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Watch: Issa Rae: ‘We Will Find a Way to Shine’
Black and Proud is a video series on The Root that focuses on the pride that our favorite black celebrities, tastemakers and thought leaders feel about being black. Many of them talk about our resilience and strength throughout history, and some talk about our undeniable talents, while others mention our dance skills, dopeness and more.…
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Watch: Let’s Talk About the Hitler Haircut
The look has been given many names over the years: the “high and tight,” the“fashy,” the “synth” and the “undercut.” Despite the cool names, you might recognize the cut from Richard Spencer and historic photos of Adolf Hitler. Some barbers even refer to the style as the “Hitler Youth.” Notably, we’ve seen celebs like Brad…
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Watch: The Making of Auntie Maxine
Some might say that Maxine Waters’ career in politics was a prophecy. In high school, Waters was named most likely to be the speaker of the House of Representatives. The rest is history. Politically, she got her start in 1976 with the California Assembly. There, she led a seven-year fight for legislation that would remove…
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Watch: ‘Yo Soy Afro-Latina’
If there is one thing that Sammy Sosa, an Afro-Latino man, and his skin-bleaching fiasco has taught us, it’s to be proud of who you are. The term “Afro-Latino” (or the gender-neutral “Afro-Latinx”) is used to refer to African descendants from Latin America. For many growing up, being black and Latinx was not always beautiful.…
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Watch: A Brief History of Jazz by Some of the Genre’s Freshest Faces
So, what, exactly, is jazz? We know it’s black music, we know that many of the artists of the genre are political. But how does one define an art form so heavily based on improvisation and live instrumentation? Better question: Is jazz dead? The Root asked three fresh faces in jazz to school us on…
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Watch: Female Artists Take Their Fight Against Bigotry on the Road
Three women of color—Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, Jessica Sabogal and Melinda James—traveled from Los Angeles to Albuquerque, N.M., to fight what in America is becoming the new normal. And they are using their art to fight back. From May 23 to June 5, the women took a road trip, stopping specifically in small towns to make murals…
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Watch: Laila Ali Knows What She Wants and Will Break Down Any Barrier in Her Way
To be clear: There is no ambiguity about what Laila Ali wants and the path she is willing to take to get there. Nearly two decades ago, Ali wrapped up her knuckles, slipped on boxing gloves and stepped into the ring. She made a life-changing decision—going from being a nail-salon owner to a pro boxer—and…
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Chirlane McCray on ‘the Invisible Disease’
The saying goes, “Healthy mind, healthy body.” But how often do we tend, acknowledge and nurture our mental health? Mental illness shouldn’t be dismissed as something to simply “walk off.” Nor will “manning up” do the job. And being pegged as “crazy” is worlds away from resolving the problem. Mental illness is a disease that…
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Watch: Michelle Carter, the Shot-Put Diva, on Loving Your Body, No Matter Your Size
USA Track & Field star Michelle Carter walks into any space exuding confidence, with a bright smile, carefully combed tresses and a freshly beat face. Carter is the 2016 Olympic gold medalist in the women’s shot put and an entrepreneur. Can you say, #BlackGirlMagic? But life hasn’t always been a crystal stair for this three-time…
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On Maya Angelou’s Birthday, Black Girls Breathe Life Into Her Words
“If I had my druthers, I’d rather be born black, American, female and in the 20th century. And I was. What luck I have,” said Maya Angelou in 2010. With these words, Angelou spoke with the White House on the cusp of receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the highest civilian honor in the United States,…
