Opinion
-
The Root's Clapback Mailbag: Major League Clapback
Each Friday, we wade through our emails, tweets, comments and DMs to respond to readers who are searching for feedback, validation or someone at whom they can scream the n-word without being slapped like they stole something. But not this week. When the pair of articles about Mayor Pete Buttigieg came out last week, there…
-
Our Democracy Is at Stake in 2020 and Young People of Color Are Paying Attention
Congress held public impeachment hearings last week on whether President Trump abused his power to enlist a foreign government in smearing his political opponent. While some may see this process as far removed from their day-to-day lives—a parade of old white men being accused of crimes, defending other old white men who may have committed…
-
Quiz: How 'Black, But Not Like You Regular Blacks' Are You?
1. As a kid, what music did you listen to? A) I was that eclectic and special and unusual black kid who listened to Steely Dan and Jodeci. I think that’s why I got into Brown. (14 points) B) Whatever I wanted to listen to. I don’t understand this question. (0 points) C) Mostly stuff…
-
If You Want to Protect Black Art, Protect Black Critique
I will never forget the day my skin thickened. I was a baby-faced undergrad student sitting in a circle of my literary peers, awaiting my academic doom, also known as the “writing workshop.” My heart raced with an urgent fury and my stomach twisted into a knot only an Eagle Scout could untie. There I…
-
Kid Rock Goes on Alcohol-Fueled, Profanity-Laced Anti-Oprah Winfrey Rant
Kid Rock is no fan of Oprah Winfrey. The Trump-supporting rap & roll act—now considered a country musician— made his disdain for The Queen of All Media very clear (again!) when he went on what appears to be an alcohol-fueled tirade last week at the Honky Tonk bar in Nashville. TMZ posted a video of…
-
The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: A Long List of Liars
I don’t know if you heard about it, but I wrote something pretty controversial this week. I’ve always wondered how some people could live in a country so rife with inequality and racism and somehow conclude that race and whiteness had absolutely nothing to do with it, which was exactly why I wrote what I…
-
Pete Buttigieg Called Me. Here's What Happened
The first thing you should know about me is that I absolutely hate talking on the phone. My friends, family and co-workers all know this about me. It’s not the talking that bothers me, it’s the anticipation angst from waiting for a phone call. Therapy and self-reflection have informed me that my subconscious anxiety is…
-
NBA Player Calls Black Women 'Bulldogs,' Then Defends Himself by…Quoting Dr. King?
I think I have some thoughts today about Patrick Patterson, the NBA player who implied that black women are “bulldogs” in an Instagram comment while defending his marriage to Sarah Nasser (a white woman). I think it’s funny seeing him referred to as an “NBA Star” in write-ups about this story, cause that’s like calling…
-
The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: I Don't Wanna Be A Race-Baiter No More
What happens to a race hustle, deferred? Does it get whippedLike a slave in the sun? Or shot, Like a suspect who tried to run?Does it splatter, like MLK’s jawOr leave a stain on the Audobon Ballroom floor? Maybe it just sags,Like a black boy’s jeans… Or is it just a white man’s dream? Today,…