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  • What Will It Take to Actually Convict a Cop?

    Digesting police violence against innocent civilians is a complicated and difficult process. Perhaps the only thing more difficult, however, is reconciling the reality that, even as repeated violations by law enforcement continue to occur, there seems almost no chance that cops will ever face any level of significant accountability from America’s two-tiered justice system. The…

    By

    Charles F. Coleman Jr.

    Published

  • What The Secret Life of Pets Gets Wrong About Black Power and White Privilege

    There is no such thing as a kids movie anymore. Those days ended around the time that Aladdin and his genie were bopping around a fake Agrabah on a magic carpet. In the last 25 years or so, exclusively children-targeted programs have moved to Netflix, Cartoon Network or direct-to-video. Somebody in Hollywood wisely realized that…

    By

    Jason Johnson

    Published

  • The Alton Sterling Footage Is a Terrorist Video

    I have not yet seen the video of the Alton Sterling shooting in Baton Rouge, La., because I refuse to watch it. I’m not particularly squeamish or averse to violence; it’s just that I’ve seen the video too many times before. I saw it when the city of Chicago finally released footage of Laquan McDonald’s…

    By

    Michael Harriot

    Published

  • My Friend Wouldn’t Get Off My Case After I Told Her I Was Having Unsafe Sex

    Dear Demetria:  My friend scolded me because I choose to engage in unprotected sex more often than not. I agreed with her, but she kept going. I know she means well, but I can’t help feelilng judged, even after seeing her point. She told me I won’t stop until I get AIDS. What do I…

    By

    The Root Staff

    Published

  • #AltonSterling: Black People and Our Collective Hustle to Survive

    The police killed another black man on Tuesday. His name was Alton Sterling, and he lived in Baton Rouge, La. For most black folks, trying to make it from paycheck to paycheck is a hard reality. The perils of poverty, anti-black racism, intergenerational traumas and compounding structural inequalities make the day-to-day hustles—whatever they might be—necessary.…

    By

    The Root Staff

    Published

  • Stop Punishing Black Children Just Because They’re Black

    Editor’s note: Once a month, this column will tackle broader questions about what the country should do about gaps in achievement and opportunity, especially for boys of color. Schools should be held to higher standards than students. If schools irresponsibly impose discipline practices, then those rules (or leaders) should be expelled. However, when it comes to…

    By

    Andre Perry

    Published

  • Oklahoma City Fans Need to Check Their History Before They Try to Check Kevin Durant

    It’s a thin line between love and hate. If you don’t believe me, ask Kevin Durant. On the morning of July 4, KD declared his independence from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Explaining his decision in the Players Tribune, Durant said: The primary mandate I had for myself in making this decision was to have it…

    By

    Lawrence Ware

    Published

  • #AltonSterling: 37-Year-Old Man Killed by Baton Rouge Police

    Another black body on hot asphalt, heartbeat colliding with bullets in his chest, breathing becoming labored as an executioner in a uniform steals his life from him. This time, his name was Alton Sterling. This time, he was 37 years old. This time, he was a father of five. This time, he was selling CDs…

    By

    Kirsten West Savali

    Published

  • Wale: The Patron Saint of Diva Dudes Who Pretend They Actually Care About Women

    I been listening to Wale for years. I am a stan, and as much as his flow and style have changed, several things have remained consistent: This man knows how to talk to women, he knows how to pour his ain’t-s—tness into a track and he knows how to get women to love these tracks.…

    By

    Joel Philip

    Published

  • The Iconoclast Dinner Experience Celebrates the Best Black Chefs in the Business

    On June 4, black chefs Joseph “J.J.” Johnson, Nyesha Arrington, Paul Carmichael, Preston Clark, Ebow Dadzie and Kwame Onwuachi, along with prolific sommelier Luvo Ntezo and Bacardi’s Colin Asare-Appiah, brought together their incredible palate-pleasing talents to honor the late legendary chef Patrick Clark with the Iconoclast Dinner Experience at the historic James Beard House in New…

    By

    Danielle Young

    Published