culture
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The Hypocrisy of Applauding the Baltimore Mom While Condemning the Protesters
Even before Toya Graham, the Baltimore mother of six who was captured on video “disciplining” her son, began making the news rounds, she was already being hailed as a hero. The video of her dragging her 16-year-old son, Michael, who was throwing rocks at police, from Baltimore’s melee and slapping him repeatedly in the face…
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Black College Students Seize Rare Chance for Career Development Through Travel-Abroad Initiative
Few African Americans will ever get the chance to visit China—a country that’s modernizing at a dynamic pace and becoming a global center for technology and commerce. So Kamari Wright and Rachel John Kazungu jumped on an opportunity. They applied for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Emerging Leaders: U.S.-China Study Abroad Program and began their…
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Is the Rev. Jamal Bryant the Man to Save Baltimore?
The Rev. Jamal Harrison Bryant is emotionally spent. The past 11 days had taken their toll when The Root spoke with Bryant, 43, over the phone Wednesday. We asked him how he was handling these “hectic” days—his home city of Baltimore mired in charges of police brutality, the suspicious death of Freddie Gray while in…
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Angry About the Riots? Then Be Angry About the State-Sanctioned Killing That Caused Them
When Baltimore police officers left 25-year-old Freddie Gray with an almost severed spine and a crushed throat, they became the straws that broke black America’s back. Many of us feel righteous anger as we reach out to one another across time and space, reaffirming not just our collective humanity but also our individual right to…
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Freddie Gray and the Fear of a ‘Rough Ride’
There were rumors of it from the beginning: Was Freddie Gray a victim of one of Baltimore’s infamous “rough rides”? They paralyzed one man in 2005, and the city has paid out millions in settlements over these “rides,” in which, after arresting a person, police toss the handcuffed man or woman into the back of…
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A Cop’s Wife Says Police Officers’ Lives Must Matter, Too
I’m sure they mean well. The folks soliciting prayers for Baltimore’s “frustrated” juvenile rioters. But I’m tempted to respond to their calls for prayer with a request for prayers for the officers being attacked just for showing up at work. Then I think better of it, because mine isn’t a popular opinion and I’m not…
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Just Say No to Dating the Creepy ‘Friend’ Who Won’t Take No for an Answer About Sex
A guy I’ve known for years—he’s always seemed to show interest—called me out of the blue. We talked on the phone for three hours, during which time he had phone sex alone. I flat out said, “No, I’m not engaging.” That was the first red flag. We talked on the phone every day for three,…
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How a Single Dad Manages the Stepdad in His Daughters’ Lives
I am a single dad. I have twin daughters whom I would describe as thoughtful, smart, funny, spirited, respectful, (insert adjective) young women whom I love more dearly than my own breath. I am also a weekend dad, not by design but by circumstance. I have learned to let go of my desire to be…
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6 Things We Still Don’t Know About the Freddie Gray Case
As Baltimore continues to recover from the violence that swept through the city Monday after the funeral of Freddie Gray, questions remain unanswered about how the 25-year-old suffered the spinal cord injury that led to his death. Protesters have been clamoring for answers while the Baltimore Police Department continues its investigation. Given the department’s long…
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Baltimore Residents Take Charge of Cleanup Efforts Across the City
After the funeral of Freddie Gray Monday afternoon, riots erupted in the streets of Baltimore, sparking looting and the destruction of local businesses. Although the city has been under a state of emergency since Monday night, that did not stop residents from organizing a massive cleanup effort on Facebook and taking matters into their own…