culture
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School Board Member Blames Her Racist Facebook Posts on Michelle Obama, NFL Protesters
After being called out for a collection of racist social media posts echoing the sentiments of noted Twitter political pundit Roseanne Barr, a board member of Alabama’s second-largest school district passionately explained herself by citing Michelle Obama’s unpatriotic hate for America and kneeling NFL players’ insistence on disrespecting the troops. Donna Pike, a member of…
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‘It Gets Better’: The Lie We Tell LGBTQ Youths
Editor’s note: For Pride Month, The Root and Jezebel are teaming up once again for JezeRoot, with content by writers of color around everyday life for LGBTQ individuals. Recently, I went to an LGBTQ “It Gets Better” panel at a comic convention. The panelists, one of whom is a good friend, talked about how things…
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Whiteness Is a Superpower
All superheroes are white. Superman is white. Spider-Man is white. Batman is white. Wonder Woman is white. But I’ve never wanted to be white. For a lactose-intolerant person like me, whiteness is like cheeseburgers, tacos and vanilla ice cream: I recognize that the world considers them to be appealing and delicious, but they have made…
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I Reconnected to My Father, Only to Disconnect From Him Again
My father has never really been a major part of my life. Not having a father around was pretty much a normal thing throughout my childhood. My birth mother passed away from breast cancer when I was 3 years old, which left my brother and sister and me to be raised by family. My aunt…
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#MusicSermon Feeds Your Soul With Music History and Sound Every Week
Music is indelibly tied to memory. You remember what song you heard right before you got your first kiss or when you experienced your first heartbreak or when you blew out the candles at your sweet 16? The song you had your first dance to at your wedding reception is just as important as the…
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The Oppression of White America
White people are oppressed. Stop laughing. It’s true. In recent years, a narrative has formed and spread among the masses that asserts that white people in America are being subjected to reverse racism, ridicule, public scorn and discrimination. Before attempting to examine (and ultimately dismantle) this preposterous hypothesis, we should acknowledge all the ways in…
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Sophia Chang Ain’t Nothing to Fuck Wit’
In The Art of Exchange, The Root explores the intersections where different identities and communities of color meet. Each story covers a different place or personality that expands or challenges our idea of what cultural exchange, allyship and cross-cultural support look like. Sophia Chang wears her heart on her neck. On a sliver of red…
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Unprotected, Underserved: The (False) Criminalization of Black America
Editor’s note: This week, The Root will examine the many facets of law enforcement and its effects on the black community with our weeklong series Unprotected, Underserved: The Policing of Black America. Any attempt at understanding the effects of policing in black America must begin from a rational, objective perspective. We must first free ourselves…
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All Black People Are Victims of Police Brutality
Editor’s note: This week, The Root will examine the many facets of law enforcement and its effects on the black community with our weeklong series Unprotected, Underserved: The Policing of Black America. He was 23 years old. He needed their protection. He needed their service. So he called the police. They shot him. He is paralyzed.…
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GQ Asks: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Yeezy?
“I’m not wearing the sneakers, I’m not wearing the clothes, I’m not listening to the music. I’m definitely taking a step back—indefinitely,” said DJ and former Yeezy enthusiast Jerome Baker III to GQ, when asked how Kanye West’s recent antics affected his feelings about the Yeezy merchandise he owns. For months now (or years, for…