The Root) — Something amazing is happening today. Your favorite musical icons from the 1990s are putting down the microphones and picking up the pens (or paying someone to do it for them) and writing books giving relationship advice aimed primarily at black women. The success of Steve Harvey’s Act Like a Lady, Think Like…
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Relationship Coach Gets No Love
(The Root) — For better or worse, self-styled “relationship experts” are all the rage. Everyone is in on the act — rappers, actors, singers and seemingly every other person on Twitter. Some have managed to collect thousands of followers, but for every fan there are probably at least 10 people who are, shall we say,…
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When 'Scandal' Nearly Killed Twitter
(The Root) — Each week, Shonda Rhimes whips Twitter into an absolute frenzy with an hour of plotting, scheming and fast-talking on Scandal, the political thriller starring Kerry Washington that has taken TV by storm. Even if you don’t watch the ABC show, you can always tell when something major happens by taking a look…
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Amazing Pictures of Your Favorite '80s Ladies
(The Root) — If you were around in the 1980s, these pictures, which have been floating around on Tumblr, should move you in a very special way. The women pictured, of course, are Phylicia Rashad and Debbie Allen — actresses, sisters, and possibly your pretend friends-mothers-aunties. This picture was taken in 1988, and in the…
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Twitter Responds to 1st Gay NBA Player
(The Root) — In an upcoming issue of Sports Illustrated, Washington Wizards center Jason Collins announces that he is gay, making him the first openly gay man to actively play as a professional in an American team sport. In the article, slated to run May 6, 2013, Collins said that when he was younger, he…
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Twitter Tackles 'Black Privilege'
(The Root) — On Friday, April 26, 2013, a fairly offensive Tumblr blog entitled “This Is Black Privilege” made its way to Twitter, promptly ticking off tons of black people. The purpose of the blog, according to its FAQs, is to “educate the uneducated” on the privileges that black people unfairly enjoy, such as BET,…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
