Opinion
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A History of Heroes
I became black at age 7. I was in second grade, missing two front teeth, and talking a mile a minute to my mom while she stood at the stove, telling her about my newest school project. I’d been instructed that day by my teacher, Ms. Jefferson, to go into our extensive elementary library and…
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To Be Black And Beautiful And Queer at an HBCU… And After Graduation
“Nobody will love you the way an HBCU will love you,” my grandmother insisted as I was drowning in college applications during my senior year at the Alabama School of Fine Arts. Before that, I had only been thinking of applying to conservatories—acting programs deemed the best by reviewers and the like. To quell my…
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Apparently, White People Need 'Grace' and 'Empathy' From Black People
My uncle be lying. When I was a kid, my uncle James, whom we called “Junior,” owned a Rottweiler named Duchess. Duchess was huge, well-trained and house-broken but my mother and sisters were all afraid of dogs, so it was usually my responsibility to feed and care for Duchess whenever my uncle was out of…
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Blackness in Los Angeles Is Historic and Trendsetting
Arguments have been made recently that Washington, D.C., Birmingham, Ala., and Harlem are the blackest cities in America. Those arguments are not without merit. Each of those cities has made significant contributions to black history, without a doubt. I would like to posit that my hometown, Los Angeles, is so iconic, so full of black…
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Should You Wear Blackface? A Guide
I was yesterday years old when I realized how much white people love blackface. I had always known it was a popular Caucasian Halloween activity because every year, a high school teacher or a bank executive pops up dressed as Kanye West or Esther Rolle at the local all-whites fall festival. It’s funny that these…
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You Can Be Pro-Black and a Prosecutor
Since announcing her intention to run for president this past Martin Luther King Day, a firestorm has swirled around Sen. Kamala Harris. Some attack her for her personal life; others attack her based on her record as a prosecutor in California. Kamala served as San Francisco district attorney from 2004 to 2011 and as California…
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The Root's Clapback Mailbag: If…
I know it’s late. I was doing stuff. Also, before we get into this week’s shenanigans, I wanted to let you guys know that if you see a picture on my yearbook page of me doing something stupid in college, it was actually me. So before the National Enquirer blackmails me, I am going to…
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To be a Black American Muslim Woman Is to be Both an Insider and an Outsider
If I had to describe my relationship with Islam in one word, it would be nuanced. Two words? Profoundly nuanced. I’m not a hijabi Muslimah, and because I don’t wear hijab, I blend. I blend in with other black Americans who like other people, don’t recognize that my entire name is Arabic, which could be…