culture
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The Forgiven: Mpho Tutu Speaks on the Film and What It Means to Her Father’s Legacy
The motion picture The Forgiven was released in theaters March 9 with an expanded release on March 16 that includes video on demand and digital HD. The movie, from Saban Films, stars Forest Whitaker as Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The plot, a blend of fact and fiction, focuses on what happens after Tutu is appointed head…
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Jemele Hill Is Still Out Here Spitting Truth About What’s Really Going On in America
I won’t lie—It didn’t sit well with me when ESPN sports personality Jemele Hill issued a statement saying she “deserved that suspension” following the social media backlash over her controversial tweets about President Donald Trump and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. I absolutely get that jobs are scarce and nice checks for those who truly…
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When the Irish Weren’t White
“[T]hey steal, they are cruel and bloody, full of revenge, and delighting in deadly execution, licentious, swearers and blasphemers, common ravishers of women, and murderers of children.” —Edmund Spencer “The emigrants who land at New York, whether they remain in that city or come on in the interior, are not merely ignorant and poor—which might…
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Tracing Your Roots: My Adopted Black Daughter Wants to Know Her Origins
A white mother and black daughter encounter the genealogical “brick wall” so many people face while researching African-American families during slavery. Dear Professor Gates: I have worked very hard to trace back the ancestry of my adopted daughter Rasa Braswell, who is African American. (I am Caucasian.) However, I hit a snag once I got…
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Say Her Name: Marielle Franco, a Brazilian Politician Who Fought for Women and the Poor, Was Killed. Her Death Sparked Protests Across Brazil
Editor’s note: This story has been updated. Marielle Franco, 38, a black politician from Rio de Janeiro, died fighting for the rights of women and favela dwellers. As a councilwoman from the Maré favela, she denounced the police brutality that favela residents, most of them black, regularly experienced. On Wednesday around 9:20 p.m., armed men…
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Was DJ Envy’s Walk-Off Tantrum the Most Light-Skinned Moment in Radio History?
I thought the most light-skinned moment I’d ever been a part of was when I cried real tears while watching Drake’s “God’s Plan” video, but having watched DJ Envy’s breakdown on The Breakfast Club, I can say that Envy has officially surpassed me, as that moment was more light-skinned than Steph Curry sporting a perm,…
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Where Can Black Children Walk Out to Safety?
To the black students who walked out of schools across the country yesterday: We see you. We watched as you stood there, brown skin shining, braids swinging, voices booming, taking charge and walking in the revolutionary tradition of your ancestors. We saw the fire in your eyes. We felt it burning. Hold on to it.…
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These Are the Women of Color Who Fought Both Sexism and the Racism of White Feminists
For Women’s History Month, Jezebel and The Root are partnering for JezeRoot, a series that focuses on women of color, domestic workers and sex workers. In December of last year, Gloria Steinem, a woman whose name and face has come to symbolize the feminist movement of the ’60s and ’70s, spoke before the Massachusetts Women’s…
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The Stress of Parenting While Black Can Take a Toll on Mental Health
My son is only 2 years old—he’s loving and outgoing. He runs to strangers with open arms, saying “Hug” in his cute little voice. He laughs heartily and shares his toys regardless of the other child’s color. But most importantly, he’s free. I want him to keep that freedom for the rest of his life.…