culture
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Why #AllGritsMatter
The Great Grits Debate of 2016 continues to rage and is bringing out the worst in two groups that are really two sides of the same coin—people who love savory grits calling those who love sweet grits savages; those who prefer sweet grits saying that the savories don’t know nothing about good eating. At times…
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Is It Cultural Appropriation? I’ll Be the Judge of That
Much as it pains me to admit aloud, maybe there’s something to all those stupid-ass memes that your “woke” Facebook friends like to share that compare real-life “ignored” atrocities to the asinine s—t that makes BuzzFeed headlines. That Blake Lively’s delusional Instagram post dominated an entire Wednesday lends credence to their gripes. Even I couldn’t…
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Celebrating Being Young, Fabulous and Female in NYC
Every young black woman who’s fabulous, ambitious and committed to her growth was in attendance for The Root’s Young, Fabulous and Female event in New York City. Professional women from every level of their respective careers gathered to hear the stellar panel give its advice on everything from managing relationships to networking, building a brand,…
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If NYC Top Cop Bill Bratton Wants to Discuss ‘Thugs,’ He Should Start With the NYPD
New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, one of the architects of New York’s racist stop-and-frisk policy, has weighed in on the fatal shooting that took place at a hip-hop concert at Manhattan’s Irving Plaza Wednesday night, and his statement was as prejudiced and hypocritical as one would expect from New York City’s top cop.…
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How to Stop Jay Z From Threatening Us With New Music
For the past two years, malicious rumors of a joint Beyoncé-Jay Z album have terrorized us on the Internet. Vague “sources” have been quoted everywhere from Rap Up to Vanity Fair, claiming that the cursed release is set to have a surprise stream on Tidal. This is a particularly harmful threat to a longtime Jay Z…
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Watch: Misty Copeland Bedazzles the World and Offers Food for Thought
Misty Copeland has gone from living in a motel to dancing on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House. Literally. In June 2015, Copeland became the first African-American woman to be promoted to principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre. Still, she strives for more. At 33, the prima ballerina has amassed innumerable accolades, and…
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Confessions of a DC Lawyer-Lobbyist-Turned-L.A. Comedy Writer-Producer
As an only child and a latchkey kid, I spent a disconcerting amount of my childhood alone in front of a TV … and I loved every minute of it! By age 17, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the rest of my life—I was going to make more of the shows…
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She’s in Love With a ‘Nice’ Boyfriend Who Doesn’t Trust Her and Still Has a Wife
Dear Demetria: I’m in love with my boyfriend, but he is always accusing me of cheating. I’m not and never have, but I have thought about it because he doesn’t satisfy me sexually. His penis is small and [the oral sex] isn’t good, either. I knew this before we got together, but I gave him…
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Old Folks May Hate the Way Young People Use Slang, but Who Are They to Talk?
Thanks to the Internet and social media universalizing certain aspects of culture, our slang has become less regional and maddeningly uniform. So a black dude could trek from New York City to the Atlanta University Center in his Timbs and not be clowned for saying how long it took, “dead ass.” Because he probably won’t be…
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Was Tamar Braxton’s Neck-Rolling Too Real for The Real?
Bless her heart: It’s been mighty rough for Tamar Braxton within the last year. Not only was she forced to leave Dancing With the Stars because of a life-threatening health crisis, but her very good album, Calling All Lovers, caught the fade from consumers. Now one of the biggest breaks in her post-Braxton Family Values career—a slot on the hit daytime…