culture
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Eat, Pray, Love Your Way Through the US Virgin Islands
The history of the U.S. Virgin Islands is filled with stories of survival, perseverance and pride. And when you visit St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John, that history is contained within every step you take. It’s been 100 years since the islands became a U.S. territory, and tourism is a huge part of the…
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Black Identity Isn’t the Only Thing Rachel Dolezal Stole
I remember, with painful clarity, the time I ached to be white. I mean that literally, by the way. I stuck a clothespin on my nose when I was about 6 years old, hoping to shape that flat, Filipino knob of flesh into a more aquiline point. That shit hurt and, even worse, it didn’t…
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Watch: Black Trans Women Are Dying
Woman is the nigger of the world. —John Lennon This loaded song lyric is not only a manifestation of a Yoko Ono-hypnotized John Lennon, but a statement that stops you in your tracks. If that’s the case, then what of black women? Moreover, what of transgender women, and to take it even further—what of black…
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Unique Views, Episode 37: Can Johnny Gill and His Vocal Talent Win a Grammy Already?!
The reason I allow my pod mate, Stephen A. Crockett Jr. the third, to write the posts for The Root’s podcast episodes is that I literally do everything else. But, then I got the chance to read said posts. And though I’m not shocked that Crockett has been dragging my beautiful name through the mud,…
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The NAACP Will Learn the Pain Associated With Charter Schools
“Before the NAACP came to New Orleans, we never had the opportunity to share,” Kim Ford, communications chair for the New Orleans branch of the NAACP, said exclusively to The Root. Ford helped organize the national organization’s sixth hearing on quality education, which took place in the Crescent City on April 6. “We are a…
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Scandal Recap: We Finally Find Out What the Hell Happened to Huck
If you recall, a couple of episodes ago, Huck was shot three times by his new lady friend, Meg, who turned out to be working for Sarah, the woman who for some yet-to-be discovered reason forced Papa Pope to kill President-elect Frankie Vargas. We’ve all been waiting to find out whether Huck was dead or…
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How a Survivor of Sex Trafficking Made It Her Life’s Mission to Protect Victims and Educate Others
Tina Frundt’s story is one of survival. When she was 13 years old and living in Chicago, she met a man, who was about 15 years older than she was, while she was on her way to a store. The man, known as “Tiger,” basically groomed Frundt by befriending her and showering her with gifts.…
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Why Bingo Love Is the Black Queer Graphic Novel You Need on Your Bookshelf
While one hopes that a Best Picture win for Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight will translate into more stories about black queer men, it cannot be denied that representations of lesbians and queer women of color are sadly lagging behind in pretty much every medium, from film to literature. But Tee Franklin, a queer black, disabled emerging writer,…
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Forget That White Lady’s Emmett Till Painting; These Black Artists Are Truly Representing at the Whitney Biennial
At this year’s Whitney Biennial, the award for the most discussed and divisive piece of art easily goes to white artist Dana Schutz’s painting of the dead body of Emmett Till called Open Casket. The painting has provoked protests and sparked debates about white exploitation of black trauma, freedom of expression and censorship. As a…