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New Zora Neale Hurston Anthology to Be Released in 2022, Titled You Don’t Know Us Negroes
The previously unpublished collection of essays was edited by The Root’s co-founder Henry Louis Gates Jr., along with M. Genevieve West.
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Gala Goes Virtual: Beyoncé, Solange, Jay-Z, Megan Thee Stallion and More to Appear at WACO Theater Center's Virtual Celebration
Did you miss the stylish spectacle of the Wearable Art Gala this year? Are you quietly a fan of “Ms. Tina’s Corny Jokes”? Want to see how much Blue Ivy’s art allowance increased this year? If you answered yes to any of the above, you’ll want to tune into the WACO Theater Center’s Virtual Celebration…
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Reclaiming Our Sourdough Starter: 'Rage Baking' Began With a Black Woman—and Right Now, We Want It Back
A twisted tale only recently came to our attention, but feels especially relevant today as Paula Deen and her loyal following celebrate her new weekly Fox & Friends’ segment, “America Cooks Together”—you know, because Paula Deen is such a great American unifier. But we promised you a story, so here it goes, albeit a couple…
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The Trouble With Jimmy Fallon
All in all, he wasn’t a bad choice to host the Golden Globes. He had the requisite clever and colorful opening number, an affable demeanor and the ability to improvise. He even started off strong with some postelection shade—though it didn’t erase our memory of his pre-election playfulness with the now-PEOTUS. And it certainly couldn’t…
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We Are All Insecure
Eight weeks ago, The Root published an article I wrote, titled, “Is Insecure Preying on Black Women’s Insecurities?” It was a simple question, based on an honest concern I’d had while previewing the show prior to its debut on HBO: As viewers—and, at times, voyeurs—of Insecure, what was our intended takeaway? Was there a deliberate…
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When Will We Learn?
You have to be twice as good as them to get half of what they have! “Twice as good” is the standard set for generations of black and brown children across America (and beyond), a warning consistently administered in stern but loving tones from parental figures as dissimilar as the fictional Rowan Pope and first…
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Who Gets to Be Black?
I don’t have to do nothing but eat, drink, stay black, and die. Langston Hughes initially penned the phrase, while Morgan Freeman’s Joe Clark famously paraphrased it in Lean on Me. Purportedly, Billie Holiday even uttered it during her first encounter with Maya Angelou. And while I might add “and pay taxes” (because the IRS…
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Trouble With the Curve … in Fashion
“Please fit … please fit … please fit …” This was the prayer I sent up, standing in my underwear, eyeing the rack of gowns that had been chosen for me. After years of modeling, it wasn’t an unfamiliar scenario, but this was different. I wasn’t being fit for a retailer’s catalog or campaign, but…
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Don’t Read the Comments … Especially if You’re a Black Woman
Two weeks ago I wrote an article in the form of an open letter to Nate Parker, confessing my conflicted feelings about the recently resurfaced revelations about his 17-year-old rape trial. It should be noted that my article was one of dozens on the topic, and far from the most damning. While I openly expressed my…
