culture
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Accidental Appropriation: White Model on Cover of Black-Hair Magazine Has Readers Wigging Out
In today’s “Well, ain’t that about a bitch” news … Early Monday morning, the editors of Blackhair magazine issued a statement apologizing to readers for a mistake they made on the cover of their December/January 2017 cover. No, it wasn’t a spelling error. The publication, aimed at black women and, as the magazine’s name implies,…
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At a Mo. High School, Lessons in Racism and Social Justice Courtesy of Trump
Tomorrow marks two weeks since more than 60 million Americans elected Donald Trump president of the United States, unleashing a wave of hate crimes and harassment against people of color across the country. The Southern Poverty Law Center reports that there have been 701 incidents of racial harassment since Election Day. In Missouri, where 57.1…
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In ‘They Can’t Kill Us All,’ Journalist Wesley Lowery Captures the Birth of a Movement
“There are few things as exhilarating as parachuting into an unknown place with a bag full of pens and notebooks in pursuit of ‘the story,’” Washington Post journalist Wesley Lowery writes in the opening of his book ‘They Can’t Kill Us All’: Ferguson, Baltimore, and A New Era In America’s Racial Justice Movement. Lowery—who had…
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5 Good Things About to Happen to Blackness in the Era of Trump
A segment of the American populace decided to elect a racist, xenophobic misogynist named Donald Trump to the presidency, and as a result, we as black folks are gonna have to mount up and fight his white supremacist policies for the next four years and beyond. But that being said, I’ve been thinking about some…
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You Can’t Touch Solange’s Hair, but You Can Ask to Touch Mine
If you have been natural for any length of time, you have more than likely had someone attempt to touch your hair. Strangers and friends of various races and ages seem to be intrigued by the texture, feel and all-around unexpectedness of black hair. Oftentimes this intrigue is expressed through a stray hand inching its…
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‘Make America Great Again’ Billboard Sparks Controversy in Miss.
At first glance, the “Make America Great Billboard” on Highway 80 in Pearl, Miss., right outside of Jackson, looks as if it was bought and paid for by the Klansmen and/or Fraternal Order of Police that endorsed President-elect Donald Trump. But looks can be deceiving. WJTV.com reports that the billboard was paid for by For Freedoms,…
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Symone Sanders: 'Black Women Have Been Holding Up the Mantle for America Since We Can Remember'
Symone Sanders is a force to be reckoned with, which is why she was named to The Root 100, our annual list of the most influential African Americans ages 25-45. The 26-year-old was formerly the national press secretary for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and was No. 65 on our list. Like her ex-boss, Symone Sanders has…
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The Blackest Moments of the 2016 The Root 100 Gala
Ain’t no party like The Root 100 gala! To quote the great prophet Joanne the Scammer, “Honestly, truly … ” The Root 100 gala fills a sprawling, well-decorated room with black philanthropic celebrities, passionate activists, truth-telling artists, hardworking sports stars and more who all have one common goal: sharing their vision to help shift and…
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Unique Views Podcast, Episode 19: Doug E. Fresh and Prince, BFFs
I never wanted to host a podcast. I also never wanted to host a podcast with my nemesis Danielle Young—aka Young Work Release, aka Ms. Patti Patti, aka The Root’s social-content producer—but God doesn’t care about my wants. As such, I have been blessed, but not with Ms. Patti Patti. She is my penance. I…
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Does Sage Steele Think All Lives Matter?
ESPN commentator Sage Steele has found herself in the middle of a Twitter fray since Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans took a knee to protest Donald Trump’s presidential victory. Steele posted this: And all hell broke loose. Steele was accused of being everything but a child of god. Many saw her stance as…