culture
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Angelina's Announcement: What It Means for Black Women
Dr. Aletha Maybank wonders in a piece for Ebony whether the celebrity-inspired buzz around prevention will help reduce racial disparities in treatment. Earlier this week, many of us were surprised to learn that Angelina Jolie made the brave choice to have a double mastectomy and then chose to share her story with the entire world…
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Help! My Black Nephew Thinks He's Yellow
(The Root) — In The Root’s first-ever Reddit Ask Me Anything, our Race Manners columnist Jenée Desmond-Harris took all of your burning questions about race etiquette. Need to know how to talk about race with the children in your life? Want to know why it might not just be a preference if someone says, “I’m…
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Black Twitter, Let's Make Some Noise!
(The Root) — The Chatterati is The Root’s new tool that uses a unique algorithm to highlight the tweets of some of the most influential African-American Twitter users, displaying up-to-the-minute topics, retweets and hashtags driving the conversation among blacks on the social network. Here’s where you come in. We’d like you to share a message and…
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Report: Beyoncé Is Pregnant Again
According to E! News, “multiple sources” have confirmed that Beyoncé and Jay-Z are expecting their second child. That would do something to explain the whole doctor-ordered-rest thing from earlier this week: Rumors first began churning that the Grammy winner was with child when, earlier this month, she walked the red carpet at the Met Gala wearing a…
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Obama Administration: All Over HBCU Graduations
(The Root) — So when we said in “19 Things Every HBCU Grad Knows” that historically black colleges get the best graduation speakers, we didn’t lie. Some evidence: First lady Michelle Obama spoke at Bowie State University on Friday, and President Obama is set to address Morehouse College graduates on Sunday. That’s in addition to the…
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Space Camp Scholarship Replaces Punishment for Kiera Wilmot
Kiera Wilmot, the 16-year-old Florida student who was infamously expelled and arrested after her science experiment caused a small explosion, avoided felony charges, much to the relief of supporters around the country. Now that the threat of criminal sanctions for the incident (which hurt no one and caused no damage) is behind her, she also…
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2nd Suspect Arrested in New Orleans Shooting
Updated Friday, May 17, 9:05 a.m. EDT: After Akein Scott, 19, was arrested Wednesday night, his brother Shawn Scott, 24, was arrested on Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reports. Four other people have been arrested for allegedly harboring the fugitives during an intense manhunt, officials said Thursday. Earlier: The Associated Press is reporting that 19-year-old Akein Scott, the…
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Graffiti Terrorizes Black High School Students
It’s one thing (a disturbing and far-too-common thing) when students get the bright idea to use racial slurs in graffiti, revealing troubling attitudes and creating a hostile environment for everyone. It’s something else altogether when the people who deface property actually make a hit list of African-American students who should be the “first to die.”…
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We Should Pay Attention to How the LGBT Community Gets Things Done
Writing at the Huffington Post, Gil Robertson says that African Americans should pay close attention to this example of how to manage a group agenda. Of course the LGBT community’s campaign to push forward its mandate could not have been achieved without the example put forth by African Americans to achieve Civil Rights over half…
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She's 'Androgynous'? Zoe Saldana Needs a Dictionary
Clutch magazine‘s Yesha Callahan is perplexed about some of the actress’s recent commentary. Then there’s her abuse of the word “androgyny” when she speaks about possibly being able to fall in love with a woman, marry one and raise a family. In the magazine, Saldana, 34, describes herself as “androgynous.” She says she may “end…