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Obama vs. Romney: 7 Key Issues for Blacks
Keli Goff is The Root’s special correspondent. Follow her on Twitter. While issues such as abortion and the general state of economy have dominated headlines and campaign ads much of this presidential election cycle, the candidates’ specific policies — especially as they relate to communities of color — have often gone overlooked. The Root took a…
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20 Essential Black Kung Fu Connections
Friday’s arrival of the long-awaited RZA martial arts flick The Man With the Iron Fists is in some ways the culmination of a 40-plus-year love affair between black America and kung fu mythology. (As RZA told The Root recently, the fact that he has co-written, directed and starred in his own karate film is the…
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12 Top Black Philanthropists
The African-American tradition of philanthropy is long-standing, aided by the Christian custom of tithing — giving 10 percent of earnings to the church. Even outside the church, astonishing acts of charity have been made by people of humble means, such as washerwoman Osceola McCarty’s $150,000 gift to the University of Southern Mississippi upon her death…
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Hurricane Sandy: Reader and Staff Photos
Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on the East Coast on Monday, making it one of the most devastating hurricanes ever to hit the region. In its wake, it left more than 7 million people without power and a death toll of 33. We compiled images from our staff, readers and wire services to give you a picture…
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23 Essential Black Horror Movies
Looking to stage a black-horror-flick viewing party for Halloween but don’t know what to watch? No problem! Horror cinema, much like American history, is chock-full of black heroes and villains; black survivors and black victims; and black folks who live up to — as well as down to — the scripts given them. Black horror…
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9 Bad Excuses for Racist Costumes
This year, like every year, Americans of all colors will choose Halloween costumes that rely on ethnic stereotypes and are racist in obvious and not-so-obvious ways. And without a doubt, partygoers in blackface and others will complain about the PC police ruining their fun by taking offense at the annual display of cultural appropriation (and…
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Black Colleges: Are They Still Needed?
For this year’s legendary homecoming weekend at Howard University, graduates, current students and several celebrities gathered in Washington, D.C., for a series of events that felt like a family reunion. There was Dream Day, an afternoon seminar where activists (Jeff Johnson), entrepreneurs (filmmaker Issa Rae) and celebrities (reality-TV stars Vanessa and Angela Simmons) shared inspirational…
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'Alex Cross': Premiere-Night Interviews
Tyler Perry has taken over for Morgan Freeman (Kiss the Girls, Along Came a Spider) as the title character in the new movie Alex Cross. The latest installment in James Patterson‘s book-to-box office detective series premiered at the ArcLight Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles on Monday ahead of its Oct. 19 release. In his first…
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The Root Recasts 'Lady Sings the Blues'
Lady Sings the Blues, the film based on the tragic life of blues singer Billie Holiday, was released 40 years ago. The movie, starring Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams, would go on to become a box-office success, earn five Oscar nominations and introduce a wider audience to Holiday’s music. We wondered, if the movie…
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The 9 Worst Habits of Rappers
Truth be told, it really doesn’t take a whole lot more than catchy lyrics and good looks for a rapper to be considered charming. Unfortunately, many MCs find it just as easy to exhibit some equally bad habits once they make it big. Nicki Minaj has been caught screaming at one of music’s top divas.…