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Watch: There’s a New Meghan in Town … and She’s an Animal
Move over, Meghan Markle … there’s a new Meghan in town. But this Meghan is an animal—an okapi, to be exact. Meghan the baby okapi was born at a London zoo in December after a 30-minute labor. Sources say that approximately 25,000 okapis remain in the wild. And the zoo says that naming the animal…
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Watch: Patrisse Khan-Cullors on Being Under Extreme Surveillance
As an activist, Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Khan-Cullors says that her home was first raided by Los Angeles police in 2013. “Surveillance tactics have been used against me,” Khan-Cullors told The Root.While this raid was years before the FBI’s 12-page “Black Identity Extremist” report—which vilifies black activists—was leaked, it’s clear that members of the…
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Watch: Trump’s Most Racist Moments of 2017
Water is wet, the sky is blue and Donald Trump is a racist. And in 2017, Trump was on a roll. Here’s a quick rundown: No. 45 kicked the year off with (the first version) of a Muslim ban that restricted the entry of people traveling from seven Muslim-majority countries into the U.S. In August,…
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Watch: What Happened to Our Girls?
Cyntoia Brown and Bresha Meadows are both victims of abuse who were teenagers when they killed men who they feared were a threat to their lives. Recently, their stories have gained fierce support from the community: Brown has had numerous celebrities rally on her behalf, and Bresha even had a song made in her honor.…
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Watch: How Do Black People ‘Emoji’?
Unicode, the consortium responsible for creating new emojis, has released hundreds of new emojis, including a genie, breastfeeding, a woman in a head scarf—the works. If you use a humanlike emoji, like the thumbs-up, then you have to choose one of six skin tones. But how do black people choose the skin tones of their…
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Watch: Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins on Race’s Importance in Narratives
“It blew my mind the first time I saw a black character on an HBO show that wasn’t in jail. Diversity is important because the world is diverse.” —Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Branden Jacobs-Jenkins was recognized on The Root 100 this year for his work changing narratives through the theatrical arts. In 2016, Jacobs-Jenkins was awarded a…
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Watch: The Truth About Thanksgiving
So the story is told, the Plymouth Colony Pilgrims and Native Americans gathered for a communal meal after a successful fall harvest. But we know the story didn’t go down quite like that. After the first Thanksgiving in 1621, Europeans proceeded to push Native Americans out of their own territories, slaughtered them en masse and…
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Watch: Maxine Waters Honored With The Root 100 Gladiator Award
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) was honored with The Root 100 Gladiator Award for Public Service on Nov. 9 at The Root 100 gala. Rep. Waters, the first-ever recipient of the award, has tirelessly resisted white supremacy and spoken out against the current presidential administration. The award acknowledges her political career and her work in…
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Watch: The Real Woman Behind ‘Me Too’
‘ Tarana Burke is an activist, an organizer, a mother, a survivor of sexual violence and the founder of the Me Too Movement. Burke founded the campaign in 2006 after a young girl confided in her, sharing a story of abuse—which Burke recounts on her website. Burke froze up and suggested that someone else help…
