culture
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How ‘Selling a Home While Black’ Nearly Broke Me
Everyone tells you it’s hard to sell a home nowadays. No one tells you how hard it is to sell a home while black. Last March we did all the things you are supposed to do when selling a half-million-dollar Orange County, Calif., home. We packed items we were no longer using. We downsized our…
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Look, Stacey Dash, We Thought You Were Victim-Blaming Sexual Assault Survivors Because You Were Victim-Blaming Them
Stacey Dash has once again proved that Clueless was more than just a movie for her; it’s a perpetual state of mind. During a segment last week on Fox’s Outnumbered, Dash and her co-hosts decided to weigh in on a national sorority organization’s move to ban members on the campus of the University of Virginia from…
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The #JourneyOfMe Sweepstakes
The Root and MassMutual have teamed up to embrace the celebration of Black History Month by honoring African American history and resolve. Through the #JourneyOfMe Sweepstakes, brought to you by MassMutual, we invite you to honor your past while creating a legacy for your future. Share what you would like to know about your roots…
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Dear Grammys: This Year, It’s Time to Recognize Some of the New Faces of R&B
Over time, as hip-hop’s influence has grown, it has developed—just go with me on the metaphor—this sort of hot, sexy relationship with pop. They’re the power couple in the music conversation. Which would be nice enough, I suppose, if, along the way, hip-hop hadn’t broken R&B’s heart, chucking it the deuces as it ran off…
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See Politics and Power Through the Eyes of 3 Black Female Journalists
There was a time when a U.S. president could wander around inside a moving train, by himself, during an afternoon. In 1948 Harry S. Truman made a surprise visit to the compartment of Alice Dunnigan, who, typewriter across her lap, was writing her story for the black press. He had heard about the trouble she…
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Bobbi Kristina Brown: A Timeline of Turmoil and Tragedy
Born of stars but seemingly star-crossed, 21-year-old Bobbi Kristina Brown has spent her entire life in the spotlight, fighting both her and her famous parents’ demons on TV, Twitter and in the tabloids. Now the daughter of music legend Whitney Houston and R&B singer Bobby Brown is fighting for her life. She was found by…
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A Campaign to Inspire the Best in All of Us
Sometimes we often just need a little reminder of what we’re capable of—the great values we have and our ability to subconsciously pass them on to another who might not see his or her own abilities. The Foundation for a Better Life, a nonprofit focused on creating public service campaigns to communicate the kinds of…
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Yeah, if He’s Eligible, 2 Chainz Should Definitely Run for Mayor
The Internet lit up last week with the news that rapper 2 Chainz—whose given name is Tauheed Epps—says he’s considering running for mayor of College Park, Ga. Fresh off his widely discussed debate with HLN host Nancy Grace over the legalization of marijuana, Epps confirmed that he is interested in becoming mayor and is exploring his…
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Scandal Recap: Olivia, You in Danger, Girl
After a two-month hiatus, Scandal has finally returned, and as far as the plot is concerned, we don’t know much more than we knew at the end of the winter finale: Olivia Pope was kidnapped to compel Fitz Grant to declare war against West Angola. But as we know, it’s about the journey, not the destination. Well, Shonda…
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The Evolution of Seattle Seahawk Richard Sherman
The evolution of one Richard Sherman is an incredible phenomenon in the annals of sports and society alike. You see, Mr. Sherman is the quintessential African-American male, not the notion of the maladjusted version that is represented in all forms of media. From the moment that he first began garnering attention back in 2011, it was…