Family trees fill in the gaps for Black people seeking their ancestral roots

By Curtis Bunn, NBC News Black people have been able to connect with the past and give new agency to their identities through building family trees and researching their family histories. Growing up in Philadelphia, Amber Jackson said she knew so little of her history that she felt disconnected from who she was.  “They didn’t…

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Dane County announces $810,000 funding for Center for Black Excellence and Culture

Dane County Executive Joe Parisi and Rev. Dr. Alex Gee of Madison, WI, announced an $810,000 line in the 2121 county budget to help organizers acquire land for the Center for Black Excellence and Culture.

Madison’s Black community needs a central place to gather, network with fellow Black professionals, and celebrate culture. The Center will foster a sense of community; celebrate and teach Black Culture; pay tribute to Black history; nurture and develop Black business and community leaders; attract, connect and retain Black talent; and provide space for conversation, connection, and growth.

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The Exception to Exceptionalism: Why marginalized communities feel a collective guilt in America

When the federal building in Oklahoma City was bombed in 1995, the authorities and all media outlets immediately blamed it on “Islamic terrorists.” Members of the Muslim community around the country were attacked, verbally and physically. When Black people protest and one sets a building on fire, all Black people are blamed collectively.For White people the rules are generally the opposite.

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Was the Real Lone Ranger a Black Man?

Although born into slavery, Bass Reeves went on to gain a reputation for bravery and non-compromising honesty as a law man in Indian Territory after the civil war. The only thing that made him hang up his badge and gun was a new 1907 Oklahoma state law that banned this American Descendant of Slaves from holding office as a deputy marshal. Author Art T. Burton wrote the book, Black Gun, Silver Star: The Life and Legend of Frontier Marshal Bass Reeves and stated that Bass Reeves might have inspired the story of the Lone Ranger.

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Is Black Male Privilege A Real Issue in Our Community?

Some argue that black male privilege is real, as the recent news of black males has been overshadowing the mass incarceration rate of women along with their disparities. It is also argued that women can be found championing the cause of black males, but the same is not always true when roles are reversed. Read the article to form your own opinion on the subject.

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“Race” – The History of a Persistent Myth

For more than 400 years, the economic, social, and political behavior of Americans has been shaped by ideas about “races” and racial differences. Where did these powerful ideas come from – and are they true? How have your ideas about racial differences been affected?

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