culture
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What Chris Brown’s Guest Appearance on Black-ish Says About All of Us
On Wednesday, Entertainment Weekly broke the news that troubled singer Chris Brown will be guest-starring on this week’s episode of ABC’s hit show Black-ish. This casting decision raises important questions about black entertainment, mental health and the blind eye we turn to violence against women. Most of us were introduced to the fresh-faced Brown in…
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Aaron Sorkin, One of the Most Powerful Men in Hollywood, Shocked to Learn About Its Diversity Problem
Much the way white America was flabbergasted when it found out about police brutality by seeing the Eric Garner video, or how it clutched its pearls a couple of months ago upon discovering that there exists a movement called the “alt-right” that wants to turn America into Caucasian Disney World, this weekend Aaron Sorkin was…
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Stop Portraying White Millennials as Less Racist Than Their Votes and Poll Responses Suggest
Whether it’s a Bantu knot, a cornrow or some Paula Deen recipe that was likely “inspired” by her former black chef, white people are always being assigned credit for the work done by darker people. This is not a new phenomenon by any stretch of the imagination, but it is perpetually annoying. And when it’s…
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Will Driverless Vehicles Put Black People Out of Work?
Driving while black in America has always been fraught with peril. During the Jim Crow era, African Americans traveled the highways by night to avoid harassment by law enforcement and packed extra fuel and food because they could not stop at gas stations and restaurants that served only whites. Today, encounters with police that are…
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Why Are TLC Going on Tour With the Dude From Sugar Ray?
Last month, TLC celebrated the 25th anniversary of their groundbreaking debut album, Ooooooohhh … on the TLC Tip. Last week, TLC announced that they’ll be headlining the “I Love the 90’s Tour: The Party Continues,” which will feature Montell Jordan, Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath, Naughty by Nature and Biz Markie. Presently, I’m wondering how a…
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Unique Views, Episode 35: You Might Be Woke, but You Ain’t Belafonte Woke
Being awake doesn’t mean you are woke. I’ve tried to explain this to my co-host and The Root’s creative producer, Danielle Young, aka Ms. Patti LaDanielle, but she doesn’t get it. Danielle is asleep. Fine, maybe she is awake, but she is definitely not woke. Fine. Fine. She’s woke, but I say this reluctantly because…
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Watch: Black Teen Myles Loftin Creates the Most Colorful and Refreshing Images of Black Men in Hoodies
Myles Loftin is a 19-year-old artist with heart and a yearning to see himself represented in media as a young black man who is not a thug, dangerous or gangster. He smiles. He makes jokes. He wears hoodies. So he created HOODED, a photo and video project that features young black men in colorful hoodies.…
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Bless Her Heart, Iggy Azalea Is Still Trying
Who told Iggy Azalea to stop working with black people from Atlanta and pretending to be the love child of Charli Baltimore and Diamond from Crime Mob? Although “Fancy,” that fake-ass DJ Mustard track, was a monstrous hit, beyond that song, the only other decent ones Azalea ever managed to release were “Pu$$y” and “Murda…