culture
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Why Kanye and Miley Represent the Death of the Diva
Admonishing what he calls an era of shameless self-promotion by artists like Kanye West and Miley Cyrus, L.Z. Granderson writes at CNN that true divas, like former opera singer Leontyne Price, did not have to demand applause because their performances commanded it. He wishes artists would listen and learn from artists like Price. In the…
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Breaking: People Are Different Colors
This is something my mother very sternly told the teacher of a ceramics class I took as a 7-year-old: You can’t have all the kids paint their vase-in-the-shape-of-a-head sculptures “flesh color,” because not everyone’s flesh is the same color. That was 1988. The concept seems to be catching on! The Cut is reporting that Christian…
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Africa Must Not Dismantle the International Criminal Court
In a poignant piece at the New York Times, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu examines the reasons behind a push by some African leaders to dismantle the International Criminal Court. He says they are “looking for a license to kill, maim and oppress their own people without consequence.” Members of the African Union will meet in Addis…
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Dr. Ben Carson: Obamacare Worst Thing Since Slavery
(The Root) — Rising Republican superstar Dr. Ben Carson slammed Obamacare in a speech on Friday, comparing it to one of the worst periods in U.S. history. Speaking at the conservative Values Voter Summit on Friday, the famed neurosurgeon told delegates, “I have to tell you, Obamacare is, really, I think, the worst thing that…
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How Do I Track Deep South Roots?
(The Root) — “I have been tracing my husband’s African-American family for a while now, and am stuck in the same place after 80-100 hours of research. What I’d like to find out are more details on Alford/Alfred Anderson (who was born in 1854 in Tennessee, according to census records) and his wife Tinie Smith (who may have…
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Jason Collins: Unsigned Because He's Gay?
(The Root) — To much fanfare, Jason Collins told the world last spring that he was gay by writing a cover story for Sports Illustrated. The first NBA player to come out, he won widespread praise and apparent support for helping to knock down barriers in the world of professional sports. At the time the…
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Benjamin Crump Takes Kendrick Johnson Case
(The Root) — In the months since the body of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson was found rolled up in a mat in the gymnasium of Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Ga., nothing has seemed to add up. The initial explanation that investigators gave to Johnson’s parents, Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson, was that their son died in a…
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PBS to Air Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s New African-American Documentary
(The Root) — On Wednesday evening, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., The Root’s editor-in-chief, Henry Louis Gates Jr., hosted an illustrious panel and screening of his 13th documentary, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross. Gates sat down to discuss the monumental six-part, six-hour series with Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), journalist Charlayne…
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Cory Booker Cancels Public Events After Father's Death
(The Root) — Just days before New Jersey voters are slated to head to the polls in a special election to select a new senator, Democratic front-runner Cory Booker canceled campaign appearances late Thursday to mourn the death of his father. Cary A. Booker passed away Thursday after a recent stroke, according to a news…
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Black Women Celebrate Fathers in New Book
(Special to The Root) — Bet on Black: African-American Women Celebrate Fatherhood in the Age of Barack Obama is a collection of 20 essays by black women about their father-daughter relationships and the positive influences their dads provided in their lives. Hillary Crosley, a contributing editor to The Root, also participated in this book, which…