Opinion
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: Smile, Bih.
It has been a tough week here at The Root and all of G/O Media. First of all, I discovered that many of my co-workers here are fans of candy corn and putting sugar on their grits (which is kind of the same thing because sugar grits are technically candy corn). Later in the week,…
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How Black Flint Residents Are Fighting the Water Crisis Despite Government Inaction
“They want Flint to die.” —Liberty Bell text Walking around Flint, Mich., the epicenter of one of America’s most prominent self-inflicted environmental tragedies, residents feel that its water crisis was purposefully allowed to happen. State officials, from the former GOP governor on down, are letting the mostly black city suffer through lead-laced water as a…
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The Root's Clapback Mailbag: The White Fragility Workout Plan
I feel sorry for white people. I can’t imagine having all of that responsibility. First of all, protecting white supremacy is a full-time job, in and of itself. Then, they have to find time to create and spread fictional narratives among themselves. How they managed to explain poverty, educational inequality and black unemployment by inventing…
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Southern Mayors: The South Has Something to Say About the 2020 Elections
Twenty-four years ago, a talented, young duo from Atlanta was booed as they received a Source Award for “Best New Rap Group.” A then-20-year-old André Benjamin overcame his emotions to make a bold declaration that forever changed hip-hop: “The South got something to say.” That talented group was Outkast. And they indeed said a lot…
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Anti-LGBTQ Discrimination Is a Civil Rights Issue: Why Black People Need to Get Behind Title VII
This month, the Supreme Court heard arguments around a case that could transform how businesses across the country handle anti-LGBTQ discrimination. Anyone who purports to care about the black community should be concerned about efforts to ensure equal protection under the law to black LGBTQ+ people, including efforts to question the application of Title VII…
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: A Teachable Moment
Dear White People, Let’s work out a good deal! You don’t want to be responsible for oppressing millions of people and I don’t want to be responsible for destroying your fragile spirits—but I will. I’ve given you samples with respect to previous Fridays. The writers at The Root have worked hard to solve some of…
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Juvenile Fines and Fees Undermine the Entire Notion of Family in Courts Across the U.S.
“His mother works at Giant Food Store and his stepfather works at USPS. He can pay the court costs.” Those were the words I heard a Maryland judge utter as she imposed juvenile court fines and fees on the young black man standing before her. There was no inquiry into his family’s expenses—rent, bills, or…
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If You Love Me, Do Not Call the Police
I do not want to die. Because I am far from infallible, I am willing to concede the slight possibility that there exists a scenario in which I may benefit from the presence of the police. Even though I’ve tried to imagine such a situation doesn’t exist, I admit that I may have overlooked some hypothetical…
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#AtatianaJefferson: A List of Questions That Need Answers From Fort Worth Police Chief Ed Kraus
The Fort Worth Police Department and its police chief, Ed Kraus, have a lot of explaining to do as it pertains to the senseless killing of 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson in her mother’s home early Saturday morning. A neighbor, James Smith, said he called a police non-emergency number when he noticed that the front door was…
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A Black Trans Woman Interrupted CNN's Equality Town Hall But It Was Not a Protest
I do not want to die. I do not want my son to die. Or my daughter. Or my nieces or nephews. Or anyone. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb and admit that I am staunchly anti-murder. If there were a serial killer hunting people like me, knowing that no one…