culture
-
Make Tenure Great Again: Saving Academic Freedom From Trump’s ‘Post-Truth’ Nation
From refusing climate change to exaggerating voter fraud to promoting Birtherism, Donald Trump didn’t just put American electoral politics in peril by denying truth; he puts truth itself at greater risk as his power grows. And in this anti-intellectual and media-illiterate zeitgeist, when denying reality can get you elected president of the United States of America, maintaining the integrity…
-
Unique Views, Episode 20: Jive Turkey, Featuring Pam Grier
Are you like me? Have you ever wished that there was a bigger, blacker Netflix for all the blaxploitation movies of the past? Well, wait no more! Introducing Brown Sugar, the biggest, baddest, blackest mutha— Patti LaDanielle: Shut yo’ mouth! Just talking about Brown Sugar on Bounce TV. Seriously, the service is dope, free for the first…
-
Netflix and LOLz: Michael Che’s Bringing the Laughs With Several Other Black Comics
If you’ve seen Michael Che’s subtle and deadpan comedy as the co-host of Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update,” you’ll be surprised by his hilarious, take-no-prisoners style on controversial topics in his Netflix special, Michael Che Matters, which will premiere Friday on the streaming service. Netflix is leading the charge ahead of networks like Comedy Central by…
-
Watch: The Root Staff Tries Healthy Holiday Hacks
The Root staff is hacking the holidays, but in a great way. In honor of Thanksgiving, a day where we give thanks and stuff our faces (hopefully in that order), The Root staff decided to try some “healthy hacks” (read: healthful substitutes for Thanksgiving dinner). Khaleeqa Rouse of Paparoxi.com provided the grub: black-eyed peas, kale…
-
Why Hollywood’s Portrayal of Black Women Is Problematic
2016 started off great with lots of visible leading black women in television. In series including Empire, How to Get Away With Murder and Queen Sugar, black women continue to show that they can hold their own when it comes to leading a television series. But knowing that, I have to say something that I…
-
A Blow-by-Blow Account of the Harris Family Thanksgiving
After the popularity of black Twitter’s #ThanksgivingWithBlackFamilies and our undercover report on the Harris family’s Fourth of July cookout, we decided to embed a reporter for an up close look at Thanksgiving with the Harris family*. 10 a.m.: I arrived early to check out the preparation for the meal. After staring at me through the screen…
-
It’s the Super Bowl of Holidays for Black Uncles, and 4 Other Reasons to Love Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. Yes, you receive gifts during Christmas, and Easter was great because you got chocolate candy, but Thanksgiving? Nah, Thanksgiving has always been the gift that keeps on giving. Thanksgiving is the one place where family, particularly black families, come together to remind themselves about why they’re connected to…
-
Frank’s Hot Sauce and 9 Other Black Thanksgiving Faux Pas That Will Earn You a Side Dish of Side Eye
I have a complicated relationship with Thanksgiving. It has historically been framed as a day, every year, when we are gluttonous to celebrate the fact that white people were saved by Native Americans. Therefore, it is only fitting that Thanksgiving, like the word “n—ga,” has become one of the blackest things in America. As with…
-
How African Culture Influences What We Eat Around the World
Do you wonder how our culture influences how and what we eat? For a large part of the world’s nearly 170 million people of the African Diaspora, what is cooked in the kitchen and served at the table is, as Maya Angelou says, “more alike, my friend, than we are unalike.” Remnants of the Diaspora…
-
How to Deal With the ‘When Are You Going to Do Something With Your Hair?’ Question During the Holidays
Being the youngest of my siblings, I watched them navigate many family gatherings where they were asked questions about their career goals, relationship status and state of womb occupancy. For a long time, I was always seen as the baby, and no one seemed to be rushing me into those next steps. It wasn’t until…