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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…
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James Clyburn Warns of Those Who Are Turning Back the Clock on Racial Progress
There is victory in perseverance. It is the fable about the tortoise’s slow pace being just the pace he needs. It is the religious doctrine that heralds, what comes doesn’t always come when you want it but when you need it. James Clyburn knows this well, having been a child in school during the slow…
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Freedom Summer: If MTV Had Existed in 1964
Someone got the bright idea in 1981 to create an entire channel devoted to music videos and called it Music Television, or MTV—but showing artists performing on TV to sell records has been going on practically since rock and roll, and TV, were invented. As we were looking at ways to mark the 50th…
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How to Have a Sane Black Celeb Wedding: These Stars Did It
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian threw the wedding of the century this past weekend. Not that there’s anything wrong with going international with a ceremony at a sixth-century-era fortress, and having Jaden Smith dress in a Batman suit (photos of which were released practically before the cake was cut). But there are options. These stars…
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Maya Angelou’s Words That Spoke to All Our Lives
Legendary author, poet and actress Maya Angelou, who passed away Wednesday morning at age 86, will be remembered for her uncommon wisdom as much as for her award-winning writing. Deep insight into the African-American experience and a compassionate perspective—combined with a magical way with words—equipped her to weigh in like no other on what it…
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Cicely Tyson: 6 Career-Defining Roles
Long before Kerry Washington started handling her business in her Emmy-nominated role as Olivia Pope, actress Cicely Tyson was doing her thing and helping to open doors for actresses like Washington. Forty years ago, Tyson became the first black woman to win an Emmy in a leading role for her performance in the miniseries The…
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The Root’s Summer Reading List
Who says summer reading has to be fluff? There are so many recent titles and reprinted standouts tackling the black experience—in poetry, biography and works of fiction—that even the most voracious readers can barely keep up. Pack one of these to turn a trip to the pool into an inspiring escape, and get your sun…
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Tight Bathing Suit? Check. Welcome to Memorial Day!
Memorial Day is an unofficial marker that the year is almost half over, that the bathing suit you swore you would fit into come summertime still doesn’t fit, and that your New Year’s resolution to work out every day … well, yeah, see above-mentioned bathing suit. But don’t let the gloomy blues of life get…
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Here’s the Deal on Nigeria
For many Americans, Nigeria is an enigma. On the one hand, many Nigerian immigrants come to America and make a killing: They put their student visas to good use, gain admission to selective medical residency programs, get engineering jobs and raise first-generation African-American students who go on to attend the best universities this nation has…
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When Racism Slips Into Everyday Speech
A recent NPR story revealed the disturbing and shockingly racist origins of the catchy jingle played from ice cream trucks around the country. What else are we hearing—or saying—that we should know more about? These seemingly innocuous terms have questionable origins or histories related to race, and there’s probably plenty more where they came from. 1. “The…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
