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When Black Americans Vote, We Determine Elections
This Election Day, the potential impact of African-American voters is making headlines. The New York Times and The Nation recently reported that mobilizing black voters is the key to winning. And the data from 2008, 2010 and 2012 are clear: When black Americans vote, we determine elections. One voting bloc that will hold considerable sway…
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Next Season, Let’s See SNL Do Better at Portraying Black Women
Two week after Leslie Jones’ controversial segment on slavery, I was very worried about this week’s season finale of Saturday Night Live. With the frenzy surrounding what happened between Solange, Jay Z and Beyoncé in that elevator last week, I was sure a sketch was coming. For the past week across Twitter, gossip sites and…
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Where ColorOfChange Stands on ‘Stand Your Ground’
Like so many of you, I was outraged—but not surprised—by the Michael Dunn verdict. Just two years after Trayvon Martin was killed, another Florida jury has told us what we already know: Our nation’s gun laws do not protect the innocent, the justice system is deeply unfair and our media culture continues to create an…
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Web-Access Ruling Is a Loss for People of Color
The fight to preserve a free and open Internet has been raging for years, but now it’s crunch time. The big telecom companies have just won a major round in their fight to privatize the Web, and it’s now up to the Federal Communications Commission to reverse the missteps it has made over the past…
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Conservative Lobbying Group Loses Support, Switches Tactics
Last weekend, faithful Tea Partiers were surely thrilled to see Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Paul Ryan strut their stuff at the Washington, D.C., summit of the American Legislative Exchange Council. But the conservative pressure group, which has sponsored startlingly reactionary legislation around the country to loosen gun restrictions and clamp down on voting rights,…
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Black Friday: Wal-Mart and the High Cost of Low Wages
A sign posted near several plastic containers at a Wal-Mart in Ohio says it all: “Please donate food items so associates in need can enjoy Thanksgiving dinner.” News of the in-store food donation efforts sent shockwaves across the country, once again shining a light on Wal-Mart’s hypocrisy: How can a company that raked in $15.7…
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An Open Letter to Jay Z
Rashad Robinson, executive director of ColorOfChange.org, writes a stern open letter to Jay Z at the Huffington Post, saying it has been several days since news broke about the racial profiling of customers at Barneys New York. Robinson says it’s important for Jay Z to speak out about his upcoming collaboration with Barneys. (The rapper…
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Government Isn't Strangling Broadband
(Special to The Root) — It seems the telecom industry is nervous that its days of simply informing the government how it prefers to conduct its own affairs may finally be numbered. With current Federal Communications Commission Chair Julius Genachowski reported to be stepping down, and buzz building around a potential nominee likely to serve…
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Wal-Mart: A Modern-Day Scrooge?
(The Root) — On Black Friday, Wal-Mart workers across the country went on strike to protest the company’s notoriously low wages and retaliation against free speech, demanding that Wal-Mart come to the table and meet with employees to address their grievances. It’s time we focus on the raw deal that Wal-Mart employees are getting and…
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GOP's Anti-Voter Platform Plank
(Special to The Root) — On Thursday night, Mitt Romney officially accepted his party’s nomination as the Republican presidential candidate. Although Romney has been the GOP’s presumptive nominee since late April, the delegate roll call at the convention this week made it official. There were more than 2,000 delegates — men and women of all…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
