culture
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Muhammad Ali, From Fiery Young Man to Serene Survivor, Dead at 74
One of boxing’s most legendary fighters, Muhammad Ali, died Friday, June 3, in Arizona after being hospitalized for respiratory problems. He was 74. Ali had long been in decline as a result of the Parkinson’s symptoms he developed soon after his boxing career ended. As celebrated as he was for his performance inside the ring—amassing 56…
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He Wants to Marry Me, but He Doesn’t Want to Buy an Engagement Ring
My boyfriend wants to get married but doesn’t want to buy an engagement ring. Money isn’t an issue. He has a good job, a home and a luxury car. He wants simple gold bands. I want a diamond ring. He thinks a diamond is a waste of money and the industry is a scam. The…
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5 Things to Avoid if You Want to Have a Good Time at a Bachelor Party
Inside the black time capsule from the year of our Lord 1999, you’ll find a number of items evoking the spirit of the time: a CD-ROM single of C-Murder’s stroll classic, “Down for My N—gaz”; a 5X, Latrell Sprewell New York Knicks jersey; a copy of Zane’s Sex Chronicles. If you move aside the pile…
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Shaming Angela Simmons for Her Pregnancy Shows How Screwed Up We Are When It Comes to Sex
For weeks, bloggers and social media viewers speculated about the pregnancy status of Angela Simmons—fashion designer, reality-TV star and daughter of the rap legend known as Rev. Run. It’s not an uncommon conversation, and happens to almost every celebrity with a newly announced engagement (Simmons announced hers last month) or who appears on a red…
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On Those Too Stuck On ’90s Nostalgia to Appreciate Great NBA Basketball Today
There are few ironies as clear and demonstrative as the fact that Michael Jordan—a man who from 1985 to maybe 2005 was perhaps the coolest man on the planet (and is still able to sell millions of shoes from the residue of that status)—has somehow emerged as a proxy for what is decidedly uncool. Of…
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The Cleveland Cavaliers Are Going to Lose, but Not Because of ‘Light-Skinned Privilege’
The world would be a much nicer place to live in if sports were just sports instead of multilayered contests where our values about everything from race to economics are on display. But America—let alone the NBA—never promised us nice, which is why tonight’s Game 1 of the NBA Finals is rife with sociocultural narratives.…
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Akai Gurley’s Aunt Remembers Him as a Peacemaker
“I’ve never trusted the police,” Hertencia Petersen said as she shifted her weight in her seat. “I think cops work on modern-day lynching mode.” Our cameras were rolling as she candidly shared her disdain for law enforcement. “I can’t say that, can I?” Petersen asked solemnly. Petersen was sitting in the hot seat because on…
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How to Get Away With Murder: A Story of Grief, Apathy and Gun Violence in the African-American Community
Ken McClenton is a grieving father whose family is getting by on faith. His daughter, Charnice Milton, was killed last year in Southeast Washington, D.C., while she was changing buses on her way home from work. “We are persevering in the midst of our loss,” McClenton tells The Root. “You never get fully over the…
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Racists Prove That They Care More About Gorillas Than Black Children
Debates about Harambe—a 450-pound, 17-year-old western lowland, silverback gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo that zoo officials were forced to shoot to death May 28 after a 4-year-old boy fell into his enclosure—have reached fever pitch as the hashtag #JusticeForHarambe continues to circulate online. Harambe—whose name is derived from harambee, which is Swahili for “all pull together”—has…
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People You Probably Know if You’re a Country Black Person
I know I’m not the only one who felt some type of way when Damon Young continued his unwarranted attack on grits. It’s like he went into a Juneteenth celebration and yelled, “This is a fake Fourth of July!” But don’t worry, my country black people. As a representative from the “country-ass Negro” delegation, I’m…