culture
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How David Bowie Inspired—and Was Inspired by—Black Artists
David Bowie was an iconic figure whose genius, vision and artistic versatility inspired—and was inspired by—generations of black musicians and artists. Bowie was an outspoken champion for diversity in the entertainment industry, and he was widely known to embrace black artists and their work. In his recent retrospective touring exhibition, David Bowie Is, he…
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Sad Sack: How Redskins Quarterback RGIII Bows Out in Washington
As the clock wound down on the Washington Redskins’ final home game Sunday evening, Robert Griffin III began giving hugs to people on the sideline whom he may never see again. The camera caught him hugging an equipment manager, their embrace longer than usual, then he walked into the locker room and cleaned out his…
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Rape Culture: Why Prison Rape Needs to Be a Part of the Discussion
In less than two weeks, former Oklahoma City Police Officer Daniel Holtzclaw will be sentenced for the rapes and sexual assaults of seven black women and one black child. And if this is to be a rare instance in which Lady Justice holds black women in her unfamiliar embrace, he will serve 263 years in prison. Justice, however—no…
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Why I Would Never Marry My Best Friend
I was recently reading my girl Dara’s latest blog post about marriage being boring and unmysterious (prompted by the Netflix show Master of None). She also discusses the way in which she is comforted by the familiarity of her husband and their routine, and the newness that they still experience as they grow and evolve, both…
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How Black-ish Became the Blackest and Best Comedy on TV
Last week The Root contributor Demetria Lucas D’Oyley wrote a response to Tyler Perry’s recent assertion that the reason his work and his characters get so much criticism is that they’re “fat.” In her piece, Lucas D’Oyley (rightly) stated that the weight of his characters has nothing to do with how Perry’s work is perceived.…
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Top 5 Travel Destinations for 2016
In 2016, a lot of people are making New Year’s resolutions to get out more. How about getting way out? Like, out of the country! Here are The Root’s top five international spots you should hit up this year. Cuba: Unspoiled and Easier to Visit Danielle Horry, a travel consultant based in New York, visited…
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Baby? Yes. Ring? No. Has Parenthood Become More Appealing Than Marriage?
While a lot of co-parenting situations are the result of unprotected nights of passion that turn into unexpected lifelong bonds, a growing number of women and men are making the informed and strategic decision to have children without the benefit of marriage. Back in 2014, Chris Brown, whose want for a child ruined his already…
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Drake Violates NCAA Rules, Again, by Posing With Kentucky Wildcat Player
Rapper Drake—who clearly is a major sports fan—might want to back up off the young pups, since his presence has apparently violated NCAA rules, not once, but twice, according to the Bleacher Report. The No. 9-ranked Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team had to self-report a minor rules violation involving the rapper for the second time…
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A Story of Perseverance: Hadiyah-Nicole Green Shares Her Path to a Million-Dollar Research Grant
Hadiyah-Nicole Green likens her story to that of The Little Engine That Could. The 34-year-old assistant professor is the first in her family to go to college, let alone earn a doctorate. She’s also broken ground at her alma mater as the second African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Alabama at…
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Whether or Not You Support Bill Cosby, You Have to Admit, His Attorney Monique Pressley Is Pretty Dope
No matter where you fall on the Bill Cosby “Did he or didn’t he?” divide, everybody can agree: His lawyer Monique Pressley is a badass. And choosing her to represent him may have been the smartest thing he’s done since A Different World. But who is Monique Pressley? Besides being the principal of the Pressley…