Opinion
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Jay-Z Got Paid to Be the NFL’s Black Boyfriend
It begins the same way each time. Something with a hint of scattered racial flurries happens. Next comes a conversation about said thing, where (usually black) people articulate exactly why the racist thing was racist. And then either the (white) person accused of the act or a (white) person defending the accused will attempt to…
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Not Like This: An Open Letter to Jay-Z
Dear Shawn Corey Carter, First, I would like to tell you personally that I believe you are the greatest rapper who ever lived. I’m sure you’ve heard this before and I know that it is useless to debate such a subjective topic but it is important to know that, aside from being my favorite rapper,…
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White Tears Attempt to Drown Out the True History of Louisiana Plantation: 'Very Racist. If You're White, Don't Go'
In today’s edition of white people whitepeopling, I’d like to introduce you to the Whitney Plantation in Wallace, La., where visitors are encouraged to partake in a guided tour of “the only plantation museum in Louisiana with an exclusive focus on the lives of enslaved people,” according to its website. Yet despite its obvious premise,…
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: The Top 10 Clapbacks of All Time, Part 2
As we continue our stroll down memory lane listing the greatest moments in the history of the Clapback Mailbag, I thought that we should focus today on how the writers at The Root have changed the world. According to our readers, not only have we increased racism by talking about racism, we also made Hillary…
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Five Years After Mike Brown's Killing, Should Policing Be Abolished?
“I know that if I call the cops, they’re not coming to protect me—even in moments when I need it.“ —David Johns, executive director, National Black Justice Coalition text Since Mike Brown was killed by now former police officer Darren Wilson five years ago, the Ferguson Police Department hired a new police chief and the…
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Five Years After Mike Brown, Police Brutality Is Still Harming Black Communities
It’s been five years since Mike Brown, an unarmed teen from Ferguson, Mo., was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer. Ahead of the anniversary, I brought together three experts who tackle the issues of police brutality and anti-racism in their daily work to discuss what has—and hasn’t—changed in the half a decade…
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I Played Grand Theft Auto V Nightly for 3 Years. Here’s a List of Things I Never Did as a Result
In trying to shift the blame of white domestic terrorism from the actual white people committing it and the “president” who champions and enables it, there has been a lot of talk about the dangers of video games. Listen. I played one of the most violent video games, Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V online, nightly…
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: The Top 10 Clapbacks of All Time, Part 1
For the next few weeks, we will select our favorite responses from the nearly 400 emails, tweets, DMs and comments we have featured in the weekly Clapback mailbag. We have enlisted a panel of experts to rank our top 10, but if there is one that you remember in particular, please list it in the…
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Please Allow Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times to Teach You About White Supremacy
Here is the essence of white supremacy. Despite the pronouncements of those who proudly declare their bodies free of a racist bone, white supremacy is not the same as racism. Actions and their results are what determine whether or not something is racist, not belief or intent. Nor is white supremacy defined by tiki torch…
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The Root's Clapback Mailbag: The Recipe
Every Friday, The Root takes the best (or worst) emails, comments, tweets and messages from our readers and features them in our Clapback Mailbag. Because so many people have asked how they could create a homemade version of the mailbag, we decided to share the original recipe* that we stole from one of my childhood…