Opinion
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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Why Stephen Miller’s Emails Are White Nationalism Explained, Explained
Racist baby, it’s been a while! Why do you look so sad? Why would a musician have to stop making music? Oh no, my little racist toddler friend. I think you’re conflating the Steve Miller Band with White House adviser and founding member of the Hair Club for White Supremacists, Stephen Miller. The Steve Miller…