-
Sandy Still Speaks: New Sandra Bland Doc Uses Her Voice to Uncover the Still-Unknown Tale of a Fatal Police Stop in Texas
Like me, Sandra Bland hailed from a “girl family.” She was the fourth of five sisters. Her siblings’ names, like hers, all start with S—Shante, Sharon, Shavon, Sandy, and Sierra. They were a close-knit clan who always had each other’s backs, whether it was in Chicago or Villa Park, Ill., where their mother moved them…
-
Take That Selfie Thing to the Next Level: The 2018 Root Self-Care Gift Guide on Black (AF) Friday
Last year we did a gift guide on being woke; this year, we desperately want to awaken from this nightmare of the Trump administration and its hell-bent mission of disenfranchising and subjugating those who are not rich, straight, white, male, and morally bankrupt. Fear not—we have a balm, a safe space, some product (this being…
-
Steve Stoute Once Again Disrupts the Future With His New UnitedMasters Venture. First Partnership? The NBA
In his myriad years in the music industry, Steve Stoute has proven himself a major player and a game changer, too. Hailed as a marketing genius by some, the man who began his career as road manager for Kid & Play has grown and evolved to become a label exec, an advertising mogul and,…
-
Floridians May Not Have Elected Andrew Gillum but Did Vote to Restore Voting Rights to Over 1 Million Ex-Felons
Much to our eternal chagrin, Floridians did not elect Andrew Gillum as governor of their deservedly designated simple-minded (and often repressive) state. However, on Election Day, they did vote “yes” on Amendment 4, a citizen-proposed ballot initiative that will enable more than one million ex-felons to regain their voting rights, potentially changing the political landscape…
-
If We’ve Ever Needed the LDF Before, We Sure Do Need Them Now
To attend the LDF’s 32nd annual National Equal Justice Awards Dinner themed: “Justice. Equality. Democracy,” is to swell with a sense of pride in the organized, brilliant pushback of our people in courts all over the land; it’s to know that two black women (Sherrilyn Ifill and Janai Nelson) are at the helm of this…
-
Lost-Found ‘Negro’: Never-Before-Seen Chapter From Autobiography of Malcolm X Open to the Public
When I was growing up, The Autobiography of Malcolm X was like manna; it was part of my introduction to “black consciousness,” at least from a proto-nationalist, the-black-man-is-god perspective. Malcolm was larger than life, especially for us inner-city girls who were as well versed on Surahs as Psalms; his words our Sunday sermon, his persona…
-
Pooch Hall Facing 6 Years in Prison After DUI Involving 2-Year-Old Son
Although may be best known as a player on the Showtime series, Ray Donovan, most of us got to know and love Marion “Pooch” Hall from BET’s The Game. But what the 44-year-old actor is facing is anything but. TMZ reports that Hall has just been criminally charged with one count of child endangerment and…
-
ACLU Files Discrimination Complaint on Behalf of Black Students in Central California
In response to claims of sustained racial abuse against the two percent of black students who attend the Visalia Unified School District, the ACLU of Northern California has filed a discrimination complaint against the district in court. The complaint, filed with the Department of Education, charges the district with violating Title VI of the Civil…
-
2 Texas Judges Sent 20 Percent of All Juveniles to State Prisons Last Year
Two Harris County Texas judges accounted for more than one-fifth of all children sent to the state’s juvenile prisons in 2017. Unsurprisingly, the overwhelming majority of the children were black or Latinx. The Houston Chronicle reports: The two courts — overseen by Judges Glenn Devlin and John Phillips — not only sent more teens to…
-
Georgia College Students Circulate Petition to Have Clarence Thomas’ Name Removed From Building
There may never be a full reckoning for prominent men in the public eye accused of sexual assault and rape, such as Kobe Bryant, R. Kelly or Nate Parker. But in a time where those harmed by the deeds of such men are coming forward—in addition to this being an era in which college buildings…
