Opinion
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: We Forgot to Mention…
Today’s mailbag consists of people who called us out about our egregious errors. The writers at The Root often use statistics and facts to back up our point but, according to the emails, tweets, DMs and comments received this week, we left out a few very salient points. Thankfully, we can correct our mistakes every…
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18-Year-Old Brandt Jean’s Hug of Amber Guyger Made Me Sick. But It Ain’t About Me, Though
The conversation about Brandt Jean’s hug of convicted murderer Amber Guyger has mostly cannibalized both the news of the (still surprising) conviction and the (not surprising at all) sentence. The image of the act is both explosive and saccharine; a molotov cocktail dipped in high fructose corn syrup. It’s impossible to see that and not…
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Botham Jean, Amber Guyger and the Delusion of Forgiveness
It was described as “stunning,” “rare,” and “inspirational”: Brandt Jean, the younger brother of Botham Jean, killed last year at the hands of a Dallas police officer who mistakenly walked into his apartment, asking his brother’s killer if he could hug her. “I love you as a person,” Jean, who had been delivering his victim…
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The Only Coup in U.S. History Was Orchestrated by White Supremacists
Donald Trump ratcheted up his veiled threats of a looming civil war on Tuesday night, tweeting that an upcoming impeachment inquiry was akin to a “coup.” The claim is ludicrous on its face, but given the nature of Trump and his supporters’ feedback loop, many outlets felt forced to give the dictionary definition of what…
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: With Friends Like These…
Today’s mailbag is all about white allies. While sifting through this week’s correspondences, I noticed that many of the emails, tweets, DMs and comments we received this week were in response to three articles about white people who were “actually trying to help black people.” *Warning: This week’s mailbag is full of screenshots. The Swifties…
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Dear White People, There Is a Black Michelle Williams
It was the last year of the old millennium and the children of Destiny were pleading with the world to say their names as they engaged in pose-choreography atop colorful living room furniture. Little did one member know that she’d have to specify which name to say following the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards. That member…
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Kindness Was Trudeau’s Ace…And Blackface May Cost Him the Election
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used to be my fourth favorite Canadian, behind Keanu Reeves, Celine Dion, and Margaret Atwood. Seeing Trudeau in blackface was more painful than when my old high school crush shared a racist meme on Facebook. It kills the part of your innocence that makes you sad and angry that you…
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics
Each and every Friday, The Root sorts through the emails, tweets, direct messages and comments we received that week to find out exactly what is on our readers’ minds. Over the years, we discovered that the people who read The Root are mostly concerned with one thing: They want to teach us a lesson. So…
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The Whistleblower Complaint About Donald Trump's Secret Phone Call, Explained
Hey Buddy! Long-time, no see! How have you been? I’m sorry. I have no idea what you’re talking about. No, my little neophyte Nazi. There isn’t a person with a high IQ blowing a whistle. They’re talking about the whistleblower complaint from a source within the intelligence community. No. No. No. Apparently, a high-level person…