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Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Nehisi Coates - Ta-Nehisi Coates is a senior editor for The Atlantic, where he writes about culture, politics, and social issues for TheAtlantic.com and the magazine. He is the author of the memoir The Beautiful Struggle. More

Born in 1975, the product of two beautiful parents. Raised in West Baltimore—not quite The Wire, but sometimes ill all the same. Studied at the Mecca for some years in the mid-’90s. Emerged with a purpose, if not a degree. Slowly migrated up the East Coast with a baby and my beloved, until I reached the shores of Harlem. Wrote some stuff along the way.
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To Many Mics, Not Enough MCs

By Ta-Nehisi Coates

Sep 28 2009, 1:00 PM ET Comment

I've avoided saying anything about the murder of  Bill Sparkman, mostly because I don't know anything. People should assume too much about "Fed" being scrawled on Sparkman's chest. On the other hand, they also probably shouldn't imply that Sparkman was killed for being a child-molester because "someone may as well say it." Just saying...

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