Martin Luther King
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The Fierce Urgency and Intimacy of #MLKNow
Xerona Clayton, organizer for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and personal friend to Martin Luther King Jr., recalled the day she arrived at his Atlanta home to begin his journey to Memphis in 1968. King’s two sons, Martin and Dexter, long accustomed to their father’s hectic schedule which often led him miles from home, were…
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In His Own Words: Martin Luther King Jr. on White Privilege, Police Brutality, Reparations and More
I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizens Councillor or the Ku Klux Klanner but the white moderate who is more devoted to order than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a…
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Quiz: How Much Do You Really Know About Martin Luther King Jr?
The Root is black as the rest of y’all. We can collectively name all the members of Dipset; at least half of us have a can of used grease on our stoves right now. We still hide money in a Crown Royal bag, and will judge you for eating macaroni and cheese that we wouldn’t…
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Martin Luther King Jr. and the White Delusion of a 'Non-Racist' America
There are two MLKs. There once was a man named Martin Luther King Jr. who actually lived and breathed. He was a radical who believed in the redistribution of wealth, argued for slave reparations and that wrote that moderate whites who didn’t speak out on racism were just as bad as the Ku Klux Klan.…
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News You Can Choose: Iowa Bar Cancels MLK-Themed Keg Party
Note: To read the story of how an Iowa bar callously disrespected the legacy and the name of Martin Luther King Jr., please read the plain type. To read the story about how an Iowa bar came to its senses and apologized for its offensive, racist actions, follow the story in bold type. As America…
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This Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Here's How to Get Involved in Your Community
Unless you live in Alabama or Mississippi, Monday serves as the perfect opportunity to celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Established as a national holiday in 1983, MLK Day is observed by millions of Americans throughout the country. But while your city might host parades or other celebrations in his honor,…
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Finding Martin Luther King Jr. In America's Streets
Martin Luther King Jr. is perhaps one of the most famous civil rights leaders in the United States. His name is synonymous with words like “nonviolence,” and “racial justice.” It’s easy to see Dr. King as a symbol for peace. Somewhere along the way, King’s name became the punch line of the quintessential Chris Rock…
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‘Hang the Whites’: Rapper’s Hate Speech Trial Exposes the Hypocrisy of Race Relations in France
The music video for 34-year-old French rapper Nick Conrad’s “Pendez les Blancs” (“Hang the Whites”) opens with a jarring visual akin to the title itself: the lifeless body of a white man on a noose, while Conrad (a black man of Cameroonian descent) stands beside him lighting a cigar. It’s a role reversal intended to…
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Childhood Home of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Sold to National Park Service
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the childhood home of Martin Luther King Jr. has been sold to the National Park Service. The home, which had been owned by the King family since 1909, was sold for $1.9 million to the National Park Foundation, who then transferred ownership to the National Park Service. For the past…
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10 People Who Are Possibly Behind the God Account on the TV Show God Friended Me
Have you watched the show God Friended Me? It comes on CBS on Sunday nights, and let me tell you, I love this damn show. I can’t tell you exactly why, but I do. For whatever reason, as on-the-nose as nearly every aspect of the show is, it just … works. Here’s the premise: An…