culture
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‘Southern Pride’ or Jim Crow’s Death Rattle? Everything You Need to Know About the Confederate Flag
For a flag said to represent “Southern pride,” it sure shows up a lot as a representative of Southern hate. Countless white supremacist groups use the flag often, and the 21-year-old white man who confessed Friday to killing nine black people at a historic black church in Charleston, S.C., rocked the “rebel flag” on his…
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Charlie Wilson Talks Addiction, Life After the Gap Band in His Memoir
If James Brown was the hardest-working man in show business, Charlie Wilson is running a close second in the latest chapter of his life. Currently on tour, Wilson is one of the most electrifying and energetic performers in the business. His new memoir, I Am Charlie Wilson, written with Denene Millner, is due for a June…
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‘Take Dat’: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Allegedly Attacks Son’s Football Coach
Sean “Diddy” Combs has reportedly been arrested for allegedly attacking a UCLA football coach who made the mistake of ignoring him, TMZ reports. Strength-and-conditioning coach Sal Alosi allegedly “screamed intensely” at Combs’ son Justin Combs, who plays defensive back for the Bruins. According to law enforcement, Combs swung a kettlebell weight at Alosi after the…
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Secondhand Smoke Is Making Us and Our Children Sick
Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a study (pdf) describing nonsmokers’ exposure to secondhand smoke, the toxic vapors given off by a smoldering cigarette, pipe or cigar, or by a smoker exhaling smoke fumes. Even though blacks and whites smoke at approximately the same rate—and despite a two-decade-long public health…
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Photos: The Root Took Over Hot-lanta With Its manCODE Event
On Wednesday The Root continued its manCODE discussion series for 2015 at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center. Approximately 200 young black professionals, seasoned executives, fathers and a few young sons gathered to discuss entrepreneurship, the social-justice issues affecting our communities and the legacies that black men strive to leave behind. The event was sponsored by Prudential. The conversation was shepherded by a…
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The Lessons My Father Taught Me
There are few holidays that elicit a more complex set of emotions than Father’s Day. Some people use the day to think about the challenges they faced (and overcame) growing up without a father. Others see the third Sunday in June as another chance to highlight the tremendous work single mothers do to raise children.…
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A Father’s Day Ode to Strong Black Hands
A recent New York Times front-page story recited the tragic and too-familiar litany of stories of “vanishing” black men who are disproportionately targeted by the criminal-justice system and therefore disproportionately absented from communities and the lives of their partners and children. These concerns are real, and the ramifications are matters to which dedicated teachers, lawyers,…
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On 'Liberty' and Lies: U.S. Flag Also Symbolizes Anti-Black Terrorism
In the wake of the terrorist attack on Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, a social media campaign has emerged to #TakeItDown, urging South Carolina to remove the confederate flag from the South Carolina State Capitol building. Dylann Storm Roof, the 21-year-old white supremacist responsible for the attack, holds deep hatred for Black…
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Omari Hardwick: Taking Steamy Love Scenes to Another Level
In the last two years, former NFL hopeful Omari Hardwick’s Hollywood backup plan has been going especially well. He’s made a huge impact, from playing Mary Jane’s married lover on BET’s Being Mary Jane to starring as lead character Ghost on Starz’s Power. The Root caught up with Hardwick in his hometown of Atlanta to…
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Papa Don’t Take No Mess: 5 Films That Show Black Fathers Doing Whatever It Takes
On Sunday we celebrate all the contributions of our fathers. And if you’re anything like me, you’re probably still figuring out what to get your own dad for Father’s Day. But after you’re done signing your name on that last-minute Hallmark card while your father stands in the other room, sit back on the couch…