culture
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Who Lost in 2016?
As the year 2017 waits in the wings to spring onto the stage and initiate us all into the Trumpian era, where the modern-day equivalent of one of the Three Stooges occupies the Oval Office, it is time to look back at the year that was. There will be countless retrospectives on the triumphs of…
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Stephen A. Smith Gets Real About ESPN, Race and His Obligations to Black Viewers
Whether you love him, hate him, quote him or only know the Saturday Night Live Jay Pharoah impressions of him, everyone has a #hottake about Stephen A. Smith. Smith is the senior host of First Take (after his longtime co-host, Skip Bayless, left the show earlier this year), the No. 1-rated sports show on the…
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Kwanzaa Turns 50 This Year. Are You Celebrating?
Get your kinaras (candleholders) out. Kwanzaa’s turning 50, and it’s time to celebrate. Kwanzaa, the seven-day celebration that honors African-American and Pan-African culture while affirming black pride, begins Monday and runs through Jan. 1. Dr. Maulana Karenga, who heads the Africana-studies department at California State University, Long Beach, established the holiday in the midst of the…
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Unique Views Podcast, Episode 23: It's Family Time With Omar Gooding and Angell Conwell
This is the second time that the pod squad—myself, Ms. Patti LaDanielle, and The Root Senior Editor Stephen A. Crockett Jr.—have had something to do with Bounce TV. So excuse us if we’re feeling ourselves a bit. OK, so maybe I am feeling myself, by myself, but that’s because Stephen doesn’t deserve to feel himself.…
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The Black Christmas Music Debate: If ‘Santa Baby’ Isn’t on Your List, Your List Is a Fraud
I love Christmas … but I really love Christmas music. I’m the kind of guy who will start listening to the Yuletide classics immediately after Halloween—and only if I wait that long. While I love the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s “Christmas Time Is Here,” and I can appreciate Frank Sinatra’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,”…
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The 2016 Wypipo Awards
We’d like to welcome you to the annual Wypipo Awards. For those of you attending for the first time, these awards are not focused on all white people. Instead, this is a ceremony that celebrates the subset of the Caucasian constituency constantly complaining that the BET Awards, the NAACP Awards and even the Soul Train…
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WATCH: #SleighTheGame: How Much Do You Know About the Holidays?
The holidays are for food, family and fun, so we’re giving you an extra dose of the latter as we play #SleighTheGame, which is basically holiday trivia. We tapped our social media guy, Corey Townsend and one of our biggest supporters, Ty Alexander of Gorgeous in Grey and asked them to show us just how…
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From Relaxers to Some Shampoos: Too Many Products Marketed to Black Women Are Bad for You
I have spent plenty of shopping trips browsing the “ethnic hair care” aisle. Women of color know all too well the constant hunt for the perfect product. As our hair-care knowledge, needs and routines (not to mention the seasons) change, we restock our product drawers accordingly. Whether you have a relaxer or are now natural,…
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Generation KKK: A&E Changes Docuseries Title, Partners With ColorOfChange Amid Backlash
Updated Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, 7:30 p.m. ET: On Saturday, A&E issued a statement saying it was canceling its show Escaping the KKK because its participants were paid, a violation of the network’s policy. Read more here. Earlier: After facing severe backlash across social media, A&E has announced that it is revamping its documentary series…
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Watch: The Cast of Fences Share Their Experience in Making Such an Important Film
Before his death in 2005, August Wilson optioned Fences as a feature film. He was adamant about wanting a black director, saying: “I declined a white director, not on the basis of race, but on the basis of culture. White directors are not qualified for the job. The job requires someone who shares the specifics…