culture
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Shonda Rhimes Tops The Root 100 List of Top Influencers
To be black and excellent. But excellent not just in the way they conduct their business. To be black and excellent in their lives, in their careers, in their community. Every year since 2009, The Root has defined black excellence with a list of 100 honorees ages 25 to 45, who, while succeeding across multiple…
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Sanaa Lathan and Michael Ealy Talk Sex, Stalkers and Sociopaths
Actors Sanaa Lathan and Michael Ealy have been fixtures in Hollywood for nearly two decades. Audiences have watched the two evolve as actors as they’ve moved freely through comedy, drama and romance in both television and film—The Following, About Last Night, Barbershop and Think Like a Man for him, and Boss, The Best Man franchise,…
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Black Hair Business Is Booming—You In?
Harriette Cole is the author of the book of meditations 108 Stitches: Words We Live By and a contributing editor at The Root. Follow her on Twitter.
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Sister Act: 5 Facts About Serena vs. Venus
Updated Tuesday, Sept. 8, 11:04 p.m.: Serena Williams took three sets to defeat her sister Venus and advance to the semifinals of the U.S. Open. After her 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 quarterfinal win, she is still on track to achieve a calendar grand slam with a victory in Saturday’s women’s final. Earlier: In what is arguably…
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Jon Batiste Brings His ‘Social Music’ to Late Night
As the musical director of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, which premieres tonight, keyboardist Jon Batiste, 28, will program the music that millions will see and hear each weeknight. He comes from a musical family of note in New Orleans and has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from the Juilliard Jazz program. He’s been…
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Supreme Vintage: 29 Top Black Winemakers You Should Know
Martin Johnson writes about music for the Wall Street Journal, basketball for Slate and beer for Eater, and he blogs at both the Joy of Cheese and Rotations. Follow him on Twitter.
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Dear Damon Wayans: How Attractive Must a Woman Be to Be Rapeable?
About a year and a half ago, I launched a petition against D.L. Hughley for his deplorable and misogynist remarks about victims of domestic violence. Now another washed-up comedian is making waves, this time for willfully ignorant and dangerous remarks about rape victims. In an appearance on 105.1’s The Breakfast Club on Friday, Damon Wayans…
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Tyler Perry Posts Moving Facebook Tribute to Bobbi Kristina
Nearly a month after Bobbi Kristina Brown died in hospice care after a long hospital stay, Tyler Perry on Friday posted a moving tribute to the only child of his late friend Whitney Houston, reports the New York Daily News. At the request of the Houston family, he posted on Facebook the “sweet tribute” from…
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Watch: Serena Williams Advances at US Open in Rally Over Bethanie Mattek-Sands
Serena Williams, the No. 1 seed and defending U.S. Open champion, rallied past fellow American Bethanie Mattek-Sands late Friday at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City to win in three sets, the New York Daily News reported. The 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 victory allows 33-year-old Williams to continue her pursuit of a calendar grand slam.…
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Do the Math on #AllLivesMatter and It Equals White Supremacy
The unfortunate truth is that the hashtag #AllLivesMatter is a reaffirmation of white supremacy. Let me be clear here. Yes, all language is contextual, and at face value, this particular hashtag, #AllLivesMatter, seems to be an affirmation of humanity. However, let us not be fooled into reading the word “all” as in “everyone.” We are reminded…