-
What Is Nick Cannon Thinking?
I like Nick Cannon. I do. I’m one of those people who defend him when women call him goofy because I like a guy who seems like he knows how to have fun and doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously. I’d take all of that over a man who thinks he’s God’s gift to…
-
Exclusive: NYPD’s William Bratton Vows to Win Back the Black Community’s Trust
Stop and frisk, a law-enforcement policy found to disproportionately target men of color, emerged as a key issue in last year’s New York City mayoral race. Now-mayor, then-candidate, Bill de Blasio, who is white and the father of a biracial teen son, spent much of his campaign decrying the measure and vowing to stop its…
-
‘I, Too, Am Harvard’ Campaign Raises Alumnae Concern
As we watched the video for “I, Too, Am Harvard,” our hearts broke. Harvard undergraduates recounted painful experiences of isolation and alienation. They spoke of being maligned, underestimated and underappreciated. One student said that he did not feel valued or valuable. Another student said that although she went to Harvard, she was not “of Harvard.”…
-
Are White Men Allowed to Laugh at Black Men’s Expense?
My boyfriend (white) and I (not white) were walking down the street in New Orleans, and I caught him chuckling at the sight of an African-American teen struggling to keep his baggy pants up while carrying a couple of shopping bags. We got into a pretty heated discussion about whether or not this was “objectively”…
-
Find Ways to Pay for College: The Root Live Today at 11 a.m.
In many African-American families, when we have an important issue to discuss, we gather in the kitchen and bring it to the table. That’s especially true of financial discussions, whether about how to pay the bills, how to send Junior to college or where to start looking for a new job. For the next three…
-
For Spring Break, Howard Students Choose Service
It’s a 20-year tradition for students of Howard University: Skip the spring-break beach trips—and, really, any “break” at all—and spend a week volunteering in communities in the U.S. and the Caribbean. This year more than 400 students participating in the Washington, D.C., HBCU’s Alternative Spring Break program embarked on service projects in Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit,…
-
4 Lessons From a Homeless Mother’s Tragic Dilemma
While politicians, most of whom have never been truly poor, continue, in the abstract, to debate how to best help those living in poverty, Shanesha Taylor—a homeless mother of two who was arrested for leaving her children unattended in her car in order to go to a job interview—just helped give the debate a human…
-
Why a Black Preacher’s Fiery Sermon at a White Church Received a Lasting Tribute
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. The ornate, lacquered contours of a meticulously painted serving tray highlight…
-
College Promoting Diversity Names Confederacy Lover as President
The College of Charleston’s board of trustees adopted in 2012 its first-ever Diversity Strategic Plan. The plan, to be implemented over a five-year period, was meant to address the college’s many “diversity challenges.” It seems the board just created itself a new challenge. The board tapped South Carolina Lt. Gov. Glenn McConnell as the college’s…
-
Hollywood Can’t Figure Out What to Do With ‘Exotic’ Lupita
Now that Hollywood’s award season has come to a close, perhaps it was inevitable that the fawning over media darling and Academy Award winner for best supporting actress Lupita Nyong’o would come to an end as well. The Hollywood Reporter put the official nail in the cliched coffin with its latest print issue, which asks…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
