black girls
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Still Leah Strong: Former NFL Lineman Devon Still Celebrates 5 Years of Daughter Being Cancer-Free: 'It's Just a Blessing'
Former NFL lineman Devon Still has a lot to be thankful for. He has a beautiful family, he retired from professional football with his health intact, and he’s flourished in his second career as a peak performance coach and motivational speaker. But of every blessing in his life, he’s most grateful that his daughter Leah,…
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Black Girls With Braids Reportedly Banned From Harlem Production of Black Nutcracker
Even in one of The Root’s Blackest Cities in America—black girls can’t wear natural hair for a black-themed musical production. This is the scenario that reportedly played out at Uptown Dance Academy’s production of “Black Nutcracker” in Harlem on Thursday. According to PIX11, Lisa Skinner said her two daughters —9-year-old April and 10-year-old Brooke—were banned…
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Ayanna Pressley Introduces Legislation to End the ‘Pushout’ of Black Girls
We are all magicians. This country practices a particular kind of wizardry that can make black votes disappear; turn a black radical into a whitewashed moderate and hypnotize an entire population into somehow believing that “illegal immigrants” can trespass on stolen land. But the most wondrous trick of all is how we treat black girls.…
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Girl Boss: On the International Day of the Girl, Meet the Incredible Girls on Kidbox's Kids Board of Directors
I don’t know about you, but when I was a kid, my biggest initiatives were keeping my room clean and babysitting my younger siblings. But for the eight remarkable girls above, their mission is to make the world a better place—from advocating for clean water, to literacy, to gun control. For Kidbox’s Kids board of…
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Help Black Girls Make Magic: 7 Organizations You Can $upport on International Day of the Girl
For black girls and young women of color, it can seem like the deck is perennially stacked against them. A recent study by Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality quantified what many of us have intimately experienced: that adults view black girls under 14 as less innocent and more adult than white children of…
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Can Kids Be Kids? 8-Year-Old Michigan Girl Banned From Picture Day for Her Colorful Braided Bun
The last time we checked, people all over the world wear their hair in myriad styles—straight, curly, short, long, colored, braided, dreadlocked, etc.—and yet, children are inexplicably shielded from this in many schools, which continue to mandate their hairstyles. Arguably, these rules—which have, in some cases, prohibited children from attending classes or participating in extracurricular…
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Nappily Ever After: H&M Issues Statement About Black Girl’s ‘Natural’ Hair, No Apologies This Time
So… H&M has found itself the subject of another b(l)acklash. The fast-fashion retailer got called out again for their questionable choices in reflecting black kid magic. But this time they are not folding up like the cheap suits they shill out. On Friday, the Stockholm-based clothing company issued a statement on the firestorm that ignited…
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Alaska School District Says Non-White Swimmer Disqualified for ‘Suit Wedgie’ Was Targeted for Her Curves [UPDATE]
The Anchorage School District in Alaska is appealing a recent decision to disqualify a champion 17-year-old swimmer because a referee thought her school-issued swimsuit showed too much of her buttocks. As the Washington Post reports, the Dimond High School student—one of the top swimmers in the area—had decisively won her 100-yard freestyle event last Friday…
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Watch: The Hair Struggle Without Mom Is Real in This Clip From Matthew Cherry's Hair Love
Oh, dads. A black girl’s relationship with her hair is special. As is her relationship with her dad. Put those two things together and shenanigans can follow. Luckily (for my tiny ego), my dad had his mother around to take over my hair duties. Really, I legit grew up in the same apartment building with…
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Marsai Martin’s Advice for Young Black Girls With Hollywood Dreams
Marsai Martin must be protected at all costs. The youngest executive producer in Hollywood and Black-ish star is not only making major moves for herself but wants to see other young black girls producing on the big screen, too. In the above clip, she shares some tips for getting into the business and why representation…