culture
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Michael Jackson, Urban Myths and the Grease From Jermaine Jackson’s Fade
For many, Michael Jackson is personal. I, Michael Joseph Arceneaux, born in 1984, am a testament to this trait among longtime fans of Michael Joseph Jackson. I’m named after him. I grew up with him. Many of the positive memories from my childhood are directly connected to events related to his art. Still, quite a…
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Unique Views, Episode 26: We Thought Obama Was Here Forever … but #TrafficBae Is Here to Stay
We try our best not to have too much sadness when we talk about the issues we face each week, but we couldn’t really help it this week! President Barack Obama gave his farewell address, and eyes everywhere are filling up with tears. (Senior Editor Stephen A. Crockett here: I didn’t cry during the farewell,…
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Please Allow Us to Reintroduce Ourselves
Hello. We’re The Root. Once a gleam in a noted professor’s eye, nurtured and carefully tended to by a tireless warrior woman and a bevy of brilliant bosses, we have been through the fire and walk among you the unburnt, First of Our Names, Blog of Unapologetic Blackness, Snatcher of Wigs, Bane of Bigots, #TeamRoot,…
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The Art Speaks for Itself
Every year, our congressional representatives hold an art contest for students in their districts, with the prize being a yearlong exhibition at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. It typically does not cause a murmur. This year’s unanimous winner in Missouri’s 1st District was my friend David Pulphus, a quiet, gentle, unassuming student. David’s painting…
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Racial Justice Cannot Happen Without Gender Equality
For most of my adult life I’ve been a journalist and writer blessed, or possibly cursed, to witness some of the worst things imaginable done by human beings to one another—particularly women—in places that most people can conjure only in their imaginations, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, post-genocide Rwanda, Colombia, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.…
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The Trouble With Jimmy Fallon
All in all, he wasn’t a bad choice to host the Golden Globes. He had the requisite clever and colorful opening number, an affable demeanor and the ability to improvise. He even started off strong with some postelection shade—though it didn’t erase our memory of his pre-election playfulness with the now-PEOTUS. And it certainly couldn’t…
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Being Mary Jane Recap: Sex in the City
Being Mary Jane is back for a fourth season, and Mary Jane Paul is still pompously lacking in self-awareness. While we open to M.J.’s 6-inch heels sauntering down the hallway to a sexy song, it doesn’t take long for M.J. to almost completely unravel in her most vulnerable space: her sexuality and pursuit of love.…
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Fat Joe Is Here to Remind You How Latino Rappers Changed the Game
The South Bronx in New York City has sealed its place in history as the birthplace of hip-hop, where black and Latino youths created something out of nothing. But while the Latino community gets props for certain elements of hip-hop culture—including graffiti, DJing and breakdancing—it hasn’t gotten as much love for rapping. In the ’90s, Fat…
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Being Mary Jane, Season 4: Will a New City Bring a New Mary Jane?
The show Being Mary Jane did not necessarily require much in the way of revamping. However, with the show’s creators and executive producers, Mara Brock and Salim Akil, leaving for a production deal with Warner Bros. TV, a shift was likely unavoidable. Mara Brock Akil spoke for many when she told Fader earlier this year…