culture
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Basketball, Out; Lacrosse, In?
Are the outliers “in?” History was made in March when African-American swimmers finished first, second and third in a single event in the women’s Division I NCAA championship. African-American. Swimmers. For a long time, when it came to African Americans and sports, it was a safe bet to follow the money. The trail ended at what it…
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Parents’ Shaming of Children on Video Is No Different From Cyberbullying
There’s yet another viral video of a black parent publicly shaming her child. In this one, a 12-year-old boy named Terrence, who came home smelling like marijuana, got a “George Jefferson” haircut from his stepmom. To make matters worse, the stepmom, Aaliyah Hines, found out that he also failed the seventh grade and will have…
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Marilyn Mosby and Nick Mosby to Be Guest ‘Ringmasters’ at Upcoming UniverSoul Circus Performance in Baltimore
If you’ve become enamored in recent weeks with the work of Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby and, by association, her husband, City Councilman Nick Mosby, since the indictments of six police officers in the death of Freddie Gray, then you’re about to see a little bit more of them both. But not in the…
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LeBron James Is Not Even Close to Being the Greatest of All Time. Here Are 6 Reasons
Every time LeBron James makes it to the NBA Finals, there’s always a faction of the NBA fandom trying to make the case that LeBron should be considered the greatest of all time. At which point, longtime basketball fans—who aren’t from Cleveland or Miami—roll their eyes and tell those basketball dilettantes to get on YouTube…
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LeBron James Will Be the Greatest of All Time … Just Give It Time
It’s hard to have any conversation about LeBron James’ greatness as a player without having it degenerate into a Yahoo message-board fight with words like “clutch,” “rings” and “quitter” being thrown around like confetti at a nonexistent Cleveland championship parade. But as a longtime LeBron watcher—who moved to Cleveland during LeBron’s rookie year, supported “the…
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Why Do All the Superheroes Have to Be White, and All the Thugs Black?
It seems as if some white people have had a deep investment in the “white superhero” since the creation of blond-haired, blue-eyed Jesus, and now that noxious narcissism has spilled over into pushback against Marvel’s Fantastic Four. Michael B. Jordan, who rose to fame portraying 22-year-old Oscar Grant in 2013’s Fruitvale Station, has been tapped to…
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I Moved to Be Near My Man and We’ve Talked About Marriage, so Why Hasn’t He Proposed Yet?
I have been with my boyfriend for almost three years in a long-distance relationship. In January I moved to his city to be with him. We have talked about getting married in the future. But I’m super frustrated that almost six months into living together, he hasn’t proposed yet. I try not to bring it…
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#BlackGirlsMatter: How We’re Losing Our Daughters by Ignoring Their Pain …
“Ms. Tiffany, why don’t black girls matter?” It was an awkward question posed during one of the listening sessions I conduct for Black Girls Unscripted, a documentary in progress which aims to expose girls of color to positive self-imagery, educational resources, cultural exploration, mental wellness and leadership opportunities. It’s during these listening sessions that girls…
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Time to Nominate Your Choices for The Root 100 for 2015
Who are the exciting, innovative, creative, passionate young leaders in the African-American community who have caught your attention in the past year? In a few months, we will announce The Root 100 for 2015 and celebrate these 25- to 45-year-olds who are forging a new direction in social justice, politics, entertainment, business, the arts, science…
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The Cost of Keeping Depression a Secret
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.