History
History
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Exclusive Interview: Confederate Icons Speak Out on Recent Events
The George Floyd protests against systemic racism have reignited an age-old debate about whether there is a place in society for symbols to the Confederate States of America. In an attempt to examine both sides of the issue, The Root conducted an exclusive sit-down interview with two of the most heralded icons of the Confederacy…
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There Are Two Different Projects About Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre in Development. Both Are Necessary
When the pilot of HBO’s Watchmen premiered in October 2019, the history of Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre was put on display and at the forefront of a premium cable network in a significant way. For many, it was the first time they had heard of the historically tragic event. So, when…
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A Timeline of Events That Led to the 2020 'Fed Up'-rising
Without the proper context, it is impossible to understand the mushroom cloud of uprisings that are exploding across the country in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others. To contextualize the anger, frustration and desperation that forced protesters to recreate the lawlessness and chaos that black people…
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Maybe We Don't Celebrate DC's Emancipation Day Because We're Not Actually Free
Today, April 16, marks the date 158 years ago, when Washington, D.C., became the only American jurisdiction to end slavery by paying $1 million in ransom to slaveholders to free the 3,100 people enslaved in the nation’s capital. This holiday may be D.C.’s best kept secret. Public commemorations have been shrinking every year. Perhaps we…
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Before the 'Chinese Virus': A Brief History of White People Blaming America's Problems on Everyone Else
Donald Trump is a white supremacist. Donald Trump is a racist. While those two previous sentences might seem redundant, they mean two different things. Racists ascribe (consciously or unconsciously) characteristics and attributes to certain races, while white supremacists perpetuate and maintain the superiority of the white race. Even though white supremacists often use racism as…
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To Mark the 55th Anniversary of 'Bloody Sunday,' the Film Selma Is Being Used to Teach a New Generation About Protecting the Right to Vote
When it comes to spurring Oklahoma to grapple with a century-old race massacre that schoolbooks had left behind, much of the credit is due to an unlikely historical resource: HBO. For 99 years, Oklahoma had failed to reckon with the 1921 Tulsa massacre in which white residents torched and carpet bombed the city’s black community,…
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Black History Month Is for White People
I don’t know a lot about white history. I also don’t know much about green bean casserole, Creedence Clearwater Revival or shampoo-and-conditioner-in-one. I am, however, familiar with seasoned salt, the nuances of Blue Magic vs. Dax vs. Pink Oil Lotion, and the musical stylings of Frankie Beverly and Maze. And, unlike many of my educated…
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Google Kicks Off Black History Month With Greensboro, N.C., Sit-In Doodle by Compton Artist Karen Collins
As today officially marks the first day of what is regarded as Black History Month, tech giant Google is commemorating the occasion with a special Google Doodle honoring the 60th anniversary of the Greensboro, N.C., sit-in. That doodle is of Jibreel Khazan (formerly Ezell Blair, Jr.), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, and David Richmond, better known…
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MLK, the KKK and the NRA: A Brief History of Racists With Guns
A white supremacist with a gun killed Martin Luther King Jr. That fact alone makes Monday’s white supremacist-palooza seem particularly disrespectful. However, the history of the Second Amendment reflects America’s obsession with firearms as a means of oppression. Guns have been the primary tool for racial oppression since America was founded, so MLK Day might…
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#NotAllHistorians: Some White People Are Upset That the New York Times' 1619 Project Isn’t Centered in Whiteness
“For 400 years, we have been told that black people are a problem. We are indoctrinated into this lie from the moment we take our first breath. No people have been more legislated against and studied than black Americans. That is because our very existence in our country gives lie to the exceptionality mythology of…