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W. Kamau Bell Has a Brand-New Show on CNN Called United Shades of America
Your favorite comedian’s favorite comedian, W. Kamau Bell, has a new show coming out on CNN called United Shades of America. And not only is the title a clever play on words, but the concept of the show is brilliant. In this original series, Bell will explore subcultures across the country, all while using comedy to…
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Watch: Wendell Pierce Explains How He Prepared for the Role of Justice Clarence Thomas
On Saturday, April 16, HBO will air Confirmation, a film that retells the story of Clarence Thomas’ 1991 Supreme Court confirmation hearings. Justice Thomas is being played by Wendell Pierce, who stopped by The Root’s offices to chat about the film. Pierce told The Root, “We’re retelling this story 25 years later because there’s a…
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Watch: 27 Real Questions Black People Have for Black People
BuzzFeed recently released the video “27 Questions Black People Have for Black People,” and black folks who saw it were overwhelmingly offended. In it, several black people asked things like, “If my dab is on fleek, am I lit?” and “Do you really believe black is beautiful, or is that something you say just to…
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Regina Hall Shines in Barbershop: The Next Cut
Regina Hall is starring in Barbershop: The Next Cut, which is out Friday. This is the third film in the Barbershop series. The last, Barbershop 2: Back in Business, was released in 2004, so it’s been 12 years since the gang was together, and the franchise has added a lot of new, fresh faces. Hall…
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5 Things We Learned at the Hip Hop 4 Human Rights Concert
On Tuesday, April 12, The Root joined sister network Fusion and Univision’s new music vertical, TrackRecord, in Albany, N.Y., for a Hip Hop 4 Human Rights concert to help end solitary confinement. The show brought out hip-hop artists Chi Ali, Ahmen, Peter Gunz, Mysonne and DJ Kay Slay, as well as activists such as Ricky…
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18 Ridiculous Things White People Do for Health and Beauty
While I was cruising headlines, Gwyneth Paltrow’s name showed up. If you’re like me, then your eyes roll to the back of your head every time you hear her name. She’s the annoying type of healthy person who eats to live. Remember when she told us about her diet that literally consisted of delicious air…
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Watch: How Chi Ali Went From Convicted Rapper to Human Rights Activist
In 2001, rapper Chi Ali was arrested for the shooting death of his girlfriend’s brother, Sean Raymond. He spent a year evading police and even appeared on an episode of America’s Most Wanted. He ended up doing 12 years in prison for the violent crime and has turned his life around. He earned a bachelor’s…
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‘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…
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Watch: Anthony Hamilton Explains How to Be a Vulnerable Man on His New Album
The music gods have shone down upon us, and we’ve been gifted with another studio album from soul singer Anthony Hamilton. Hamilton’s last formal studio album was 2011’s Back to Love. Now we have Hamilton’s fifth album, What I’m Feelin’, which was released March 25, and it was well worth the wait. Not only is…
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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…
