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According to Laverne Cox’s New Video, the ’90s Are Officially Back
For those of us who came of age in the late ’80s and ’90s, we remember a time full of post-’80s optimism, the rise of hip-hop in the grunge era and the unabashed flamboyance of the “club kid.” All were in full effect at the New York City-area college I entered in 1993. Actress Laverne…
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Let’s Do It Again: Send Our Girls to See A Wrinkle in Time!
Black America, we turned out in record-breaking numbers last weekend to see and support the most anticipated film of the year, Black Panther. It was a triumph as epic as the film itself. But Panther isn’t the only black-helmed film being released by Disney this winter; we are now only two weeks away from the…
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O, Tiff! Tiffany Haddish Teaches Us the Importance of Being Earnest With Oprah
Is there anyone quite as adorable as Tiffany Haddish? The comedian and actress is making a scene-stealing and increasingly successful career out of her unfiltered, around-the-way, every-girl humor, and audiences everywhere are eating it up. So it was no surprise that Haddish, our homegirl in our minds, stole the show while appearing on Ellen Thursday,…
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Double Vision: Janelle Monáe Drops 2 New Baddie Anthems on Us
In case you haven’t had your fill of African royalty this week (as if), Janelle Monáe dropped in on us today with not one, but two new singles sure to be in heavy rotation over the coming weeks, accompanied by stunning visuals that are already giving us fashion inspiration. In “Django Jane,” the artist formerly…
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Notes From the Field: Through Some of America’s Biggest Racial Dramas, Anna Deavere Smith Has Been Taking Notes
For over 25 years, Anna Deavere Smith has been observing us. Since the early ’90s, the Shakespearean-trained actress and playwright, best known for roles in The West Wing, Nurse Jackie and, most recently, Black-ish, has borne witness to some of the most painful moments in contemporary America’s racialized history. In the process, she has interviewed…
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Whose World Is This? Black Panther Production Designer Hannah Beachler Walks Us Through Wakanda
If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve already visited Wakanda—maybe two or three times during Black Panther’s record-breaking opening weekend. Otherwise, I know you wouldn’t want to spoil your upcoming trip by reading the incredible conversation The Glow Up had with the film’s production designer, Hannah Beachler. (Consider yourself warned: There might be spoilers ahead.…
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The Wait Between Sade Singles? Just A Wrinkle in Time
It’s official: Sade is a goddess. She may not always come when you call, but she’s always on time. Or, if you’re Ava DuVernay, Sade may actually come when you call, just in time for your upcoming film, A Wrinkle in Time (premiering March 9). In keeping with the legendary chanteuse’s equally legendary elusive nature,…
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Come Through, 30! Rihanna Celebrates 3 Decades of Bad Gyal Magic
How do we solve a problem like Rihanna? Truth is, we don’t want to. Sometimes we hate how much we love her, but what can we say? We found love in a hopeless place, and this Barbadian “rebelle fleur” remains a constant fave, shining bright like a diamond, always giving us wild thoughts and never…
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Picture Yourself: How Michelle Obama Included Us in Her Portrait
It’s Presidents Day, and now a week since former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama unveiled their official portraits at the National Portrait Gallery. The portraits, by Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald respectively—both black painters—are such sharp departures from any previous depictions of a president and first lady that reviews were understandably mixed,…
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Digging the Dora Milaje? Then Love the Dahomey Women Warriors
It is all Black Panther everything all Presidents Day weekend here at The Root.(That’s no coincidence, by the way. Wakanda forever!) At this point, all of our staff has seen the film—some of us, multiple times. That said, we realize that not all of you have, so gird your loins, because we’re about to talk…
