Politics
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3rd-Degree ‘Bern’: Can Sanders Bounce Back From SC?
Bernie Sanders needs more people. Preferably African-American people who live in the South. But after he was routed by Hillary Clinton in South Carolina, it looks like the numbers aren’t on his side. Sanders lost the African-American vote to Clinton by an incredible 86 percent to 14 percent. To put this in context, he did…
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Hillary Clinton’s SC Win Is All About the Power of the Black Vote
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hammered Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders with a revolutionary win of her own in South Carolina Saturday. And not by a little—by a lot. Black voters, making up 61 percent of voters in the Democratic South Carolina primary, rocketed her to victory. Clinton beat Sanders in South Carolina by a stunning 73 percent…
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Hillary Clinton Scores a Huge Win in South Carolina
It’s a big win in a big test for the black vote on the Democratic side. Multiple news outlets are reporting that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has handidly won the state of South Carolina over her rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. At the time of publication, Clinton had won South Carolina by an…
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SC: Bellwether for the Black Vote
Things tend to get ugly in South Carolina. Politically, that is. It’s the state known every four years for when candidates pull out their dirtiest tricks to get the votes they desire. It was home of the hateful rumor about an “illegitimate black daughter” that marred Arizona Sen. John McCain’s race against then-Texas Gov. George…
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The Politics of Fear and Loathing in 2016
Everywhere I turn, I find friends and acquaintances who are not merely concerned, but frightened. A kind of raw ugliness to our national politics, not really seen in the post-World War II era, seems to be in fashion. Nothing has brought this home more forcefully than the success of Donald Trump in recent Republican presidential…
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Hey, Hillary, Bernie, Even Trump: You Should Care About Black Students and College Loan Debt
Morgan State University senior Temprest Myers worries constantly about how she’ll pay back her student loans when she graduates. “I … think about whether I’ll be able to afford a home,” says the 23-year-old broadcast journalism major, “afford a decent car and simple things like groceries.” The St. Paul, Minn., native is working a security…
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After Scalia: A Single Supreme Court Justice Can Impede Progress, Influence Our Discourse
As the country and Congress grapple with the sudden passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a key lesson has emerged from his tenure and his legacy in civil rights cases in particular: A single Supreme Court justice can powerfully influence our national discourse on critical issues of inequality. Through the opinions they write, the…
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All Skinfolk Ain’t Kinfolk: A Few Words on Ben Carson, Magical Negro
Ben Carson wants us to know that he’s a black man, unlike President Barack Obama. He needs voters, white voters in particular, to know that he’s the kind of Magical Negro who waved his belt buckle, attacked his friend and his mother, then prayed to white Jesus to get him out of the “ghetto.” In a…
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Vote for Your America: The Root Joins Groundbreaking Voter-Engagement Campaign
No one is expecting the turnout of African-American voters in 2016 to reach the record-shattering numbers of 2008, when Barack Obama lit up the black electorate. But there are critical issues at stake for the black community—the Supreme Court, job growth, health care, criminal justice—with the choice of the next president and other officeholders hanging…
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Nev. Democratic Party at Fault for ‘English Only’ Controversy
After legendary human rights and political activist—and longtime Hillary Clinton supporter—Dolores Huerta was silenced while attempting to provide English-to-Spanish translation services Saturday at a Las Vegas Democratic caucus gathering at Harrah’s Casino, the hashtag #EnglishOnly swiftly began trending online, and supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) found themselves playing defense across social media. “The Bernie organizers…