culture
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The Real Housewives of Potomac and the Tragic-Mulatto Syndrome
The first time I heard the term “Jack and Jill” was in high school. A black girl l knew—let’s call her Toni—was living her best life. Her dad had an MBA from Harvard and was on the board of a bank. She got accepted early to Harvard. They owned their place in New York City.…
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Why Macklemore’s ‘White Privilege II’ Still Misses the Mark, Explained
Who is Macklemore? Have you ever been to Whole Foods on a Saturday afternoon, when it’s giving out free samples? And there’s this superfit and ultra-earnest bearded man passing out surprisingly tasty and unfathomably expensive vegan-chorizo hash? Macklemore is that guy, if that guy were also a rapper. But isn’t Macklemore very popular? A quick…
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Make ’Em Cry, Cam: How Newton Will Drink Reporters’ White Tears
Cam Newton is not your father’s quarterback. He is a fun-loving, flamboyant-dressing, dab-dancing, Southern-sounding, in-your-face figure of black awesomeness who is rubbing white journalists all kinds of raw. Recently, Yahoo! Sports columnist Dan Wetzel let all his whiteness show when he tweeted this: And then, after thoroughly dismantling the Arizona Cardinals, Newton told the press…
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Her Name Was Janese Talton-Jackson and She Was Killed Because She Said No
I did not know Janese Talton-Jackson on a personal level. There’s a chance I might have seen her before. And a lesser chance I might have spoken to her. But if I did either, I don’t remember. But after news of her death began to circulate on Facebook on Friday afternoon, and more and more…
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Cam Newton Proves Doubters Wrong; Carolina Panthers Headed to Super Bowl 50
The game was over. The Carolina Panthers had completely destroyed the Arizona Cardinals, 49-15, and Terry Bradshaw was trying to do a postgame interview with Cam Newton. The crowd at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., was still buzzing and yelling when their 6-foot-5-inch, 260-pound “Super Cam,” as he is sometimes called, walked over to…
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For Don Cheadle, Miles Davis Film Is Personal
Don Cheadle was nominated for an Oscar for Hotel Rwanda in 2004. He lost to Jamie Foxx for his performance in Ray. Next year, academy voters will have to seriously consider Cheadle for his passionate portrayal of jazz legend Miles Davis in Miles Ahead. But the actor, director, co-writer and co-producer of the film told The…
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The Root Gathered an All-Black Panel to Discuss #OscarsSoWhite
While we all know that the Oscars have been so white since forever, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite has only lived a couple of years on social media. This year the social media phenomenon has taken wings and, on its flight, has gathered up outrage and inspired everyone, from Twitter users to A-list celebrities, to speak out.…
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After #OscarsSoWhite Backlash, Academy Approves Radical Changes to Improve Diversity
After facing harsh criticism—and an upcoming boycott of the Academy Awards by Spike Lee, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith—for its all-white Oscar acting nominees for a second year in a row, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences plans to radically overhaul its voting and recruitment process in a bid to double by…