culture
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Stans, Ranked
Rapper J. Cole’s new album, KOD, has reignited a recurring discussion about the appreciation of “real” hip-hop between his fans and the people who find him interminably boring. While I am a big fan of J. Cole’s, I cannot call myself one of his “stans” because, while I love his music, I cannot bear the…
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Tracing Your Roots: Where Were My Black Homeowning Ancestors From?
Records reveal a proud legacy in Mississippi, yet data shows why we should not be all that surprised. Dear Professor Gates: My great-great-grandparents were George Derden (or Durton) and Beatrice Derden. My great-grandmother Christine was one of their daughters. I was told by my grandmother that my great-great-grandfather owned land or his own house in…
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The Root’s Guide to the 10 Blackest Experiences of the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival
If Beyoncé can bring Wakanda to Coachella, we’re going to do the same for Tribeca, the annual film festival that reps the grit and greatness of New York City. As with last year, we here at The Root are here to give it to you, racks on racks of that beautiful black (except, perhaps, No. 5).…
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Miami’s 1st Afro-Latino Heritage Excellence Summit Weekend Embraced the Diaspora, Honored Univision’s Tony Dandrades
Members of the African Diaspora converged into downtown Miami on April 13 and 14 to celebrate Afro-Latino excellence. The first annual Afro-Latino Heritage Excellence Summit highlighted the accomplishments of black Latinos in media, activism, education and the arts. The inclusive weekend event, the first of its kind, brought black Latinos and other Diasporans into the…
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The Nonapology Guide: Black-Woman Edition
Since Cheeto Grease the Tyrant fumblingly assumed office thanks to the Assorted Colonizer Coalition of America at the conclusion of 2016 and the beginning of 2017, something interesting has happened: I mean, one doesn’t have to look too far for examples of this, especially this year. With chosen champions like Lena Waithe, Tiffany Haddish, basically…
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John Lewis Is a Living Legend, and We’d Better Cherish Him While We Can
Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) is a living legend of the civil rights movement and we get to take selfies with him. We can touch him. Wrap our arms around his shoulders. Most importantly, we get to listen to his speeches and live-tweet them. And after he is finished, we can say that, just for a…
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From Starbucks to Hashtags: We Need to Talk About Why White Americans Call the Police on Black People
“Don’t you fucking walk away! Don’t fucking walk away from me!” the 20-something-year-old woman screamed as she followed after the 20-something-year-old guy who just got out of her car. It was 2 a.m.; only the streetlights were on, but the guy was clearly done with his girlfriend (probably ex-girlfriend at this point) and was just…
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Starbucks Witness: Implicit Bias Exists and White People Need to Speak Up When They See It
When two black men were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks on Thursday for simply sitting there, being black and minding their business, people in the store who witnessed it were outraged, including Melissa DePino—whose video recording of the arrest went viral on social media. DePino, a 50-year-old writer who says she visits that same Starbucks…