culture
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'When and Where I Enter': The Racist Expectations of Whites-Only Feminism
Following the New York primary Tuesday, dozens of New Yorkers pilgrimaged to Rochester’s Mount Hope Cemetery to place “I Voted” stickers on the headstone of suffragette leader Susan B. Anthony. This, of course, should be expected, since Anthony, along with her close friend Elizabeth Cady Stanton and many others, fought tirelessly throughout the 19th century and early…
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Prince Wrote a Slow Jam About Donald Trump and It Is Glorious
We all know that Prince was a brilliant songwriter who could make anything—from casual sex to partying down before the nuclear apocalypse—sound cool. That skill even applies to loathsome politicians like Donald Trump. Among the many musical treasures he left us is a song called “Donald Trump (Black Version),” which he penned for R&B group…
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I’m Not Happy That My Boyfriend Wants to Celebrate My Birthday on the Cheap
Dude asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday. I said, “Simple dinner.” He said “Fine, as long as it’s not pricey.” I was a little turned off by this. It’s not my intention to run through anyone’s money, but at the same time, I felt like a child being told I can…
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Scandal Recap: Jake, Who’s Your Daddy?
Some of my favorite Scandal episodes are the ones in which we dig into the back stories of the characters and find out how they came to be the sick, sordid individuals they are now—like when we found out that Cyrus Beene was once married to a woman, or that Huck had a wife and…
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Earth Day 2016: 5 Black Communities That Are Fighting Environmental Threats
In America, communities in the most polluted environments are often poor and/or made up of people of color, with race being the dominant factor. A report published by PLOS One in 2014 indicates that nonwhite Americans breathe in almost 40 percent more polluted air than white Americans. The issue isn’t just the air we…
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32 Photos of Prince We Love
To say that Prince Rogers Nelson was a musical genius would be a gross understatement. Prince was incomparable. A legend. A cultural icon. And the world lost him on Thursday morning. As we mourn the passing of one of the greatest performers of our time, we also honor and respect his legacy. Here is The Root’s…
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A Transformative Artist Known as Prince
Prince Rogers Nelson, a man who transcended musical genre and defied definition, was found dead in his Paisley Park complex in Minnesota on Thursday. He was 57. Irreplaceably unique, Prince was a flamboyant, innovative artist whose songs were as varied and layered as his beguiling persona, which captivated audiences and music critics alike for nearly…
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5 Greatest Prince Performances
When it comes to greatest performances, Prince owns the throne. His live shows became mythical; even if you’d seen him in concert before, you always felt like you missed out the next time you heard about one of his secret shows. And his TV performances were always among the most-talked-about moments of whatever show he…
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Empire Recap: Mother’s Day
How is that Lucious hasn’t been shot? Empire has enough suspects for a “Who Shot Lucious?” storyline. That’s just one of the questions I had for last night’s Empire episode, “Time Shall Unfold.” Rhonda and Andre have moved out of the mansion because there are too many bad memories since Rhonda tumbled down those stairs…