-
Black Twitter Kidnaps the #WhiteGirlsDoItBetter Hashtag and Takes It for a Ride
The de facto conglomerate known as “black Twitter” has demonstrated time and time again that it is funny, relentless and bombastic on issues relating to race and culture and can unleash the fury of God (or the wit of Richard Pryor) on those who find themselves lurking around those kinds of topics without a darn…
-
FBI: We Dropped the Ball on Dylann Roof’s Background Check; He Should Not Have Been Able to Purchase a Gun
The FBI admitted Friday that its failure to follow through on Dylann Roof’s background check enabled him to reportedly purchase the gun that he allegedly used to fatally shoot nine people at a historically black church in South Carolina in June. According to the New York Times, Roof—the self-confessed gunman in the attack at the…
-
The Black Gay Prancing Elites Dance Troupe Gets Green Light for 2nd Season on Oxygen
Get ready to see more sparkly leotards and the fiercest j-setting dance moves, because Oxygen just green-lit a second season of The Prancing Elites Project, according to Variety. The docuseries explores the world of competitive dancing through the lives of an all-male dance troupe based in Mobile, Ala. All five members are African American, and…
-
How Long Ago Did African Ancestry Enter My Family Tree?
Dear Professor Gates: According to 23andMe, my brother and I each have 0.1 percent sub-Saharan African ancestry. But instead of being at the identical spot on the chromosome, his segment and my segment are next to each other. How would we estimate the date that the African-American ancestor entered our family tree? Would we combine…
-
South Sudanese Model Rips ‘Racist’ Fashion Industry
Nykhor Paul—a South Sudanese model who has graced the campaigns of Calvin Klein, Balenciaga, Diane von Furstenburg and the like—took to Instagram Monday to give the fashion industry a piece of her mind about the “ratchet” ways in which dark-brown models are treated in the industry. Paul made it very clear to whom she was directing her…
-
Bill Cosby Started Losing Black People Before the Rape Allegations
More than 30 women have accused Bill Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting them in incidents dating all the way to the 1960s. However, even before these accusations and his own admissions in a recently unsealed court deposition were reintroduced to the public, Cosby was already a controversial figure in the black community because of…
-
John Singleton on Why Black Filmmakers Need to Tell Black Stories
The coming-of-age classic Boyz n the Hood is 24 years old this July. At the recent American Black Film Festival in New York City, where the movie was being screened by Turner Classic Movies, The Root contributor Reginald Ponder had a chance to speak with John Singleton, who was 22 years old when he directed his…
-
Millennials Are Poised to Create Some Youthful Disruption
They can’t be ignored. Millennials—defined as those between ages 15 and 34—are set to become the largest living generation in the United States, representing one-third of the population. Millennials are projected to number 75.3 million this year, surpassing the projected 74.9 million baby boomers (ages 51 to 69) according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Millennials…
-
Watch: The Philanthropist Who Built Over 5,000 Schools for Black Students in the Jim Crow South
In the trailer for the documentary Rosenwald, civil rights activist and U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) describes the type of school he went to as a child. “It was a little school a short distance from my home—walking distance. Beautiful little building. It was a Rosenwald school. It was the only school we had,” Lewis said.…
-
Union Blasts Baltimore Police Commanders as Conflict Over #BaltimoreUprisings Continues
On Wednesday, Baltimore’s Fraternal Order of Police released its “after action” review regarding the Baltimore uprisings in April in the wake of the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody. The report’s overview states that “the rioting resulted in millions of dollars in property damages and injuries to citizens,” and that reportedly more than…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
