Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude

Search

  • Philly Doesn't Need No Libraries

    I know that there are many people who haven’t stepped foot in a library in quite some time. But I know that this doesn’t imply that they would want all the libraries in their city to vanish. Unfortunately, for Philly residents, this may soon be their reality. On its Web site, the Free Library of…

    By










    Published

  • Jay-Z the Reader

    I think Jozen Cummings is onto something with his essay about why Jay-Z should rap about marriage. At a basic level, what I took from the piece is the need for a black male artist of Hova’s stature to reveal more of himself—the parts that are hidden underneath the stereotypical gangsta-turned-mogul persona that he has…

    By










    Published

  • Reading List: The Sports Edition

    Here are a few books for sports nuts, celebrity junkies, and those who enjoy a good, old inspirational story. Character Driven: Life, Lessons, and Basketball By Derek Fisher with Gary Brozek Simon & Schuster, September 2009 Although he isn’t always in the spotlight, Fisher, the Lakers’ starting point guard who has 13 seasons under his…

    By










    Published

  • The Conversation: Do Black Men and Women Need to Have a Sit-Down?

    is a writer, speaker, author of books for adults and youth, and the book columnist for The Root. Her most recent book is \”The Message: 100 Life Lessons from Hip-Hop’s Greatest Songs.\” Visit her at feliciapride.com.

    By










    Published

  • Context for Roxanne Shante

    I agree with Teresa Wiltz’s case regarding the need for more stringent reporting in light of the New York Daily News article by Walter Dawkins about hip-hop pioneer Roxanne Shanté that may not be entirely true. Apparently, this situation is a victory for investigative reporting and a beat-down to shotty journalism. I guess Ben Sheffner…

    By










    Published

  • Human Observer

    In the foreword for his new collection of columns, Leonard Pitts, Jr. writes that he finds it difficult to describe what his twice-weekly column for the “Miami Herald” is about. The best he can offer is a line that he once saw in promotional material that said his column is about “the politics of the…

    By










    Published

  • Fine Wine in a Plastic Cup

    ABOUT FELICIA PRIDE A friend of mine once described my cultural tastes as fine wine in a red plastic cup. Some would gawk at such a comparison. But I thought the description was quite fitting. For instance: The two songs I’m dying to do at karaoke are Rufus/Chaka Khan’s “Sweet Thing” and Biggie’s “Warning.” I…

    By










    Published

  • No More “Reading Rainbow”? Say It Ain’t So!

    Okay, I’ll admit that I haven’t seen “Reading Rainbow” in probably twenty years since I was a bright-eyed kid sitting in front of the television following LeVar Burton bring the world of books to life. I did find it a tad corny, but tuned in regularly because I liked books. And subconsciously, I’m sure, because…

    By










    Published

  • Changing Minds: The Youngest of the Little Rock Nine Talks Justice

    Carlotta Walls LaNier was just fourteen when she and eight other teenagers made history by integrating Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Her story of surviving hatred, hostility, and hardships to go on and become the first black girl to walk across the stage of Central High and receive a diploma is recounted in…

    By










    Published

  • Reading List: The Cross-Cultural Edition

    Travel across continents, countries, and cultures in this edition of Books on the Root’s Reading List. The Sound of Water By Sanjay Bahadur Atria, June 2009 The former director of the India Ministry of Coal takes on the treacherous and exploitative conditions of the Indian mining industry and humanizes the lives of workers and their…

    By










    Published

The Root Staff Avatar