Black Excellence
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Turkey Renames Road to U.S. Embassy for Malcolm X, Nixes Trump’s Name From Another Street
The country of Turkey is unexpectedly running in tandem with many majority black communities in the U.S. by naming a street after our gone-too-soon shining black prince, Malcolm X. On Sunday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin made the announcement that the street leading to the U.S. embassy in Turkey will be named “Malcolm…
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Black Girl Magic Meets Marvel: Nnedi Okorafor Unveils New Shuri Comic
We don’t need another hero, but here’s one we’ve been waiting for anyway: Wakandan princess and genius little sister Shuri has finally broken out of her supporting role in the Black Panther franchise into her own series, courtesy of acclaimed fantasy writer Nnedi Okorafor. Okorafor, whose novel, Who Fears Death, is being developed by HBO…
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Today Is National Black Poetry Day. Here’s a Totally Biased List of 10 Black Poems You Should Hear
Today is national black poetry day and I am, among many things, a black poet. I could link to Maya Angelou’s “Phenomenal Woman” or some other literary poets, but there are these things called books that you should totally check out. And because The Root’s Social Media Editor Corey Townsend hates spoken word poetry, I…
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‘Black Skinned Storm Trooper’ Who Foreshadowed Kaepernick to Be Honored at TIDAL X: Brooklyn
Before Colin Kaepernick was born, a couple of black dudes, John Carlos and Tommie Smith, raised a couple of black-gloved fists to the sky as the U.S. national anthem played after they earned a couple of Olympic medals in Mexico City. They were protesting racial injustice and inequality during a decade in which Martin Luther…
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Harvard Honors Colin Kaepernick, Others With W.E.B. Du Bois Medal: ‘Love Is at the Root of Our Resistance’
Alas, to be a fly on the wall at Memorial Hall at Harvard University Thursday afternoon. The room’s very air would be perfumed with the sweet scent of black liberation and excellence as eight prominent, distinguished, and mostly freedom fighting African Americans received the University’s prestigious W.E.B. Du Bois Medal from the Hutchins Center for…
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Jimmy Butler Going to Work Just to Roast His Boss and Coworkers Is the Blackest Thing That Ever Happened This Week
On Friday, I will be a part of a daylong wedding ceremony that will merge Ghanaian and African-American traditions for one glorious and black-as-the-fuck celebration. The members of the wedding party will change wardrobes three times. I’m currently in a text thread with Panama and each of the 11 groomsmen. Topics discussed over the past…
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‘A Love Supreme’: John and Alice Coltrane’s NY Home Named a National Treasure
For those of us still reeling from the closure of Harlem’s iconic Lenox Lounge, coincidentally, a place where the legendary saxophonist John Coltrane once played, there is good news today. We can take heart in the fact that John Coltrane’s Long Island, N.Y., home, the same home where he recorded his seminal, transcendent work, “A…
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The 10 Blackest Things in Shannon Sharpe’s Smorgasbord of Smoke, Ranked
Earlier today, Shannon Sharpe posted a picture on Instagram that can only really be described as a smorgasbord of smoke. A blackness lasagna, maybe. Blackness bukkake, perhaps. Either way, it looks like he’s either planning for the blackest game night ever or asked the hotel room service for a rush order of advanced hypertension. No…
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The 10 Most Common Questions Asked in Married Households
1. “Did you poop today?” 2. “When was the last time you pooped?” 3. “Did you feel better after you pooped?” 4. “Will those beans/spinach/nuts/kale/pills/yoga/workout plan/new sheets/fancy toothpaste help me/you poop?” 5. “How many poops did you take this week?” 6. “You don’t remember the last time you pooped?” 7. “If we go to this…