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The Memphis Theater That's Performing Blackness Unapologetically
MEMPHIS—When Ekundayo Bandele invited a group of journalists to tour Hattiloo, his independent theater in Memphis, he spoke as much about the community surrounding it as he did the plays performed inside. For most people who want to visit Hattiloo Theatre, they’d just go online and buy tickets. But for kids who live in certain…
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Cory Booker Secures 12 Co-Sponsors for Reparations Bill
Presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) has secured 12 co-sponsors for his reparations bill, according to an announcement the senator’s office released exclusively to The Root. The bill, officially titled, “HR 40 Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act (pdf),” would establish a commission to study the impact of slavery…
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Memphis Mayoral Candidate Tami Sawyer Says Black Women Can Reclaim the South
Tami Sawyer’s run for mayor of Memphis, Tn. almost didn’t happen. The issue? Self-doubt. “Am I capable of running this city?” she wondered. “No one will vote for me,” she often told herself. “I can’t win,” were words that often swirled around in her mind. She took a step back and reminded herself of her…
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Kamala Harris to Corporate America: Give Women Their Fair Share of the Bag or Else
Presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) has a warning for corporations that continue to pay women less than men: Give women the bag they deserve or I’ll snatch coins out of yours. Unless you have been living under a rock, you’ve seen all of the data highlighting how much less women are paid than men.…
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Harlem EatUp Festival Celebrates Family Culinary Legacies, Uplifts the Community
I sat with Tonja and Tianna Ottley on Monday night at the opening dinner of this week’s Harlem EatUp, an annual event devoted to showcasing some of the neighborhood’s best chefs, as they both recalled how they influenced each other’s cooking. Tonja beamed with joy much of the night because her daughter is one of…
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Sex Workers in New York Want the Cops to Stop Preying on Them; Proposed Legislation Could Make That a Reality
ALBANY, N.Y.—TS Candii stepped outside of her apartment complex in the Bronx last summer and was immediately stopped by an officer from the NYPD. First, he accused her of being a sex worker, a profession she has participated in, but not on that day, Barbii told The Root. Then he asked her to become a…
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Yoga Is My Self-Care: More Black Men Need to Breathe
As soon as I walk into my yoga studio in Brooklyn, I leave every societal hang-up on how black men are supposed to act and feel at the door. I can be free. I can be me, at peace with my mind and body. I exist unjudged by the people practicing with me because they,…
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Black Women Are Taking Their Political Power to the Podcast World
Mainstream media have provided few spaces for black women to discuss politics, but A’shanti F. Gholar is joining a growing group of women of color podcasters who hope to provide more such spaces, with her new podcast The Brown Girls Guide To Politics. Her first episode opened with Stacey Abrams, who barely lost the Georgia…
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Uncle Joe Got a Whole Lotta 'Splainin’ to Do
Joe Biden has officially entered the 2020 presidential campaign, and the mainstream media will inevitably tap him as the frontrunner. Most polling data would support this, but we’re too early in the primary season to really determine if he will win the Democratic nomination. But one thing is certainly clear: Biden has a lot of…
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John Delaney Believes a Moderate Democrat Will Beat Trump, Says He's a 'Compassionate Capitalist'
I think a moderate Democrat is the best person to beat Trump by far. By any measure. So if you want change, we gotta beat Trump.—John Delaney text Former congressman and presidential candidate John Delaney told The Root in an interview that he believes a moderate Democrat will defeat Donald Trump in 2020. Unlike many…
