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When Are Black Boys Allowed to be Boys? The Cast of When They See Us Says There's Still Work to Do
I’m asking myself what do I look like? Do I look like a criminal? — Jharrel Jerome text What do you see when you look at black boys? Perhaps you see a brother, a son or a nephew. Conversely, you might see a deep thinker, a creative, a leader or even our future. But for…
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Ava DuVernay on When They See Us and How the Press Failed the Central Park Five
There are few things more difficult to watch than the abuse, mistreatment and manipulation of innocent young black and brown people. In her four-part Netflix series, When They See Us, award-winning director Ava DuVernay takes us into the story of the Central Park Five—a case that had the media in a frenzy in the late…
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Halle Berry and Keanu Reeves Try to Name Lyrics to Migos' 'John Wick'
The John Wick franchise is like a wet dream for lovers of action-adventure films. Director Chad Stahelski has built a world with umpteen highly choreographed fight scenes (I’d hate to be a stunt person in the film), a semi-solid storyline, guns and gallons of blood. But, did y’all know that there’s a Migos song named…
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Alfre Woodard Reflects on the Significance and Privilege of Motherhood
The queen Alfre Woodard has played a host of iconic moms on the big screen. But the Emmy Award winner says being a real-life mom is the role of a lifetime. “Being a mother—it is the deepest most significant task that I have ever had the privilege of taking on,” said Woodard. “There is nothing…
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Amazing Grace Is a Cinematic Blessing and a Transcendental Spiritual Experience
Aretha Franklin was a national treasure. A gift. An icon. When Aretha Franklin passed, the world unequivocally lost one of the best voices of all time. With 18 Grammys, including a Lifetime Achievement Award, and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—why wouldn’t we genuflect when one calls on the queen’s name?…
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Nikole Hannah-Jones Tells the Story of Investigative Journalist Ida B. Wells
New York Times Magazine staff writer Nikole Hannah-Jones considers Ida B. Wells her spiritual grandmother. “She is really the template on which I’ve tried to base my own journalistic career,” she tells The Root. The 2017 MacArthur Genius Grant fellow acknowledges that Wells was one of the original data reporters. Through her work, Ida B.…
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What Are Reparations and Why Are They a Hot Ticket Item in 2020? | Unpack That
Reparations for slavery is one of the hottest political topics on the 2020 campaign trail. But, who wants them? Who gets them? And why are they important? First things first: Reparations for slavery isn’t all about getting that bag. It’s part of it, for sure, but it’s also about acknowledging and reconciling a wrong. In…
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For Women’s History Month, Queen Latifah Honors Her Mother, Rita Owens
It takes a queen to teach a queen. If there was one woman who unequivocally made an impact on Queen Latifah’s life, it would be her mother, Rita Owens. “She taught me how to be the Queen. Anything you see in me that is womanly, feminine, powerful—that all came from her,” the multihyphenate told The…
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Icon, Unfiltered: Stephanie Mills Talks Michael Jackson, R. Kelly, and Why the Music Industry Doesn't Honor Black Artists
Stephanie Mills has got opinions. Lots of ‘em. The Grammy-award winning singer and actress best known for playing Dorothy in the original Broadway production of The Wiz is not one for holding her tongue. She’s now a woman of a certain age—read: She has no time for the BS. “I’m not apologizing about anything I…
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Alfre Woodard Proves the Party Don’t Stop after Motherhood in Netflix’s Juanita
Who said that life ends after giving birth? And furthermore, why are adult children so damned ungrateful to their mothers in the first place? I’m no mother, but if Beyoncé can head a clothing line, a production company and sit on top of an empire, all while having have three kids, then your kids can…
