clapback mailbag

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,…

Each Friday, for more than two years, The Root has responded to emails and comments from our readers (and some people who obviously don’t read The Root). Not today. Today, there will be just one email and one response. From: TyrusTo: Michael Harriot I read your blog about the jaguar and found it to be…

Happy Clapback Day! From now on, I will only refer to the day between Thursday and Saturday as “Clapback Day.” I’ve done the etymological research and discovered that the day was named after the Greek god of hot grease, Frysomethis. It’s not that I want to censor or outlaw the old name. But, as a…

Today’s mailbag only contains two pieces of mail. I just wanted to point that out up front before someone asks for their money back. It’s not because we’re running low on hate mail. It’s because we are running low on new kinds of hate mail. In the two years that we have been responding to…

Once upon a time, in a kingdom just outside Wakanda, there was a family called The Root who woke up at the break of dawn every day to tell the stories of black people. Some people called them journalists. Some people called them bloggers. The trolls from the gray part of the forest called them…

Before we get into this week’s emails, tweets, DMs, and comments, many of my mailbag readers know that I am very carol-centric. I believe that no holiday is complete if it doesn’t have a song that people sing to celebrate it. “Silent Night” is for Christmas; “Auld LangSyne” is for New Years Day. “America the…

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…

Something weird happened. This weekend, the boys of Covington Catholic High School’s Junior Klansmen of America took a field trip to Washington, D.C., and…well… You’ve probably heard what happened. Apparently, everyone in America initially thought the Kentucky state racism champions were out of line. Then, after a well-organized public relations campaign, white America changed its…

A list of reasons why, each week, the Clapback Mailbag responds to emails, direct messages, tweets and comments from readers: Because we care. Where else would we respond to this racist bullshit? We asked, “What Would Jesus Do,” and he responded: “What the hell is a tweet?” It’s what Martin Luther King, Jr. would have…

A few weeks ago, I went to a comedy show to see one of my best friends perform. As I walked in, I noticed a dude wearing a dashiki and a baseball cap with a silhouette of Africa and his white girlfriend whispering and staring at me. Since I figured out that my mother had…