-
Gay Black Men’s Salaries Are on Par With Those of Straight White Men. Progress?
Anyone who knows anything knows that it is hard to be a black man in America. There’s endless data that backs up this declaration, from the disproportionate number of men of color targeted by law enforcement to programs like stop and frisk and the shooting of unarmed black boys like Trayvon Martin. Because of the…
-
In Brazil: ‘White People Running Are Athletes; Black People Running Are Thieves’
Whether it’s a mural in Salvador, Brazil’s Barra neighborhood with the message “– copa + educacao” (less cup, more education); street art in Sao Paulo that reads “A Copa Pra Quem” (The Cup for Who?); or a message on Rio de Janeiro’s main highway, scrawled in black spray paint, that says simply, “Foder-se FIFA” (F—k…
-
Sculpture of an African Fire-Maker Isn’t as ‘Real’ as You Might Think
This image is part of a weekly series that The Root is presenting in conjunction with the Image of the Black in Western Art Archive at Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Research Institute, part of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. A native of the African Congo squats before a log, his…
-
Freedom Summer Style: The Looks of an Unforgettable Era
In 1964, Freedom Summer was a campaign to register African Americans to vote in Mississippi, where blacks had historically been prohibited from the ballot. Even amid that intense racial and political climate, style served as a form of self-definition and expression as much as it has during any other time since. Fifty years later, take a…
-
More Bad News for Voting Rights: Supreme Court to Hear Alabama Case
Alabama Plays Both Sides of Voting Rights, With Blacks in the Middle The News: The Supreme Court will consider whether Alabama illegally redrew its legislative districts in a way that weakens minorities’ voting power, taking up the first such case since striking down a section of the Voting Rights Act last year. Black state lawmakers…
-
Was the Author of The Three Musketeers a Black Man?
Editor’s note: For those who are wondering about the retro title of this black-history series, please take a moment to learn about historian Joel A. Rogers, author of the 1934 book 100 Amazing Facts About the Negro With Complete Proof, to whom these “amazing facts” are an homage. Amazing Fact About the Negro No. 83: Which famous 19th-century French…
-
-
Jermaine Jackson Slams New MJ Album: ‘I’m Not Happy’
On Thursday, Jermaine Jackson will return to Motown along with his brothers Jackie, Marlon and Tito to launch a nationwide reunion tour of the Jacksons. Jermaine is also promoting a nonmusical, philanthropic business venture—a bottled-water company that promises to use a percentage of its profits to build wells to provide clean water in Ethiopia and…
-
What Your Favorite Dance Says About You
It’s summertime, and that means parties, weddings, barbecues, family reunions and, of course, line dancing. What does your favorite dance say about you? 1. Cha-Cha Slide This Chicago dance, created by Chicago artist DJ Casper in 2000, has become a staple at weddings, birthdays, bar mitzvahs, proms, parties—essentially anyplace people have a reason to get…
-
Why It’s Time to End Speculation About Race in Genomics
In a probing piece in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard scholars David Altshuler and Henry Louis Gates Jr., The Root’s editor-in-chief and , discuss the futility of using science as a tool to justify the racial advantages of some groups over others. Genomic technology has demonstrated on a significant scale that many individuals have mixed…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
