culture
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Comic Books and Sexism: A History of the 2nd-Class Caped Crusader
Back in 1975 the Wonder Woman television series gave thousands of imaginative girls and young women a superheroine that was a force to reckon with. She was faster and stronger than most men, more beautiful than most women and wiser than most kings. Though the version of Wonder Woman portrayed by Linda Carter was campy and tongue-in-cheek, it…
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Longer Safe-Haven Times for Moms Might Have Kept Babies Safe From Harm
This week two stories captured headlines and broke hearts across the nation. A 7-month-old baby was abandoned in a New York subway station and another baby died, allegedly suffocated by his mother at just 11 months old. Though the stories had different endings, both are tragedies, and in each case, the babies were being brought…
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Where Are They Now: The People and Events Surrounding the George Zimmerman Verdict
Nearly one year ago an all-female, nearly all-white jury returned a “not guilty” verdict in the George Zimmerman murder trial. Zimmerman had been charged in the February 2012 shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin. Here’s an update on some of the people and correlating events that were part of the critical conversations inspired by…
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Fla. Teen Gets 23 Years in Fatal Shooting of Police Dog
A judge sentenced a 17-year-old Florida boy to 23 years in prison after he and two others broke into the home of a state trooper and shot a retired police dog during a botched burglary, the Palm Beach Post reports. U.S. Circuit Court Judge Robin Rosenberg said the stiff penalty for the teen, Ivins Rosier,…
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Three Charged in Gun Death of N.J. Girl
As hundreds of mourners gathered Friday to grieve the loss of a 12-year-old New Jersey girl who was fatally wounded by a stray bullet over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, three men were charged in the shooting, the Associated Press reports. The girl, Genesis Rincon, was struck in the head about 8:40 p.m. July…
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The Catch Up: What You Missed This Week In Memes And More
The Root understands that you may be busy during the week and that the latest on social media may not be a priority. Or maybe you just want to relive the funniest memes and trending topics of the week. We’ve got you covered as we relive a week of Internet hilarity. The week began with…
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Tracy Morgan Sues Wal-Mart in Fatal N.J. Crash
Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan has filed a lawsuit against Wal-Mart over a June 7 crash on the New Jersey Turnpike that left him seriously injured and another man dead after one of the company’s trucks struck his limo van, the New York Post reports. Four others were also injured in the crash. The suit,…
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Mom of Victim in ‘Viral’ Rape Video Speaks Out
The mother of a 16-year-old girl Houston girl, who was reportedly shown being raped in a widely circulated video, spoke Friday to MSNBC’s Ronan Farrow in an effort to help her daughter counter rape culture in social media. “It’s been happening to so many ladies around the world,” Sukiedia, whose last name was not revealed,…
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Here’s the Atrocious Way George Zimmerman Spent the Last Year
It’s hard to imagine a George Zimmerman-less world. He burst into the American collective consciousness with the welcome and expectation of an acid-filled, busted fire hydrant after his brazen attack in February 2012 on an unsuspecting teenager whose trip to the store for Skittles and iced tea would be his last. On July 13, 2013,…
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How Marfan Syndrome Took Center Stage on NBA Draft Night, and in an Infant’s Life
It was like a bad dream. Four days before Baylor University basketball star Isaiah Austin would hear his name called in the NBA draft in June, a routine physical revealed that he had a genetic disorder called Marfan syndrome. His NBA career was over, but as he noted, his life was not. Victoria Everett knows…