culture
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Living With History: W.E.B. Du Bois’ Great-Grandson Explains Why That Department of Education Tweet Was Truly Horrible
Editor’s note: For Black History Month, The Root is speaking to the relatives of our most cherished African-American heroes in a series called Living With History. To open the series, we interviewed a descendant of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington. Last week we did a Q&A with the descendants of Ida B. Wells. Today…
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Morehouse at 150: Destroying 7 Myths That Challenge the Excellence of HBCUs
HBCUs have a rich history and powerful mystique that continue to shape African-American culture and inspire academic success. In popular culture, HBCUs have provided the context for movies, such as School Daze and Drumline, and television series, such as A Different World and The Quad. Most of America’s civil rights giants were educated at HBCUs,…
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The Incredible Legend of the Black Church
Today, for Black History Month, I’d like to tell you about something that has been long forgotten in the legacy of Africans in America. You may have heard these stories and dismissed them as fabulous folklore or passed-down legends that bloomed into fable over the years, but trust me, this ain’t no Paul Bunyan fairy…
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Watch: In Focus With Director Justin Tipping, Whose Film Kicks Challenges Our Perception of Manhood
Editor’s note: In Focus is a The Root TV series showcasing the new wave of black filmmakers. Justin Tipping is the writer and director of Kicks, a story set in Oakland, Calif., about a young teenager whose dream is to own a pair of fresh Air Jordans. Soon after he gets his hands on them,…
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The Quad Executive Producer Felicia D. Henderson Is TV Writing-and-Producing Royalty
If there’s ever been anyone who can speak on the ins and outs of being a television writer and producer, it’s Felicia D. Henderson. Henderson’s newest show, The Quad, BET’s HBCU drama, which she co-writes and executive-produces, has received rave reviews since its premiere. The New York Times said that the show puts important issues…
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Unique Views, Episode 31: 10 Minutes With Loretta Devine on a Shaky Cellphone
When we tell y’all that we are trying, I don’t think y’all understand what that really means. This podcast is held together with shoestring and bubblegum. It’s not a joke when we call ourselves the Sanford and Son of podcasts, and as Ms. Patti LaDanielle, aka The Root’s social-content producer, Danielle Young, told me, “Yeah,…
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The Scholar: Samuel K. Roberts Jr. on Drug Policy, Radical Recovery and ‘Capital Flight’ [Retracted]
RETRACTED (6/12/18): This story has been removed because we have discovered it was in breach of our editorial standards. If you’d like to know more, you can read an editor’s note here. A cached version of the story is available here for transparency.
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Scandal Recap: Mr. Beene Goes to Prison
Times are hard when you’re doing hard time. That’s what Cyrus Beene learned during this week’s episode of Scandal. Last week, Cyrus’ ex-lover Tom Larsen confessed to the feds that he assassinated President-elect Frankie Vargas at Cyrus’ request. This week, Attorney General David Rosen drops Cyrus off at the local penitentiary, where Cyrus is summarily…