culture
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Bradley Manning Needs a Plea Deal — Not Life in Jail
Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson argues that Army Pfc. Bradley Manning deserves to be punished — but not too severely. The treatment of Army Pfc. Bradley Manning has been excessively harsh, as far as I can tell. If he is found guilty of leaking more than 700,000 classified documents, he deserves some punishment — probably — but…
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My Kid Insists That I'm White, but I'm Not
(The Root) — “My 5-year-old daughter is convinced that I’m white. “I’m originally from the Dominican Republic and identify as black and Latina. Her biological father is from the Central African Republic, and she sees herself as black. “Just last weekend, we were at the Bed-Stuy fish fry and she said, ‘Mami, you know you…
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Maintaining My Natural Hair Has Taken Over My Life!
In a piece for xoJane.com, Janday Wilson discusses how her need to perfect her curls and twists consumes major parts of her life. Taking care of my natural hair has made me so obsessed I often struggle with balancing my hair regimen with life’s demands like sleep, spending time with my loved ones, personal time,…
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Young, Black, Gifted and Underemployed
(The Root) — President Ronald Reagan’s 1984 re-election campaign is notably remembered for a political television commercial with the opening line, “It’s morning again in America.” The optimism expressed in the narration suggested that improvements to the U.S. economy since the recession of the late 1970s were due to Reagan’s policies. It was a winning…
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Why I Am Not a 'Strong Black Woman'
In a piece for Clutch magazine, Jamilah Lemieux describes why she does not approve of the term “strong black woman.” I never wanted to be a “strong Black woman”; in fact, I bristle when people call me one. I’m Black and I’m a woman and I happen to have a number of things about me…
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From Miss America to Republican Congresswoman?
Erika Harold reportedly ran for Miss America (and won) in 2003 as a “dry run” for a political race. Now the Harvard Law School graduate, who has spoken at the Republican National Convention and who combined abstinence-only education with an anti-bullying message (she says she was “racially and sexually harassed” as a child) in her…
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I Went to an HBCU to Experience Being a Minority
Writing at The Root DC, Alyssa Paddock explains why, despite being white, she chose to attend a historically black college. There’s the obvious: She got a lacrosse scholarship. And then there’s another reason: The self-imposed challenge of being a racial minority for the first time. Plus, Paddock says, her view of race as a nonissue…
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What Lautenberg's Death Means for Cory Booker
The death of New Jersey Sen, Frank Lautenberg, the “liberal lion” who served five terms, has changed the political landscape of the Garden State, especially for Newark Mayor Cory Booker. While Booker is praising the late politician as a “true champion” who “worked to make America a stronger, healthier and safer place to live,” others…
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George Zimmerman Will Go on Trial, Not Trayvon Martin
The Huffington Post’s Mark I. Pinsky is dishing out legal analysis about the George Zimmerman defense team’s attempt to make use of Trayvon Martin’s past bouts with marijuana use and fighting. Pinsky also explores the relevance of the case’s racial aspects to the legal proceedings. At a May 28 hearing, Circuit Judge Debra S. Nelson ruled…
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Who Cares If Women Are the Breadwinners?
(The Root) — A couple of weeks ago, a frustrated single woman wrote into Ask Demetria, the other column I write for The Root each Thursday, to, well, ask if she should only date men who made as much as, or more money than, she does. She has been open to entertaining men whose income…