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Government Study: School Is Racist
That headline could go down as the greatest clickbait of all time if it weren’t for the fact that a new report found that—regardless of the racial makeup of the school, the type of punishment, the level of poverty in the school or grade level—black students are much more likely than their white counterparts to…
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Memphis, Tenn., Honors 1968 Sanitation Workers With I Am a Man Plaza
Perhaps no phrase encapsulates the sentiment of the struggle for freedom, justice and equality more than “I am a man.” Every day during the 1968 Memphis, Tenn., sanitation workers’ strike, Memphis’ black sanitation employees would meet downtown at the historic Clayborn Temple. When the men arrived, they would pick up picket signs that read, “I…
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America Did This: An Open Letter to Memphis, Tenn.
You are beautiful. The way you sparkle in the reflection of the mighty Mississippi River. The way the trumpets bellow from the bowels of Beale Street. The way you don’t give a damn about consonants when you talk. The way you bathe yourself in blues riffs, barbecue smoke … and pain. A lot of pain.…
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From Most Hated to American Hero: The Whitewashing of Martin Luther King Jr.
There is a recipe for making a hero. Greatness is neither the singular nor most necessary ingredient. Fame is important because no matter how benevolent or worthy someone’s actions may be, people must know about them. And though it might seem antithetical, hate is a crucial factor. Abraham Lincoln was disliked by many Americans when…
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Former Morehouse President and Obama HBCU Chief John Wilson Selected to Lead Diversity at Harvard
Former Morehouse College President John Sylvanus Wilson has announced that he will take a leave of absence from Harvard University’s board of overseers to take a new position as Harvard University President Drew G. Faust’s senior adviser and strategist on diversity and inclusion initiatives. The new role will help the university understand the experiences of…
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Michael Rapaport Is the Worst Kind of White Man
The story of the scorpion and the frog is an ancient African proverb that explains the importance of knowing whom to trust. In the story, a frog is preparing to cross a river when it is approached by a cool-ass scorpion. The scorpion asks the frog to give it a ride on its back to…
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Report: Trump, GOP Seriously Considering Reparations to Attract Black Voters
Faced with declining polls and widespread losses in the 2018 midterm congressional elections, multiple media outlets report that the Republican National Committee, along with the Donald Trump campaign team, is working on a plan to offer reparations to the African-American descendants of slaves. According to sources, the discussions began during a Republican brainstorming session on…
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Student at Center of Howard University Financial Scandal Speaks Out Amid Campus Protests
As students at Howard University enter the second day of campuswide protests, the university’s board of trustees issued a statement moments before the immaculately dressed law student who has become a symbol of the administration’s mismanagement appeared with journalist Roland Martin and a very luxurious house plant to clear his name while everyone involved gulped…
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: Let Wypipo Go
It’s Good Friday and Passover Eve. The Root’s deputy managing editor, Yesha Callahan, is not here to force me to write an extensive lede because last night, Very Smart Brothas and The Glow Up had their first joint event, Urban by Nature, in Los Angeles. A lot of the staff from The Root attended, but…
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Comfortably Numb: Stephon Clark, Alton Sterling and the Value of Being Punched in the Face
I was 9 years old the first time I was punched in the face. During a church service, I absconded from the sanctuary with two of my older cousins and headed to a neighborhood store. When I returned, my mother asked where I had been and I snitched: “I went to the store with Bernard…
