Opinion
-
Decriminalizing Sex Work Makes the Entire Black Community Safer
I came out rather late, while I was serving in the military, hundreds of miles away from my parents, siblings and children. I was stationed in Fort Myers, Virginia, and I worked part-time in Washington, D.C. This was also the time when I started transitioning and doing sex work. Since then, I have seen thousands…
-
The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: Repast for Racism
Dearly beloved, We are gathered here this Friday to celebrate the life and death of this curious little thing called racism. When I sort through the reader responses each week to find the best emails, tweets, comments, and DMs for the Clapback Mailbag, invariably, there are always a few people who believe the same thing:…
-
Maybe America Can Solve Its Gun Problem by Using Our Most Abundant Natural Resource—Racism
There is no government. According to the heralded founding fathers who brainstormed and borrowed ideas to create the framework of America, the Constitution was written to “insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” Before they even laid out the…
-
The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: It’s Our Clapbackversary
“Sucker Emails”A song by Michael Harriot Two years ago, some co-workers of mineAsked me to clap back at trolls online.So we came up with a plan to respond to hateThe plan was dope, and it went this way:The Root took the comments emails and tweetsAnd put them in a bag until the end of the…
-
Did Dave Chappelle Use Those Sticks & Stones to Build Himself a Lazy 'Shock Value' Box?
Dave Chappelle doesn’t really give a fuck what people think. Wait, let me reword that—he does give enough of a fuck to respond to his critics with a one-hour comedy special, but after he says his piece, you can kiss his entire black ass. And that’s that on that. In fact, he began his latest…
-
White-on-White Violence: How a Bedbug Diss Teaches Us Everything We Need to Know About White Male Fragility [Updated]
The white male ego and Twitter don’t mix. The white male ego is a frozen raindrop falling on a bed of ice. Twitter is a flamethrower. The white male ego is freshly fallen snow. Twitter is dog piss. The white male ego is a snowflake. Twitter is hell. On Monday, “Let me speak to your…
-
The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: Jay Connor Is Racist
Well, hello there! The big homie Michael Harriot is off doing Michael Harriot things, so he’s tagged me in to helm this week’s edition of the Clapback Mailbag. You’re welcome in advance. As someone who’s spent the past three or so years on the receiving end of death threats, vitriol and all manner of foolishness…
-
Robert E. Lee’s Horse’s Ass Made Me Black
For Heather Heyer and her fellow anti-racist protestors, two years after Charlottesville. There’s a vacation photo of me, all grainy and saturated like the best ’80s snapshots. My messy red ’fro is damp, my smiling face is half in shadow, my feet are dangling in glistening water that spreads to the edges of the frame,…
-
The Last Holdouts: White Evangelical Christians, Why Can’t You See?
A recent Quinnipiac poll found 50 percent of white Americans do not believe Donald Trump is racist. Among evangelicals, the poll goes on to say, “While half of voters think President Donald Trump is racist, religion shows an even bigger divide. Only 21 percent of white evangelicals believe the President is racist.” The inability of…
-
The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: The Top 10 Clapbacks of All Time, Part 3
Many of the emails, comments, tweets and direct messages that make it into the weekly Clapback Mailbag are from well-meaning people who genuinely have questions or need advice. In fact, those emails, tweets, direct messages and comments have prompted some of the best clapbacks. Here are the Top 4 moments in the history of the…