culture
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Ain’t I a Woman: Marching Forward—What Now?
They came. They saw. They marched. Did you? Full disclosure: I didn’t—primarily for logistical reasons—but I watched in awe last Saturday as my social media feeds became a sea of pink pussy hats and cleverly worded signs, courtesy of friends and family attending women’s marches worldwide. As promised and in overwhelming numbers, on the first…
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#OscarsSoBlack: Finally, Some Melanin-Proficient People Receive Nominations
After two straight years of #OscarsSoWhite, in which black actors were shut out of all the acting categories, this year’s Academy Awards nominations featured so much blackness, some racist trolls on Twitter might just start calling the Oscars the BET Awards. Moonlight, director Barry Jenkins’ stunning coming-of-age tale, received a total of eight nominations (the…
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Review: BET Does Right by New Edition and All of Us
Just when you thought this television season couldn’t get any blacker, BET raises a fist and busts through the door with the ultimate “for us by us” miniseries: The New Edition Story. Often described as their generation’s Temptations and Jackson 5, New Edition—Ronnie DeVoe, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ralph Tresvant, Bobby Brown and, later, Johnny…
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Watch: New App Lets Men Shop Like a Boss and Make the World a Better Place
Isaac Ewell believes looking good shouldn’t cost you a fortune. Ewell, a Morehouse and Harvard grad, left a lucrative job in education to lead a burgeoning startup company, Onehunted. This Philadelphia-based tech-lifestyle brand offers events and experiences, encouraging men to be their authentic selves, or “one hundred.” Get it? And as the co-founder and CEO…
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Watch: The Root Staff Tries Ms. Robbie’s Soul Food
By now you may have noticed that The Root staff likes a plate of good food and we offer the sharp opinions—hence the premise of our new video series, The Root Eats. Genius. In the past we were appalled by $66 collard greens (that had the nerve to be nasty), pitted fruitcakes against one another…
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The Members of New Edition Made Sure BET’s Biopic Came Correct With Their Story
In one of the most poignant scenes in the BET miniseries The New Edition Story, the young Ronnie DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ralph Tresvant are fresh off their first major world tour. The tour bus, painted with the group’s name in graffiti letters on the side, pulls in slowly to drop the…
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About the Blacks the Marigold Manchurian Candidate Has Been Meeting
For as long as he is president, there will be debate over whether or not black people should be meeting with the Marigold Manchurian Candidate. It’s a question The Root’s political editor, Jason Johnson, recently tackled in the piece “So, When Is It OK to Meet With Trump?” While we are in accord with the…
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Good Riddance to the Worst Show on Earth
“Ringling Bros. Circus Closing After 146 Years” I saw this and sarcastically said to myself, “Oh no! Not ‘The Greatest Show on Earth.’” Top articles covered: the 146 years of “greatness”; the mistreatment, abuse and murder of exotic animals, which led to battles with animal-rights groups; and the too-little, too-late attempt to hire its first…