culture
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3 Lessons in Blackness at the Black Solidarity Conference
This past weekend, Damon Young and I had the pleasure of speaking at Yale University as part of its 21st annual Black Solidarity Conference. Since it was a conference dedicated to issues surrounding blackness, I’m going to share a few things that stood out to me: 1. HBCUs and PWIs, HBCUs vs. PWIs, everybody hates…
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5 Things to Know About That Student Loan Arrest and How to Make Sure You’re Protected
Several news outlets, including The Root, posted stories about Houston native Paul Aker, who claimed that U.S. marshals showed up at his doorstep and arrested him for unpaid student loan debt. The amount he claimed he owed was only $1,500, and the debt he claimed he borrowed was in 1987—29 years ago. News of the…
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Underrated Moments in Black History: When Tyra Banks Taught White People How to Moisturize
Black folks as a people have a collective predisposition against ashiness. In concept, this would be something that is not limited to us, because moisturizing is for the people, just like Wu-Tang and hot wings. However, extensive experiences (and by “extensive,” I mean my anecdotal moisturizing experiences involving white friends, colleagues and co-workers in my…
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And After Many Days: A New Nigerian Novelist Publishes a Highly Anticipated Debut Work
On a Monday afternoon in 1995 during Nigeria’s rainy season, Paul Utu, the eldest of three children, leaves home and does not return. Thus begins Jowhor Ile’s highly anticipated debut novel, And After Many Days. Jowhor Ile, the 10th child of Nigerian parents, was born and raised in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and now makes his…
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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…