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Quote of the Day: Charles Hamilton Houston

Henry Louis Gates Jr. — Wed, 31 December 1969 7:00:00 EST

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Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and the director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African-American Research at Harvard University. He is also the editor-in-chief of The Root. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

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On Listening to 'New Slaves' With White People

Ernest Baker — Wed, 31 December 1969 7:00:00 EST

Writing at Noisey, Ernest Baker explains why, although he thinks Kanye West's new single is "27 times better if you're black," he hopes that white listeners will attempt to understand its message.

... It's not that white people can't enjoy "New Slaves," or that they're all so dense as to not be able to grasp the more serious implications of this record. There is, however, a danger that lies in how this record will be received -- there's a consciousness that's lost when there's not an organic relation to the content, and its effects are much more devastating if you don't possess an acute sense of education and sensitivity to these issues.

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Teens Flock to Twitter

Wed, 31 December 1969 7:00:00 EST

(The Root) -- Remember when you had to have a college email address to get a Facebook profile? Those days are long gone, as evidenced by the scores of high schoolers obsessed with the social networking site. But it seems the tide is turning again as a study shows that more teens are leaving Facebook and moving to Twitter.

The study, orchestrated by the Pew Research Center, revealed varied reasons for the migration. Some named the increased presence of parents and adults on Facebook, while others said that the site was simply "too much drama."

Writer Cliff Watson has another theory: He thinks that kids are leaving Facebook because they don't need it. Literally.

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Oklahoma and Defense of Big Government

Edward Wyckoff Williams — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:37:00 EDT

(The Root) -- The tornado that devastated Oklahoma this week requires significant government aid to support recovery. This presents a unique problem for the Republican Party writ large -- both in the state and in Washington, D.C. -- as requests for aid, and approval thereof, undercut its meme of "self-reliance" and the dangers of "big government."

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Obama Can't Win With Some Black Critics

Jonathan Capehart — Wed, 31 December 1969 7:00:00 EST

Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart says that what's missing from most African-American critiques of President Obama is an appreciation for Republican resistance to his agenda.

Here we go again. President Obama's critics in the African American community are hammering him for doing nothing for black people. Drawing my attention this time is "How the Obama Administration Talks to Black America" by Ta-Nehisi Coates of the Atlantic and "A President for Everyone, except Black People" by the Rev. Kevin Johnson that appeared last month in the Philadelphia Tribune.

While I understand where they are coming from, this thinking drives me crazy because the president's detractors fail to take a 360-degree view of what they are demanding from him and ignore what he's actually done.

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Why the Scandals Aren't Touching Obama's Approval Rating

Evan Puschak — Wed, 31 December 1969 7:00:00 EST

MSNBC's Evan Puschak looks at the theories about why the president's approval has gone untouched despite government scandals.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll shows Obama's approval rating holding steady at 51%, the same as it was a month ago. Gallup shows the same trend: in their poll Obama has remained at 49%. A CNN poll has even shown a 2-point uptick since April, from 51% to 53%.

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'Scandal' Withdrawal: It's a Real Thing

Helena Andrews — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:34:00 EDT

(The Root) -- Thursday nights will never be the same (at least until September). After last week's head-exploding closing line -- "Dad?!" -- fans of ABC's cultural phenomenon Scandal have been left with a gaping hole in their social calendars. What to tweet about? What to actually talk about? What's a gladiator to do without the deliciously over-the-top antics of Olivia Pope and Associates to spice up an otherwise nonscandalous existence?

"I'm thinking about taking up a trade," joked humor writer and blogger Luvvie Ajayi, whose hilarious Scandal recaps are the stuff of Friday morning legend. "Or learning a new language. Or maybe rocking back and forth from withdrawal because it's going to be a long summer."

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Call of Duty: 19 Top Black Military Officers

Genetta M. Adams — Wed, 22 May 2013 6:23:00 EDT

These high-ranking leaders are rare and serve their country with distinction.

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London Man Killed in Suspected Terror Attack

Jenée Desmond-Harris — Wed, 31 December 1969 7:00:00 EST

A man reported to be a British soldier was killed and two others were shot in London on Wednesday in an attack that is being treated as an act of terrorism, NBC News reports.

Video from ITV News shows one of two alleged attackers, with blood-stained hands and holding a machete, explaining the motivation for the crime. In it he says, "We swear by Almighty Allah, we will never stop fighting you until you leave us alone. The only reasons we killed this man is because Muslims are dying daily. This British soldier is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. We apologize that woman had to see this today, but in our lands our women have to see the same. You people will never be safe. Remove your government. They don't care about you."

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The Great Fried-Chicken Debate

Wed, 31 December 1969 7:00:00 EST

(The Root) -- It feels like 1997 all over again: For the second time in Tiger Woods' groundbreaking golf career, one of his contemporaries has referenced fried chicken in relation to the "Cablinasian" superstar. The first time it happened, Fuzzy Zoeller was behind the comments, made upon Woods' first Masters Tournament win. This time the culprit is Sergio Garcia, a professional golfer from Spain with whom Woods reportedly has a tempestuous relationship.

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