-
Judge of Characters: Why Is America Like This?
By now, your feed has been flooded with disturbing images of immigrant children being separated from their parents. The Trump administration is responsible for creating a zero tolerance policy that criminally prosecutes undocumented immigrants and separates parents from their children (only after a national outcry did Trump sign an executive order this week to end…
-
Alfre Woodard Is a Diabolical Villain Who Oozes Sex Appeal in Season 2 of Luke Cage
Luke Cage is coming back to us for a second season, and this time, shit gets real! There are new characters, like Mariah Dillard’s (Alfre Woodard) estranged daughter, played by Gabrielle Dennis, and we get to see Woodard be sexy in her new love affair with Shades. (Full disclosure: Netflix flew The Root to Los…
-
Dear White People Cast Members Play a Frustrating Game of Jesse Williams’ ‘Blebrity’
Have you watched season 2 of Dear White People yet? If you haven’t, what are you waiting for? This season digs deeper into the issues that black students in a white college face, like subtle and blatant racism, and, honestly, those that a kid in any college might face, like dealing with pregnancy, depression, coming…
-
14 Black Holidays We Wish Were Real That Are Not Juneteenth, Kwanzaa or MLK Day
Here are 14 new black holidays that deserve your pomp and circumstance.
-
Black Music Month: Soul Music; We Make It, They Take It
Did you know that R&B was renamed as “rhythm & blues” from “race music” by Billboard magazine in 1949? The name change reflected upwardly mobile Negroes working diligently to change their social and economic statuses. But, of course, with growth and downright swag comes theft. R&B caught the ears of white audiences, and the rest…
-
I Reconnected to My Father, Only to Disconnect From Him Again
My father has never really been a major part of my life. Not having a father around was pretty much a normal thing throughout my childhood. My birth mother passed away from breast cancer when I was 3 years old, which left my brother and sister and me to be raised by family. My aunt…
-
The Pop Up: Once You Hear the Voice of Roc Nation’s Darling, Victory Boyd, You’ll Realize Why Jay-Z Loves Her
Victory Boyd is Roc Nation’s newest darling. She’s a young black queen from New Jersey by way of Detroit. In fact, Victory’s dad, John Boyd (who came with her to The Root’s office) founded the Boys and Girls Choirs of Detroit. Why am I telling you about Victory’s dad before I tell you more about…
-
Oprah Admits to Crying Over Lost Love, Shares What TV Is Missing About Black Love and More at the Premiere of Love Is ___
OWN set up a pink carpet, as opposed to red, for the premiere of the network’s newest show, Love Is ___, on Monday. It’s a romantic dramedy that stars Will Catlett (Black Lightning) and Michele Weaver as Yasir and Nuri respectively, characters based on power couple Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil. I’m obsessed with…
-
The Pop Up: Sol Development’s ‘Helicopter’ Is a Haunting Tale of Police Brutality in America
The Root is celebrating Black Music Month with stories that dig into the soul of black artistry and with The Pop Up, our new video series featuring in-office performances from black artists we adore. Sol Development are our first performing artists for The Pop Up, and they do not disappoint. The hip-hop/jazz/soul ensemble, based out…
-
Judge of Characters: Your President Is Clueless
This week, the orange crayon of a human being proved that he’s just as clueless as we all thought he was. Donald Trump’s list of stupidity starts with champing at the bit to meet with Kim Kardashian West and goes into not knowing the words to “God Bless America,” then extends down to claiming that…