mlk
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On DC’s MLK Avenue, Where Over-Policing Reigns, King’s Dream Is Far From a Reality for Residents
When remembering Martin Luther King Jr., society often removes some of his most radical politics from discussion. King is perhaps most remembered in Washington, D.C., for delivering his notable “I Have A Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to a crowd of over 250,000 in 1963. But what’s often glossed over is…
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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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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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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: The Wypipo Participation Trophy
As “one of the real racists,” I admit that I have intentionally omitted one of the most underappreciated groups of people in America: The good white people. So today I sifted through The Root’s emails, comments, letters and tweets searching for good white people, hoping to acknowledge their efforts to end racism. They should be…
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This 27-Year-Old Mayor Is Giving Away Money to Realize MLK’s Last, Most Radical Dream
Soon after Michael Tubbs was sworn in as mayor of Stockton, Calif., he set his first objective: Disrupt the status quo. The city he grew up in, like so many others across America, had hit hard times, and the Stanford-educated native son sought to bring his millennial moxie and Silicon Valley bona fides to the…
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Upholding the Dream: MLK’s Granddaughter Continues Her Family’s Legacy
Yolanda Renee King, the grandchild of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, made a surprise appearance Saturday at the March for Our Lives rally in Washington, D.C. The 9-year-old roused the crowd with a passionate speech that would no doubt have made her activist grandparents proud, evoking the “I Have a Dream” speech…
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Melania Trump’s MLK Tweet Proves That She Is As Delusional as Her Deplorable Husband
I’ve always believed that Melania Trump was in an arranged marriage. And by “arranged,” I mean that she arranges times in which she is forced to watch her giant ball of old earwax devour a bucket of Original Recipe. Or arranges public appearances or official cutoff times for the contractual presidential coupling. Melania Trump doesn’t…
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Watch: Is MLK’s Legacy Under Attack?
In November, President Donald Trump’s administration released declassified FBI documents on President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. But the release also included a batch of Martin Luther King Jr. documents filled with allegations of “abnormal” sexual behavior and of being a “slow thinker” and a “Marxist” (pdf). The Root spoke with Clayborne Carson, the Martin Luther…
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Watch: My Black History: Michael Eric Dyson on How MLK’s Assassination Opened His Eyes
Editor’s note: During Black History Month, the focus is usually on historical figures who loomed larger than life, paving the way for the progress we experience today. But black history isn’t just about telling stories of our past. History is being made every day and has been made throughout our lives; it’s not just in…
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Dear #AllLivesMatter Crew: Dr. King Would Have Thought You Were A Dickhead Too
There’s a scene at the end of Malcolm X where, during a lesson about Malcolm X from their teacher (who I just like 15 seconds ago realized was Mary Alice), Harlem schoolchildren repeat the refrain “I am Malcolm X!” The scene then shifts to a classroom in Soweto (taught by Nelson Mandela) where a group…