culture
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People v. O.J. Simpson Recap: The Dream Team Gets Ready to Play the Race Card
In general, I am loving this series so far. Cuba Gooding Jr. as O.J. has received some flak because he doesn’t look like O.J., especially in stature. There’s been some fuss about John Travolta’s “weird” Robert Shapiro, which is an accurate assessment, but I happen to find him hilarious. Neither of those common complaints bothers…
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The Root Went to the Anti-Anti-Beyoncé Rally and Here’s What Happened
It’s a classic hater story. Beyoncé creates a controversial visual for her latest tune, “Formation.” Black people applaud Beyoncé for embracing Beyoncé’s blackness. White people are confused and angry, so they create an anti-Beyoncé boycott. Wait. What?! It’s kind of sick that there are people who would rather protest music videos that showcase police brutality…
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Call a Thing a Thing: Scalia’s Judicial Terrorism Should Not Be Celebrated
Justice Antonin “Nino” Scalia was racist, charismatic, misogynist, intelligent, homoantagonistic, witty, a good friend and a judicial terrorist. He was all these things, multifaceted in the ways that all human beings are, and he should be remembered as such. Still, in the days since his death, the communities he attacked viciously with his decisions over the course…
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Kanye West Doesn’t Need Another Think Piece; He Needs Therapy
Kanye West doesn’t need what I’m about to write. Mostly because he’s not going to see it anyway. (Or read it. Or care.) But someone else who is going through a Kanye-esque moment might read it and finally get the help he or she needs, so here it goes. A long time ago, before I…
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Fighting a Black ‘Genocide’ in Brazil
For African-American tourists, Salvador is a city in Brazil where Brazilians maintain the strongest ties to Africa through music, food and religion. It’s Brazil’s blackest city. Eighty percent of the population is of African descent. But for the Afro-Brazilians who live there, Salvador is a place where black men are constantly harassed by an intimidating…
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Stephan James on His Breakout Role as Jesse Owens in Race
Perhaps Toronto native Stephan James looks vaguely familiar because of his role as John Lewis in Selma. As the star of Race, the first feature film about Jesse Owens, James is sure to become a lot more recognizable. The Root caught up with James—whose young career also includes credits for The Book of Negroes; The Gabby Douglas…
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Grammys Red Carpet: Stars Keep It Glamorous and Fabulous
Monday night is the 58th annual Grammy Awards, and indeed, the stars are out. Not only have the stars “stepped out,” but they are also “showing out.” Check out the fabulousness from the 2016 red carpet. Felice León is multimedia editor at The Root.
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Post-Valentine’s Day Prison Blues: How #Cut50 Is Trying to Bring Jailed Men Home to Their Families
For the wives and girlfriends of the 2 million men behind bars, Valentine’s Day meant waking up alone. For those able to visit their loved ones, they prepared by dressing in a prison-approved outfit: nothing too tight; nothing that shows leg above the knee or reveals shoulders; a wire-free bra; nothing that will set off…
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Guide to the Grammys: 4 Things You Need to Know About Music’s Big Night
The 58th annual Grammy Awards may be airing on Monday for the first time instead of Sunday, but there’ll be some things that look familiar. LL Cool J will host for the fifth straight time, and the show will continue its tradition of being a music festival masquerading as an awards show, focusing on the…