culture
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Too Many People Have Stolen Egypt’s History; Here’s How It’s Getting It Back
When one asks Tarek Sayed Tawfik about the centuries of theft of Egypt’s historical treasures, he becomes visibly angry. “We are not encouraging anybody to continue stealing Egyptian objects,” declares the general director of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which is set to open at the beginning of 2018. “In spite of it being difficult and…
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From Blackbird to Moonlight: Black Queer Men Are More Than Enough
The movie Moonlight has been met with critical acclaim since June. Some reviews have stated that the film is riveting because of the story that it tells: a young black gay man navigating drugs, mass incarceration and the violence of his neighborhood. Based on the play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue, the film navigates…
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‘Evil’ or Mentally Ill: Is There a Media Bias Against Black Moms Who Commit Horrible Acts?
A 21-year-old mother of two in Pittsburgh was charged with criminal homicide Tuesday after she allegedly killed her infant son and attempted to kill her daughter. According to a report from the Associated Press, the mom, Christian Clark, flew into a “jealous, vengeful rage” because she believed her boyfriend, Andre Price Jr., 23, was cheating…
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Unique Views Podcast, Episode 17: #GentrifiedGreens and Fried Lil Wayne Brain
In the spirit of A Tribe Called Quest’s album announcement, we got our original band back together. That’s right—we got The Root Senior Editor Yesha Callahan, aka Michelle (Destiny’s Child), aka half of the Podcast Pips (who was never going to play the background because she’s larger than life), to sit in for the whole…
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In Too Deep: 5 Point-of-No-Return Moments From This Week’s HTGAWM
Two weeks before the murder, the Keating Five on How to Get Away With Murder show us that some things can never be undone. Here are five clues that you’ve reached the point of no return: This is the mother of all dating bombshells, the defining moment in any relationship. Right before they are about…
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Stop Pitting Tyler Perry's Boo! A Madea Halloween Against The Birth of a Nation
If one ever wants to know what the slower side of intelligentsia is thinking or, in this case, not really thinking, in 2016, you can often find the answer in a meme. To wit, after Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween grossed more than $28 million opening weekend, I stumbled upon an unfortunate lil’ meme that compared…
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Miseducation System: Why Black Teachers and Leaders Need to Be Heard
The nonprofit advocacy and research group Education Trust released the report “Through Our Eyes: Perspectives and Reflection From Black Teachers,” which chronicles and narrates the nuance of the black teaching experience in ways numbers can’t. This qualitative study addresses teacher-retention issues in a progressive fashion and positions black voices directly in the ears of white institutions for…
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A Star in Her Own Right: Pauletta Washington on Being a Strong Woman Behind a Powerful Man
She is the wife of one of the biggest stars on the planet, Denzel Washington, and the mother of rising star and verified hunk John David Washington. Now Pauletta Washington is ready to claim her own star. The actress, who celebrated her 66th birthday in September, is appearing in the Billie Holiday Theatre production of…
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Taken Without Incident: Why White Criminals End Up Alive
One of the most familiar and overused refrains raised from the black chorus in their criticism of police and their brutal tactics is the oft-repeated idea that white criminals are treated less harshly than black people accused of lesser and more innocuous crimes. Perhaps the most popular extracurricular activity of those engaged in the fight…
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With Queen of Katwe, Figuring Out What Black Moviegoers Want Remains a Mystery
Heads are swiveling over the box-office beatdown that Boo! A Madea Halloween has given Jack Reacher and Inferno, earning $27.6 million the week of its premiere and $17 million the second week, topping both thrillers starring A-listers Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks, respectively. Some are wondering how yet another Madea film can win at the…