culture
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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.…
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Let’s Not Forget What Happens When Students Walk Out to Save Black Lives
As I am writing this, thousands of school-age children are walking out of classrooms all across the country to protest U.S. politicians’ unwillingness to enact commonsense gun control. The nationwide demonstration is being hailed as a groundbreaking act of civil disobedience that seeks to protect the lives of America’s most vulnerable citizens. There is no…
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Broadway Director Kenny Leon Talks Children of a Lesser God Revival and How Racism Reaches Broadway
When Kenny Leon’s production of Children of a Lesser God opens on Broadway next month, fans of the original production from 40 years ago will definitely notice a few changes. But according to the Tony Award-winning director, the changes in the racial and political messages will hopefully bring more people into the theater. Leon’s Broadway-directing…
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Millions of Students Are Quietly Being Taught the Koch Brothers’ Whitewashed Version of Black History
Cash-strapped social studies teachers across America have discovered an exciting new resource that provides lesson plans, study materials and even seminars geared toward elementary, middle and high school students. The lessons are extremely detailed and come with suggestions for activities, multimedia and additional reading. More importantly, unlike many educational tools, most of these materials are…
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Finally! Power Returns July 1 and Is Already Renewed for Season 6
Did you miss Ghost and Tommy and Tasha and the gang? (Not Kanan, though; no one misses Kanan.) I know I did. Well, they, and the hit Starz show Power, are all coming back on Sunday, July 1, at 9 p.m. If you’re pumped for the upcoming season 5, be prepared to be even more…