Opinion
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To Live and Die in South L.A.
It’s important for people to understand why it’s OK for Nipsey Hussle to be seen as a hero in South Los Angeles. But we have to get a few things straight. Don’t get distracted by the fact that he was a Rollin’ 60s Crip; people join gangs because they seek a sense of community in…
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LOL, America. You Almost Got Me
I gotta hand it to you, America. This extended April Fool’s Day joke has been one of the greatest hijinks of all time. Unlike some people who get pranked, I’m not going to pretend that I knew what was going on all along. I thought it was real. It was so well done that I…
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: Undercover Wypipo
When I started today’s mailbag, the intro was going to be this really funny bit about how, for far too long, the Clapback Mailbag has neglected all the white people who aren’t racist but who aren’t actively fighting against racism. I was crafting this hilarious premise, doubled over in laughter (which, in my humble opinion,…
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An Analysis of Sen. Cory Booker's Failed Black Handshake With CNN Host Don Lemon By The Root's 'Dap Analysis Pack'
There are only a few holy tenets that all black boys must know by a certain age. One is learning how to tie a durag properly so that you don’t have lines embedded in your waves. Another is learning how to properly care for your sneakers. Arguably the top of this list would be dap;…
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White News Anchors Embarrass Mankind with Their Unseasoned Attempt at Black Slang
One of the cardinal sins of adulthood is embarrassing your kids—especially if they’re teenagers. As an unruly adolescent myself in a past life, I have vivid memories of my mother calling me “Cooch” in front of my friends, or my Dad’s bizarre obsession with 2Pac’s “How Do U Want It” (“That song is bad!” he…
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How I Got My Black Card
I stand before you today a black woman with a shocking secret: I wasn’t born black. I know what you’re thinking (#NoDolezal). And I assure you that on a frigid winter day in the early Reagan era, my parents did indeed bring home a peanut butter-colored baby. But the Council of Negrotude (AKA my extended…
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Locking Up Black People Is Big Business
Last week, I got to participate in American Injustice: A BET Town Hall. It’s a series of live conversations with leaders from Cory Booker to Kamala Harris about how we got into this crisis of mass incarceration. It’ll air this Sunday. If there’s one thing I want people to take away from it, it’s that…
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I Tried to Land a Date From a Street Sign
We sit around the dining room table on the cusp of the itis. Somehow we gather enough energy to keep the party going into dessert—homemade flan. I slide my spoon into the substance. I’m a picky eater with immature taste buds. I already know the outcome. I do not repeat. “So, y’all got any friends,…
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A Late Thank You Letter to White America, Who Fox News Says Deserves 'Credit' For Ending Slavery
Dear America, When I say “America,” I obviously mean the ones who want to be made “great again.” The ones upon which God shed his grace. The ones who live under liberty and justice. The ones who reside in the land of the free and the home of the brave. When I say “America,” you…
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Is Felony Murder the Next Chapter in the Anti-Protest Movement?
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “riots are the language of the unheard,” but legislators across the country seem to be rushing to silence those cries. While protests are commonplace in a healthy democracy, the movement to silence dissent is picking up steam. Over the past several years, there has been a…