-
‘Promposals’ Are a Thing, and This ‘Dark Meat’ One May Be the Worst of Them All
He referred to this girl as “dark meat” and then placed a KFC crown on her head. There are some things wrong here. Terribly wrong. Like this kid, who asked this young “dark” girl (I am not sure of her ethnicity) to prom by adorning her with a KFC crown and giving her a sign…
-
Digitalundivided Launches BIG Innovation Center in Atlanta for Black and Latina Women in Tech
Kathryn Finney just made a huge announcement at South by Southwest 2016, one that she hopes will change the scope of tech for women of color. Let’s start at the beginning. In 2003 Finney started the Budget Fashionista, a blog all about being fabulous on a dime. By 2004 Finney’s site had become one of…
-
11 Actresses Who Could Play Nina Simone Without Blackface
Colorism is real. It’s the reason women like Jennifer Lopez and Sofía Vergara represent Hispanic culture in Hollywood. It’s the reason darker skin is mostly celebrated by black people. There’s a melanin comfort zone or a threshold in Hollywood that is rarely disturbed. So when the powers that be decided that they would create a…
-
Smokey Robinson Turned 76 Today, so The Root Is Celebrating With This Flashback Performance
Nothing compares to timeless music that is not only still relevant but also still tugs at your heartstrings some 50-plus years later. Smokey Robinson, a classic crooner, turned 76 years young Friday. I found this throwback performance of “Ooo Baby Baby” with the Miracles, and I can’t stop grooving. The tune was originally released March…
-
Black&Sexy TV Presents: The Greatest Black Movies of All Time, to Be Debated Live on Oscar Night
Over the decades, black filmmakers and performers have found ways to create and tell our stories in an industry that was not built for us. We have brought our talents and resources to the table and made real contributions to the landscape of film. For this, we deserve to acknowledge and celebrate ourselves. Like it…
-
Toni Morrison Has Always Refused to Privilege White People in Her Writing
Toni Morrison, who celebrates her 85th birthday today, has always enjoyed using her immense talent with words to write about blackness. Her entire writing career—which spans over four decades and includes more than enough books to fill your shelves—has not included the white experience or privilege. In an interview with Charlie Rose, Morrison discussed the…
-
Fashion Brand Tells Popular Black Blogger: ‘We Are Looking for a White Audience’
Bloggers are often called upon as influencers to help fashion, beauty, tech—pretty much all the industries—push whatever their latest product is because, well … bloggers are cool. Bloggers always have their manicured fingers on the pulse of what’s new, now and next. Popular black fashion, beauty and lifestyle blogger HeyGorjess (Jessica Franklin) posted a photo on Instagram…
-
The Root Went to the Anti-Anti-Beyoncé Rally and Here’s What Happened
It’s a classic hater story. Beyoncé creates a controversial visual for her latest tune, “Formation.” Black people applaud Beyoncé for embracing Beyoncé’s blackness. White people are confused and angry, so they create an anti-Beyoncé boycott. Wait. What?! It’s kind of sick that there are people who would rather protest music videos that showcase police brutality…
-
The Root Gathered an All-Black Panel to Discuss #OscarsSoWhite
While we all know that the Oscars have been so white since forever, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite has only lived a couple of years on social media. This year the social media phenomenon has taken wings and, on its flight, has gathered up outrage and inspired everyone, from Twitter users to A-list celebrities, to speak out.…
-
This Throwback Video Suggests Quentin Tarantino Enjoys Mocking Black People
Quentin Tarantino recently said in an interview with the New York Times that he couldn’t care less about his black critics: “When the black critics came out with savage think pieces about Django, I couldn’t have cared less. If people don’t like my movies, they don’t like my movies, and if they don’t get it,…