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'You Cannot Do Anything Alone': Marley Dias Tells Us How She Gets It Done on The Root Presents It's Lit
When we grow up, we want to be like Marley Dias. At 15, the founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks—which she launched in 2015 at age 10—has already garnered worldwide acclaim and authored a book of her own in 2018: Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You! In 2019, The Root honored her as one of our Young Futurists,…
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'We're Not Some New Anomaly': The Root Presents It's Lit Talks Purpose, Process and Pronouns With George M. Johnson
When The Root first spoke to George M. Johnson (one of our longtime contributors) just ahead of the release of their debut book, All Boy Aren’t Blue: A Memoir Manifesto, we had a feeling they were on the cusp of something groundbreaking. Borne from their own reflections on growing up without the language and representation…
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Deana Lawson Is the 1st Photographer to Win the Guggenheim's Hugo Boss Prize
She was a member of the 2018 class of The Root 100, and now, photographer Deana Lawson is the winner of the Hugo Boss Prize 2020, the biennial award made possible by the luxury fashion label and administered by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation “to recognize significant achievement in contemporary art,” according to a release.…
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Queen Bey Makes It Reign, Yet Again: Ivy Park Announces a New Drop of 'Drip' in October
You hear that? That’s the pitter-patter of Ivy Park-loving feet rushing to line up for the next drop of merch from Beyoncé’s covetable collab with Adidas, which the brand announced today via a technicolor mountainscape on social media, simply captioned: “DRIP 2 October 30.” That’s right—even before you don your stay-at-home Halloween costume and still…
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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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May Is Mental Health Awareness Month. You Hanging in There?
How you doin’, fam? Obviously, as of late, we’ve been talking a lot about health here at The Root. As the world—and the United States, in particular—faces an unprecedented health crisis in the outbreak of COVID-19, our concerns have largely been focused upon the physical aspects of the coronavirus; how to avoid it, combat it,…
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VSB's Damon Young Wins Barnes & Noble's Discover Great New Writers Award for What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker
What’s more exciting than any work of fiction? The news that one of our favorite essayists, colleagues and play cousins is being recognized for his brilliance! As reported by Publishers Weekly (and our work Slack), Damon Young’s debut book of essays, What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker, was recently named the nonfiction winner of…
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Jeremy O. Harris and Naomi Campbell to Be Honored With 2020 Human Rights Campaign Awards
The fight for equality is ongoing, but the Human Rights Campaign (HRC)—the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization—continues to honor those doing the work. Ahead of its 19th Annual HRC Greater New York Gala on Saturday, Feb. 1, the advocacy organization has announced it will be awarding one of…
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For the Culture: Barack and Michelle Obama’s Portraits to Make Multi-City Tour
Haven’t made it to Washington, D.C., to see forever president and first lady Barack and Michelle’s portraits yet? Not to worry; they may be coming to a city near you. The Washington Post reports that the portraits, painted by artists Kehinde Wiley (Barack Obama) and Amy Sherald (Michelle Obama) have attracted record crowds since their…