Opinion
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Watch: The Root’s Clapback Mailbag, Explained
Two years ago, The Root began a community service project intended to uplift the voices of some of our most loyal readers. Sure, we could have simply said “Thank you” and sent you on your merry way, but we wanted to do something more interactive, more personal. Thus, the Clapback Mailbag. Every Friday, we rummage…
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A Michigan Town Wants the Cops to Crack Down on the #BBQBeckys of the World — and We’re Here for It
You may remember #BBQBecky, the white woman who decided to call 911 on a group of black people who were simply barbecuing on a summer day in Oakland, Calif.? Or maybe you’ll recall #PoolPatrolPaula, the white woman who threatened to call 911 on three black teens for simply showing up at a public pool? Or…
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What It Means to Be Lucky in America
Eddie Adams is a remarkable young man. A gifted cellist, Adams attends George Mason University in Northern Virginia. Two weeks ago, the Washington Post profiled Adams, contrasting his love for the instrument—and a recent performance at the Kennedy Center—against his “life of poverty and torment.” Adams’ story won the hearts of readers. Yesterday, the Post…
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Being ‘The Black Snob’ Was a Joke, Until the Day I Actually Became One
“I don’t know how you ended up so bougie when we came out of the same family,” said my baby sister, one day over the phone. I was taken aback. Me? Bougie? And yet, I was. Painfully so. And had been, at this point, for several years. But I was still offended. At the time…
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Children of Incarcerated Parents Remain Unseen; We Have to Do Better
Not all stories about children with parents in jail involve recounts of glass barriers, letters or collect calls. And sadly, many don’t end with reunions and redemption, but with pain and shame; some stories end way too soon. On Oct. 18, 2007, my father died from a pulmonary fungal infection contracted inside of an environmentally-hazardous…
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Meghan McCain Meghan McCained Again, So Whoopi Shut That Shit Up By Cutting to a Commercial
Here we go again. Earlier this month, I introduced many of you to the remarkably unremarkable Meghan McCain as such: By any and all metrics, columnist Meghan McCain is unremarkable in every way. In fact, once you remove nepotism from the equation, all you’re left with is temper tantrums and a striking resemblance to former…
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Waiting Is for White People: The Privilege of Not Impeaching Trump
First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more…
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The Root's Clapback Mailbag: Every Friday Is Good Friday
People who read the Clapback Mailbag often ask how I can stomach wading through the morass of emails, tweets, comments and direct messages each week. It is true that they are often filled with hate, grammatical errors and ignorance, but the reason I love Fridays is simple: I love when white people get angry. I…
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'Move the Campus': #GentrifyingGeorge Says Students Should Move Howard University If They Have A Problem With Gentrification
Howard University’s yard isn’t a dog park, but the historic black university in Washington, D.C., has been reduced to as much by colonizing residents who have made it their home (and Lassie’s). As reported by DCist, Susan and the like have descended on HU’s hallowed grounds with their puppies on parade despite the fact that…
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For The Love of Money
My friend Toni and I text a lot and for good reason. We are the same age. We divorced young. We have small children. We work together. The element that makes our black girl magic texting unique is we talk about money all the time. We talk about having it, not having it, hustling for…