culture
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Georgia Teen Speaks Out on Integrated Prom
(The Root) — Seventeen-year-old Mareshia Rucker knows her mind and is not afraid to speak it. She’s one of the racially mixed group of student organizers who are putting together the first integrated prom at Wilcox County High School in Georgia, roughly a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Atlanta. She told The Root recently that the school,…
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Does 'Master Bedroom' Make You Think of Slavery?
Gawker is reporting on Wednesday that a survey of 10 major real estate developers in the Washington, D.C., area found that six no longer use the description “master bedroom” in the floor plans to describe the largest bedroom in the home. Why? Here’s their explanation: Because of negative associations with the word master — both…
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Apply for The Root Editorial Fellowship Program Today!
(The Root) — Is it your dream to have a cutting-edge journalism career? Are you an information hoarder with a wide-ranging news obsession — from gun control to the sequester to racism on Mad Men? Do you know who Desiline Victor is and why her story matters? Do you follow influencers on Twitter? Do you…
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No, Neither Asians nor Blacks All Look Alike
(The Root) — “I work in pharmaceutical sales in a territory that doesn’t have much racial diversity. Recently I greeted a young lady who works at one doctor’s office I visited with the wrong name. I’d confused her with the other Asian receptionist. She replied, ‘Oh, so we all look alike?’ or something to that…
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Beyoncé and Jay-Z: Pop Music's 1st Billionaire Couple
With ad campaigns and business ventures complementing multimillion-dollar tours, it’s no surprise that Jay-Z and Beyoncé have plenty of money (after all, there’s a rumor that they now have a $4 million private island), but now there’s a rough number on their wealth — and it looks like a record. The International Business Times is…
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Poisonous Substance in Parcel Sent to Obama
Updated 12:21 p.m. EDT: Secret Service officials say the letter tested positive for the poison ricin and was from the same sender who mailed the letter to Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) that also tested positive, NBC News reports. Federal officials told NBC News that they believe they know who sent the letters, but no arrest has…
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Will This Jockey Take the Derby Back to Its Black Roots?
On May 4, 29-year-old Kevin Krigger will become the second black jockey to compete in the Kentucky Derby since 1921. His presence — and his designation as a top-10 favorite by the man who trained last year’s winner — is reminding observers of the post-Reconstruction era, when African-American men dominated the race under very different…
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Confessions of a Hair-Weave Addict
In a piece originally posted at Dog Park Media, filmmaker Erikka Yancy gets brutally honest about her history with racial identity and beauty. It was a long road to recognizing my racial identity crisis. I did not realize it in junior high when I basked in the glory of being told by my friends that…
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Boston Explosions: 'Please Don't Be Arabs or Muslims'
Writing for Al-Jazeera, Khaled A. Beydoun says that he’s been preoccupied with the identity of those responsible for the bombing and what it could mean for American attitudes. I texted my friend at 7:47am EST, extending well wishes for a “successful and prosperous race”. Like the 23,181 runners who left Hopkinton dreaming about breaking the…
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Jackie's Widow: More Than a 'Baller Wife'
(The Root) — Thanks to the film 42, new generations are being introduced to one of America’s greatest legends, baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson. But though billed as a sports biopic, 42 has also introduced filmgoers to one of America’s greatest love stories. While much of the film focuses on baseball executive Branch Rickey’s unwavering, crucial…