culture
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Jameis Winston: A Good Player With a Bad Reputation
Most folks have made up their minds about quarterback Jameis Winston, having read and heard enough about misbehavior and alleged misdeeds by the Heisman Trophy winner from Florida State University. They have been inundated by reports of the silly stuff—stolen crab legs and soda, obscenities screamed in public, BB-gun battles—and the gravely serious matter of a sexual…
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Harry Belafonte on ‘Thugs,’ Capitalism and Women Controlling the Universe
On Wednesday night, approximately 1,000 community leaders and activists from around the country were able to “sit in circle” via telephone with legendary entertainer and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte for one hour as he shared his thoughts on the uprisings in Ferguson, Mo., and Baltimore, and the crippling poverty that victimizes too many communities…
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Tika Sumpter on Playing Queen Latifah’s Lover in Bessie
Since she initially gained notoriety as Layla Williamson on One Life to Live, then as the business-minded Raina Thorpe on Gossip Girl and model Jenna Rice on The Game, Tika Sumpter’s career has steadily been on the rise. Thanks to the role of the messy Candace Young on Tyler Perry’s The Haves and the Have…
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A Scandal Writer’s Journey to ShondaLand
Before we head into the season 4 finale of Scandal, The Root sat down with Scandal writer Raamla Mohamed to talk about how she began her TV writing career, what it’s like working with Shonda Rhimes and her thoughts on the importance of diversity in TV writing. I was introduced to Mohamed by a mutual friend when I moved to Los Angeles from…
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Brittney Griner, Glory Johnson and How We Ignore Domestic Violence in the LGBTQ Community
I have followed WNBA phenom Brittney Griner’s career since she was in high school. As a black, queer, femme girl, I was deeply drawn to the way she moved across the court with equal parts deft self-assurance and deadly skill. Her sartorial swagger was, and still is, beautiful to witness, and while I—and all of…
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He’s Not That Into You Because Your Moms Are All Up in Your Business
My mom and her good friend since childhood had the idea to set me up with the friend’s son. I initially reached out to him in a friendly manner, and we had a nice conversation via text. However, I was hesitant and kept the convo very light because I thought having an attraction to him…
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The Billionaire Dropout Is a Myth; Don’t Buy It
Gates, Zuckerberg, Jobs. We know and venerate their stories: the supersmart who didn’t need a college credential to become superwealthy. There’s no denying that their genius is worth celebrating, and their achievements have undeniably advanced society. But as politicians and pundits increasingly question whether education beyond high school is “worth it,” the dropout-turned-billionaire has become…
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30 Years After MOVE: Law Enforcement Didn’t Learn Anything From One of America’s Worst Cases of Police Brutality
On May 13, 1985, police in Philadelphia—Pennsylvania’s largest city—dropped a powerful bomb containing military C4 explosives on a house occupied by six children and seven adults. That aerial assault 30 years ago is one of the worst incidents of police brutality in modern America. The bomb, dropped from a state police helicopter, sparked a fire.…
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Chef Marcus Samuelsson on Putting Green in Harlem’s Pockets
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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#Rally4Peace? Baltimore Needs a Rally for Its Youth
During Prince’s #Rally4Peace concert Sunday night, he called out to the young people in the audience. The singer-songwriter, who hadn’t performed in Baltimore in 14 years but put together the charity concert after the unrest and protests over the death of Freddie Gray, told the crowd that the next time he comes to Baltimore, he wants…