-
'Scandal' Recap: Last Night's 10 Best Quotes
(The Root) — There’s nothing like a nice, juicy Cyrus Beene quote. Pretty much everything the cheeky chief of staff says can be applied to any real-life situation if you try hard enough. To wit, if someone cuts you in line at the coffee shop, just stick them with a snarling, “You might be animal,…
-
When Misspellings Mar Your Ancestry Search
(The Root) — “One line of my family tree, surname Hereford, has lived in the area of Huntsville, Ala., since at least the early 1900s. In researching this line via U.S. census documents, I have found the last name to be spelled multiple different ways, including ‘Heriford’ and ‘Hurford.’ I have been able to find…
-
Wither TV's 'Strong Black Woman' Trope?
Kerry Washington’s role as Olivia Pope on Scandal and Nicole Beharie’s as Abbie Mills on Sleepy Hollow have effectively helped dismantle the age-old television stereotype of the strong, stoic black woman as they portray characters who are allowed to be emotional. “Olivia Pope and Abbie Mills push against the idea of the Strong Black Woman…
-
GOP Chair Resigns After Racist 'Daily Show' Interview
A North Carolina county precinct GOP chair resigned under pressure for, well, saying what was really on his mind during a racist interview on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. Nathan West, a spokesman for the Buncombe County Republican Party, confirmed Don Yelton’s resignation and acknowledged that it was indeed in direct response to the interview,…
-
Assassin's Gun Recalls Price of Freedom
Mississippi was at the heart of the civil rights movement, and now the state is building two museums to highlight its role in one of the country’s most turbulent periods. The Civil Rights Museum will be housed inside the Museum of Mississippi History, and both are scheduled to open in 2017. The groundbreaking ceremony for…
-
When a 'Redskin' Is in the Family
(Special to The Root) — I never knew my maternal grandfather’s mother. She was one of my great-grandmothers. Her name was Alice Apple Woods. And she was a Native American. Her name came up this week as I watched a PBS documentary, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross with my 11-year-old son, Cole. I…
-
Quote of the Day: Charles W. Chesnutt on Justice
Read how the quote is referenced 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.
-
Student: No, I'm Not Photoshopped, I'm Black
(The Root) — The University of Alabama came under fire on Twitter on Tuesday after an otherwise normal stock photo depicting the school’s student body went viral. The issue? Tweeters claimed that the hands of the black student pictured looked much lighter than his face, which led to suspicion that the photo had been altered…
-
Binge Drinking by Women Does Not Cause Rape
Instead of blaming the victim by telling women to stop binge drinking to avoid being raped, Mychal Denzel Smith argues at the New York Times, society should tell men to stop committing rape. Binge drinking is not good for you. I don’t know that there is a person alive who would argue otherwise. People should…
-
Ben Carson: The GOP's Latest Black Attack Dog
Earl Ofari Hutchinson writes at the Huffington Post that the famed neurosurgeon may be “the worst thing that happened to us since he opened his mouth,” hurling a steady stream of invectives at women, blacks, Democrats and President Barack Obama. Dr. Ben Carson’s shoot from the lip, crackpot quips, digs, and insults at women, blacks,…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
