culture
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Your 4.0 GPA Won’t Protect You From Systemic Racism
Being “twice as good” won’t save you from becoming a target. Just ask 18-year-old Andrew Jones of Amite, La., who was denied the opportunity to serve as his class valedictorian. Despite earning a 4.0 grade point average, Jones was not permitted to participate in his high school graduation. According to reports, the student was stopped…
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Why People Have So Many Dumb Opinions About What Happened With Harambe the Gorilla, Explained
In your title you imply that many people have dumb opinions. Are you saying that people are generally stupid? I’m not saying that. I’m not not saying it. But I’m definitely not saying it. What I am saying is that none of us is immune to dumb opinions. Even the smartest and most aware of…
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Columbia University Student Nayla Kidd Is Courageous, Not Selfish or Crazy
Earlier this month, a Columbia University engineering student, Nayla Kidd, 19, was reported missing after she didn’t show up for her final exams at the Ivy League school in New York City. The story made national news. After a citywide (wo)man hunt—and terrifying her friends and family—Kidd was found in Brooklyn, N.Y., where she had…
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11 Summer Must-Reads for Young Readers
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the publication of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D. Taylor. Taylor, one of the first African-American children’s-book authors to gain widespread acclaim, later won the Newbery Medal for the book. Her work was pivotal in empowering black children to see themselves in young adult literature—inspiring…
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Black Don’t Crack, but You Can Still Get Skin Cancer
The summer sun is coming, and boy, how we do love it. We love to bask in it. We love to play in it. And our brown skin protects us from its harmful rays. Or does it? Throughout generations, we’ve probably heard that because of the melanin in our skin, we don’t need sunscreen or…
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No, Big Boi, Maple Syrup Cannot Cure Cancer—and Yes, You Sound Like a Sexist
Atlien rapper Big Boi, one-half of seminal rap duo Outkast, took a bit of dragging on Twitter this weekend after he posted a meme on “baby mamas” that smacked of sexist gibberish. And then he retweeted a post that said, “Maple syrup can kill cancer.” But let’s start with the real dumbness first. The first tweet,…
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TV Review: Did We Really Need a Roots Remake? No, but …
I vividly recall the original iteration of the TV miniseries Roots. It was January 1977 and I was 17. As with most young people that age, my life was rapidly growing independent of my parents, who were increasingly consumed by the vagaries of their workplaces. Yet when the series debuted, it was must-see TV in…
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Don’t Know Malachi Kirby? He’s About to Become a Household Name for His Searing Portrayal of Kunta Kinte in Roots
Malachi Kirby has snagged the biggest role of his budding career: portraying the iconic Kunta Kinte in the updated version of Alex Haley’s epic, Roots. More than 100 million Americans—more than half the United States and nearly 85 percent of all TV households—watched the Roots finale on Jan. 30, 1977. The original Roots made LeVar…
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Watch: It’s All About Bossing, Branding and Building When You’re Young, Fabulous and Female in NYC
It was an evening to remember as women of diverse professions and educational backgrounds came together to talk “bossing, branding and building” at The Root’s Young Fabulous and Female event in New York City on May 25. The event featured panelists Tricia Clarke-Stone, co-founder and CEO of Narrative; Caralene Robinson, senior vice president of VH1’s…
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Anika Noni Rose on How She Came to Play the Powerful Role of Kizzy in the Roots Reboot
Like Viola Davis, another great actress from the stage, Anika Noni Rose is finally being recognized for her great talent outside of theater. The latest example of this is her anchoring role as Kizzy in the History Channel’s ambitious Roots reboot. The Root caught up with Rose to talk about her initial reservations regarding the…