history
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Holding History Hostage: One Family’s Quiet Attempt to Erase Their Father’s Part in Emmett Till’s Story
If there was ever an inverse example of a Confederate monument, it might be the Lorraine, the Memphis motel where Martin Luther King, the most famous leader of the civil rights movement, was struck down on a balcony. Or maybe it is the 16th Street Baptist Church, the Birmingham, Ala., house of worship where four…
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This Is What They Meant By 'Great Again': It's 2018 and America Is Preparing for a Nazi Attack
No matter how stupid or ugly something may seem, everything eventually comes back in style. Ashton Kutcher brought back trucker hats. Jellies made a brief appearance a few years ago. Fanny packs are a thing now. And there may be no better proof that history repeats itself than the Unite the Right 2: Nazi Boogaloo…
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As Haiti Burns, Never Forget: White People Did That
On Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Haiti warned American citizens, volunteers and missionaries in Haiti to stay in place and hunker down after angry demonstrators attempted to get past a barricade and security guards at a Port-au-Prince hotel. CNN reports that American Airlines, JetBlue and the Spirit Airlines (whose official slogan is: “We’re like a…
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Trump Claims African Americans Have Chosen Democrats for 100 Years—Except His Math Is Way Off
During a campaign stop WWE match political rally in Nashville, Tenn., on Tuesday night, President Donald Trump claimed that African-American voters have been choosing Democrats almost exclusively for over a century. “African Americans vote for Democrats, for the most part. Vast majority. They’ve been doing it for over a hundred years,” he told fans at…
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Malcolm X Matters: Icon’s Words Still Ring True
As the #BlackLivesMatter movement continues to grow in strength like the perfect storm, the prescient words of Malcolm X (el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz) slice with laser-sharp precision through the rhetoric of politicians and pundits alike as if he still walked among us. He was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Neb., and he…
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Some Did Choose to Return to Slavery Because They Chose Family Over Everything
It is 1857 and Kanye, a carpenter, has finally saved up enough money to buy his freedom from Massa West. Trouble is, he has to leave his wife, Kimba, and five children on the plantation until he can buy them out of slavery as well. Kanye is free from the constant threat of the lash…
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Cinco de Mayo Is More Than Margaritas and Sombreros, and Cut It Out With the Sombreros if You’re Not Mexican
Contrary to popular belief, there’s more to Cinco de Mayo than margaritas and eating foods covered in guacamole. Cinco de Mayo is also not a celebration of Mexico’s independence; that’s actually Sept. 16. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over the French forces of Napoleon III on May 5, 1862, at the Battle…
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Tracing Your Roots: Who Left My Mother in Foster Care?
After five wonderful, fun years of helping African Americans find their ancestry on The Root, we are looking forward to carrying on the work of the Tracing Your Roots column through an ongoing collaboration with AmericanAncestors.org by the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Our new column will appear on AmericanAncestors.org and the related blog Vita-Brevis.org.…
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Tracing Your Roots: Where Were My Black Homeowning Ancestors From?
Records reveal a proud legacy in Mississippi, yet data shows why we should not be all that surprised. Dear Professor Gates: My great-great-grandparents were George Derden (or Durton) and Beatrice Derden. My great-grandmother Christine was one of their daughters. I was told by my grandmother that my great-great-grandfather owned land or his own house in…
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Tracing Your Roots: Help! My Great-Granddad’s Trail Ran Cold
Sometimes, following the paper trail left by a close relative of the person you’re tracing will yield better results. Dear Professor Gates: I have been looking for the father of my great-grandfather George Washington Bridges, born in 1875 in Georgia. I have located records placing him in Butts County, Ga. One of the census records…