-
10 Ways You Know You’re Afro-Latinx
Oh, to be Afro-Latinx in the United States. Being Afro-Latinx is a unique experience that has led many to define their own identities. Not “black” enough for some, not “Latino” enough for others. But, then again, who cares? We are a beautiful and diverse people of the African Diaspora. Either you identify as Afro-Latinx by way…
-
Watch: Ava DuVernay on Mass Incarceration, White Fear and Black Joy
White fear exists. It has been manufactured, encouraged and proliferated through the centuries. From it spawned a damning system based on inequality: the prison-industrial complex. “The reason that we have mass incarceration is because of white fear,” Ava DuVernay told The Root. DuVernay is a prolific director, and her latest project is 13th. The sobering documentary…
-
The Roots Picnic Leaves Philly to Rock NY
The Roots Picnic in New York City was like a buttoned-up Afropunk, but with white people. On Oct. 1-2, the legendary Roots crew mesmerized New York City’s Bryant Park with the music festival known as the Roots Picnic. The event, which typically takes place in Philadelphia, is quite the institution to music fans. Despite the…
-
Check Out These Actors and Directors Working the Big Screen This Fall
Happy October, folks! A few hours into the month, and things are shaping up nicely for black filmgoers. One of the most buzzed-about releases is Nate Parker’s The Birth of a Nation, the harrowing film about Nat Turner’s rebellion, focusing on themes of freedom and resistance. But if you’re not into Parker, the rumors surrounding him or…
-
Raíces Latinas: Conversations With My Grandmother
“No te olvides que tienes raíces Latinas.” (“Do not forget you have Latin roots.”) My grandmother, or “Abuelita” (as I refer to her), often said this to me. This time, she was seated in her reclining chair. Through her silver-rimmed bifocals, I saw her penetrating eyes. “Of course not, Abuelita,” I said with a cooing…
-
#CharlotteProtest: 10 Emotionally Charged Photos That Capture the Moment
It is a trying time to be black in America. We are a people deeply steeped in the tradition of protest. And in Charlotte, N.C., unrest continues for the third day—a direct response to the fatal shooting by police of two black men: Keith Lamont Scott, a disabled man shot in Charlotte while reportedly reading in his car,…
-
NYFW 2016: The Fab 5
It is fashion week in the big city! It is a time for fashionistas, and celebrities, to see and be seen—come through, front-row fashion week seats! By now you’ve heard that the Yeezy season 4 show has come and gone (though not so well); we’re rooting for you, Ye. There’s always next year. All jokes…
-
The First Lady Stays Fly: Our Favorite Magazine Covers
Let’s face it: We’re FLOTUS stans. We’re completely taken by her beauty, grace and intelligence, so when Michelle Obama speaks, we listen. Attentively. And seeing the first lady pictured on scores of magazine covers is no different. Our response is pretty consistent: Awe. Every. Single. Time. Through the years, the first lady has graced magazine…
-
Atlanta and the Black Millennial Experience—in GIFs
So by now you’ve heard of Donald Glover’s Atlanta and its Southern blackness. The series premiered on FX Tuesday and was Glover’s TV directorial debut. We’re here for it. The 32-year-old cleverly explores issues like parenthood, relationships, police brutality and sexuality in a comedic light. The situations faced by the Atlanta cast are super relatable to…
-
Watch: George Clinton Says, ‘We’ve Always Been Afropunk’
George Clinton is not one to funk with. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee has spent most of his life performing. First inspired by Frankie Lymon, Clinton got his start in the 1950s. And his iconic band, Parliament Funkadelic, came to prominence nearly two decades later. At the time, Clinton created his own…
