culture

When Michelle Obama took to describing her new role as mom in chief, my first reaction was to wince at her words. My second reaction was to identify with them. I was okay, actually, with what Obama said. But I worried: Did she have to say it out loud, quite so explicitly? Is it really…

Nov. 27, 2008—Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year. For those of us in the warmer climates, it means gloating about not having to slog through cold, snowy and overcast weather that plagues so much of the rest of the country. Here in Charlotte, I give thanks each November for being able…

Natalie P. McNeal    I own a car, pay my own bills and have a retirement account. However, most years, my family sits me at the kiddie table at Thanksgiving. You know the holiday kiddie table, that foldout table, stuffed in the corner of the dining room. My family is super small, and we procreate sporadically.…

Damn!!! The Buzz should have seen this coming, but Damn!!!! We’re not sure whether to be more shocked or sad. Reuters is reporting that hate crimes jumped across the country in the wake of Barack Obama election. According the report: “Hundreds of incidents of abuse or intimidation apparently motivated by racial hatred have been reported…

Despite claims that he was misquoted, The New Yorker is standing by its report that Prince spoke out against gay marriage in a recent interview. So—all the way back in 1980 when Prince was singing, “White, black, Puerto Rican/Everybody just a-freakin,'” he must have specifically envisioned a radically multicultural but strictly hetero love fest. Reasonable…

Zimbabwe continues to present trouble for Southern Africa, as the region pushes to climb out of food, economic, and health pitfalls. President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, has led a career shrouded in corruption and isolation. Other leaders in the region, and from over the world, including Kofi Annan, and Jimmy Carter, have called for a…

Despite the government assistance being given to Citigroup, the bank will still maintain its contract with the New York Mets for naming rights of their new ballpark. The New York Mets signed a 20-year contract with Citigroup binding them to forking up $20 million each year for their new stadium’s naming rights. The deal was…

The economy is, prehaps, the most pressing issue facing President-elect Obama. The team that he builds will be crucial to his success as a president and our climbing out of this hole, as a country. In a press conference today, Obama and VP-elect, Joe Biden, announced the people whom they’ve trusted to serve as their…

To regulate, or not to regulate—that is the question: Whether it is nobler to let the banks suffer a horrible fortune, or to take arms against this sea of debt. Nobilty and rhetoric aside, the U.S. has largely doubled back on its free market philosophies. As the Washington Post reports, the Treasury Department, the Federal…

Dear Readers, Can you believe The Root is approaching the end of its first year? And my, what a year it’s been! As we’ve kept pace with the news and issues that matter to you most, providing you with insightful, provocative and witty commentary that you can’t find anywhere else, we’ve also been listening to…