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NSA Spying, Cuba Policy Weaken US Image
(The Root)—Years from now, when pundits give way to historians—and the Tea Party has imploded—Barack Obama’s presidency will be judged not on the success of his national health care law, but instead on his ability to repair the damage done to this nation’s image on his watch. Since the beginning of the 20th century when the…
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Sharpton’s Celebrity Is Key to His Cause
(The Root)—Al Sharpton’s recent decision to move to Chicago to highlight the city’s violence-plagued communities demonstrates both the creativity and limits of contemporary black leadership. The Rev. Sharpton’s personal trajectory, marked by high-profile political setbacks and victories that have culminated in his improbable rise to national civil rights leadership, offers a unique vantage point to…
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Yes, Interracial Couples Can Handle '12 Years a Slave'
I’m planning to get a group of friends together to go see 12 Years a Slave, and most of us have read the reviews and are prepared for how harrowing it will be and the way it will depict the horrors of slavery. However, I’ve seen from what black friends and acquaintances share on Facebook…
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Quote of the Day: President Barack Obama on Bias
(The Root)—Read a transcript of the president’s speech in its entirety here. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and founding director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. He is also the editor-in-chief of The Root. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Like The Root on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
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Why Childish Gambino Was Mad When His Instagram Posts Were Taken Out of Context
(The Root)—Donald Glover, also known as rapper Childish Gambino, posted some emotional hand-written notes on Instagram last month, speculation that he was clinically depressed began, and he wasn’t happy about it. On a recent Juan Epstein podcast, the rapper touched on how difficult it is to be vulnerable. “With the Instagram stuff I was a…
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Kanye West’s Ego Can’t Change History
(The Root)—The Confederate flag has been getting a lot of press recently. You’ve probably read stories of students wearing the flag to school, the flag being waved at the gates of the White House and the “that’s not what it means” debate. Is it Southern pride or the symbol of American oppression’s past? Most Americans…
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How'd You Like Being Stopped and Frisked by Black Twitter, Don Lemon?
(The Root)—Black Twitter is having fun over the comments CNN anchor Don Lemon made in his weekly radio commentary Tuesday night defending New York City’s stop-and-frisk policy. After carrying on about how most citizens of New York, “in theory,” wouldn’t mind being stopped occasionally if it meant their city would be safer, he ended his…
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It's Handled, Gladiators. ‘Pope’ Is a Verb
(The Root)—It was bound to happen eventually. After two-and-a-half seasons of melodramatic conquests, the natives out there in TV land have been sufficiently immersed in Scandal-ese. Fans of the hit show have relished in having their own shorthand—simple phrases like “It’s handled” and “gladiators in suits,” to name a few—an instantly recognizable patois that sets…
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Quote of the Day: President Barack Obama on Race in America
Read a transcript of the president’s speech in its entirety here. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and founding director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. He is also the editor-in-chief of The Root. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
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Photo Essay: Barack Obama Goes Gray
George W. Bush did. So did Bill Clinton. So why would President Barack Obama be immune? Yes, we’re talking about the rapid-aging reality of being president of the United States and how Bush, Clinton and now Obama all went from dark-haired to gray during their two terms in office. President Obama has shifted from his…
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