culture
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Nigerian Soldiers Arrested for Working as Spies for Boko Haram
It’s almost unfathomable, but some soldiers in Nigeria’s military might be working as moles for Boko Haram, giving the terrorist group vital information about the military’s strategies and tactics. That’s what the Nigerian military is claiming, and it has arrested those soldiers who it suspects are working as double agents for Boko Haram, AllAfrica.com is…
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3 NYC Corrections Officers Fired After Reports of Corruption at Rikers
Heads are rolling in the upper ranks of New York City’s Department of Correction because of the way it has handled allegations of violence and corruption at the city’s Rikers Island prison. The New York Times is reporting that three executives, including the department chief, William Clemons, got pink slips earlier this week. “The department has been…
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Why VH1 Gets to Be Black Without the Burden
When I first saw an advertisement for the made-for-TV sequel to the 2002 film Drumline, I assumed that it was airing on BET. After all, Drumline’s star and one of the executive producers of the sequel, Nick Cannon, has a relationship with BET and is a regular on Kevin Hart’s Real Husbands of Hollywood. Yet around…
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In Defense of Tiny Harris’ New Eye Color
Was I the only one who had absolutely no idea that people could permanently change their eye color with surgery? Apparently I was stuck in the ’90s, thinking that colored contacts, which never look real, were the only option. Who knew? Apparently Tameka “Tiny” Harris—celeb mom, wife of rapper Clifford “T.I.” Harris and reality-TV star—did.…
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Ferguson Cop Darren Wilson a No-Show at Court Dates
Darren Wilson is sticking to the shadows for all he’s worth, to the point where six criminal cases have been dismissed against various offenders because the arresting officer (Wilson, in this case) isn’t showing his face in court to testify, The Atlantic reports. According to Ed Magee, a spokesman for the St. Louis County prosecuting…
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Saa’s Story: How She Escaped After Being Kidnapped by Boko Haram
She came up onstage wearing a wig and sunglasses. I sat there stunned, slightly shivering, because the 18-year-old girl in front of us could have been anywhere but here at that moment had she not made one of the most fearless decisions anyone could ever make. Her name is Saa (changed for her safety), and…
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Watch: Chicago Cops Barge Into House to Arrest Man Who Ignored Them
Another day, another video of alleged police misconduct. This time a 14-year-old Chicago girl took video of police who she claims forced their way into her home to arrest her uncle because he did not acknowledge their requests to talk to him, NBC Chicago reports. LeRoy Hubbard III, 29, told the news station that he…
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Divorce: How to Keep the Lawyers From Getting All Your Money
There is no denying the emotional and financial toll that divorce can take on a family. But once the decision has been made to end a marriage, there are steps that can be taken to prevent the destructive toll on each spouse’s financial future. In this Wednesday’s episode of The Root Live: Bring It to…
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Lupita Nyong’o Is Against Turning 12 Years a Slave Site Into Baseball Stadium
Actress Lupita Nyong’o is adding her voice to those opposed to turning Richmond, Va.’s Shockoe Bottom—a site once known as the center of the slave trade—into a minor-league baseball stadium for the Richmond Flying Squirrels, the Associated Press reports. The site, which was also used to film 12 Years a Slave, in which Nyong’o played…
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From Homeless to Hollywood: Ted ‘Golden Voice’ Williams, 3 Years Later
Ted Williams, the homeless man with the golden voice who was panhandling on a street corner in Ohio three years ago when a Columbus Dispatch videographer filmed video of him that quickly went viral, hasn’t had the easiest road since his newfound fame. Appearing Monday on Today, Williams told the NBC morning show that since the…