culture
-
I Think About My Funeral When Police Stop Me
What was Terence Cutcher thinking about before those Tulsa, Okla., police killed him? Every time cops stop me while I’m driving my car in the middle of the night, I begin thinking about how good my funeral will be. I think about a packed funeral home with standing room only. I have lots of friends,…
-
Like Cops Who Kill Unarmed Black Adults, Pre-K Teachers See Same 'Bad Dude' in Kids
Editor’s note: Once a month, this column will tackle broader questions about what the country should do about gaps in achievement and opportunity. Perception is a matter of life and death. Now a new study from Yale University delivers the news that even black babies suffer the burdens that racial stereotyping inflicts. Preschool educators’ implicit…
-
Loving Tells One of the Most Important Love Stories in Black History
Imagine being cuddled with your loved one in bed, in the middle of the night. It’s peaceful, and the warmth of your spouse’s body sends goosebumps all down your skin. And then, boom! You’re both shaken awake by a police officer kicking down your door and yelling, “Get out of bed!” because your marriage is…
-
Is Insecure Preying on Black Women’s Insecurities?
I may lose some friends over this. In fact, I may lose friends, followers, respect and possibly even my “black card” (which, apparently, has been under review since I dared address the Nate Parker issue). Which is unfortunate, since being black is one of my favorite things, and one of my favorite things about being…
-
Raíces Latinas: Conversations With My Grandmother
“No te olvides que tienes raíces Latinas.” (“Do not forget you have Latin roots.”) My grandmother, or “Abuelita” (as I refer to her), often said this to me. This time, she was seated in her reclining chair. Through her silver-rimmed bifocals, I saw her penetrating eyes. “Of course not, Abuelita,” I said with a cooing…
-
Issa Rae’s Insecure: No Longer an Awkward Black Girl
In the words of Ron Burgundy, Issa Rae is kind of a big deal. The awkward black girl has gone from creating and starring in an award-winning web series, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, to creating and starring in the half-hour HBO comedy Insecure, about two friends “navigating the tricky and personal terrain of…
-
When You Foolishly Try to Compare PWIs to HBCUs, You Only Look Like a Fool
I do my best to stay out of the never-ending PWI-vs.-HBCU debate, if for no other reason than that it can’t be “won.” The truth is, as a black person, there are perceived advantages and perhaps disadvantages to attending either one. My take is, go to whatever school you think is best for you and/or…
-
WTF Happened to Cam Newton?
At the end of the 2015-2016 football season, Cam Newton could have run uncontested for president of the African Americans. Newton had just finished dominating the NFL regular season, in which he walked away with the MVP and almost dabbed his team to an undefeated season. In the Super Bowl, Superman turned back into Clark…
-
The Real O’Neals Star Martha Plimpton to White Liberals: ‘Speak Up Against State Violence and Racist Injustice’ [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.
-
Beyoncé Tops The Root 100 List of Black Influencers
An athlete who took a stand by sitting out the national anthem. A woman thrust into the spotlight after capturing the horrific aftermath of her fiance’s shooting death by police. A singer whose artistry and activism launched a thousand think pieces and set the internet ablaze, as everyone took to social media to debate and…