culture
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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…
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Duck Dynasty Star Adopts Black Baby
In what might be called a Hollywood trend, Jep Robertson and his wife, Jessica, stars of the wildly successful Duck Dynasty franchise, recently adopted an African-American baby, Jules Augustus Robertson, or baby Gus. Baby Gus made his debut on Jep and Jessica: Growing the Dynasty on A&E this Wednesday. Social media predictably weighed in this week, with the…
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Does Winning an Oscar Really Help Black Actors?
For many actors, an Oscar nomination or win serves as validation in the competitive entertainment industry. It theoretically opens doors and leads to more opportunities, which is one reason minorities—instead of seeking accolades elsewhere—are seemingly determined to force the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to acknowledge the achievements of brown people. “I would…
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Grand Jury’s ‘Rare’ ‘No Vote’ in Tamir Rice Shooting Points to Bigger Issue
The process of a grand jury indictment is largely mystifying to the average citizen. When the grand jury decided not to indict Cleveland Police Officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback in the shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, the process of the grand jury fell under the microscope. When news broke Wednesday that the grand…
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22 People, Places and Things Less Petty Than Janet Hubert
Early Monday morning, Jada Pinkett Smith logged on to Facebook to tell the world that we should all boycott the Oscars because the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences didn’t see it for Will Smith’s interpretation of an Igbo accent. That same MLK Day, “blacktress” Janet Hubert (aka the original Aunt Viv) popped open her laptop, picked…
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Why Is Stacey Dash So Damn Stupid? An Investigation
On Wednesday, life-size human Bratz doll Stacey Dash found her way to a television studio. Flabbergasted that a human Bratz would have the wherewithal and agency to walk into a television studio, the people at the studio began filming her, hoping, perhaps, to capture a miracle. And then, while being filmed, she opened her mouth. And…
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Do You Have the Right to Post Things About Your Parents Online Without Their Knowledge?
Aliya’s turn: “What are you saying about me on social media?” In my childhood bedroom, my mom sat, her arms tight across her chest. She’d asked me to come over to discuss a parenting column I’d been writing for The Root. I hadn’t told her about it ahead of time and she was angry. Particularly…
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17 Unsung Heroes of Black Lives Matter
In 2013, after George Zimmerman was acquitted in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, the U.S. justice system sent a message to the black community: You don’t matter. The black community responded to that message by organizing a powerful movement that is forcing the world to acknowledge that black lives do matter. Black Lives Matter…