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Apparently, White People Had No Idea Who Frankie Beverly Was Until Black Twitter Taught Them
If you woke up this morning and were shocked to discover that one of Black America’s favorite musical legends had gone home to glory, calm down. You don’t have to pull out your white painter’s cap, put on “Joy & Pain” and contemplate what steps you should take before you let go. Nothing happened to…
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: ‘Real Racist’ Bingo
Whenever someone asks if writing the weekly Clapback Mailbag ever gets old, I tell them that receiving and reading notes from people telling me why I’m so wrong can sometimes be annoying. But, to be fair, it’s not the receiving part that bothers me; I rather enjoy responding to our readers. But reading poorly punctuated…
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22 Cops in St. Louis Were Exposed for Racist Facebook Posts. 2 Were Fired
A “proud” Missouri “cracker” and a KKKop whose pseudonym on social media was apparently inspired by a leadership position in the Ku Klux Klan have been terminated after a watchdog group discovered Facebook posts by nearly two dozen St. Louis police officers displaying bigotry, hatred and a predilection for violence. The Metropolitan Police Department of…
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Look Back At It: The Top 10 Protest Movements of the Decade
If it were possible to encapsulate the sentiment of an entire decade, the last 10 years could be distilled down to one word: “Nah.” Whether it was Black Lives Matter demonstrations, Colin Kaepernick taking a knee or white people burning Nikes they bought from J.C. Penney, it is impossible to recap 2010-2019 without taking a…
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Principal Who Allegedly Banned Black History Month Accuses Black Teachers of Reverse Racism. Teachers Accuse Her of Original Recipe Racism
A principal who was demoted amid accusations that she prohibited students from celebrating Black History Month has filed a lawsuit against a group of teachers at a Bronx school for discriminating against her because she is white. Meanwhile, the teachers filed their own legal claim against the school district, claiming the principal implied black instructors…
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Ayanna Pressley Introduces Legislation to End the ‘Pushout’ of Black Girls
We are all magicians. This country practices a particular kind of wizardry that can make black votes disappear; turn a black radical into a whitewashed moderate and hypnotize an entire population into somehow believing that “illegal immigrants” can trespass on stolen land. But the most wondrous trick of all is how we treat black girls.…
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The Caucasian Candidate’s Guide to Black Voters
So you want to be president. In America, reaching the pinnacle of any career doesn’t usually require the consent or approval of black people. In fact, it is possible to lead one of the most profitable companies in America; govern the state of Alabama; determine whether or not America has talent or run a sports…
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Pete Buttigieg on Institutional Racism, Economic Inequality, and White Supremacy
“Systemic racism, and white supremacy in particular…is the force that is most likely to destroy America.” — Pete Buttigieg text He said it. And all it took was an 8-year-old viral video clip, his campaign polling at zero percent among black voters and someone calling him a “lying motherfucker.” Also, I am someone. During a…
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The Root's Clapback Mailbag: Major League Clapback
Each Friday, we wade through our emails, tweets, comments and DMs to respond to readers who are searching for feedback, validation or someone at whom they can scream the n-word without being slapped like they stole something. But not this week. When the pair of articles about Mayor Pete Buttigieg came out last week, there…
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I Tried Trap Yoga. Trap Yoga Won
It’s not my fault. I’m a victim. Since I was a child, my musculature has been as rigid as a slightly inebriated white man trying to learn the kick-pivot part of the electric slide at his co-worker’s daughter’s wedding. To say I’m not flexible is an understatement. Although I am a card-carrying member of the…
