culture
-
Tracing Your Roots: Were My Ancestors Freed in a Big Court Case?
The largest manumission case in U.S. history led to a unique community in Virginia. Dear Professor Gates: My father’s side of the family are the Pleasantses from Henrico County, Va. They were free since around 1760 due to John and Robert Pleasants setting their slaves free and going to court with John Marshall as their…
-
Protect Your Tresses: Hair-Care Tips for the Reluctant Fitness Enthusiast
Stomping out the pavement for a few miles four times a week is how I’m able to gain my clarity and preserve my sexy. But just as frequently, my dreadlocks and scalp kick my ass just as hard as my fitness regimen. And when I try to recruit a new fitness buddy, I’m frequently met…
-
Aziz Ansari and Shitholes: Men Understand Consent Like White America Understands Racism
America is still in the throes of two ear-deafening shouting matches over private episodes that somehow became public knowledge. Although they were vastly different occurrences, they parallel each other in that the responses to both incidents were both loud and angry. I’m sure you’re exhausted from hearing about the first: when our Dorito-dust-covered doofus president…
-
The Black Woman’s Tale: Why Margaret Atwood’s Espousal of White Feminist Beliefs Shouldn’t Surprise You
2018 is off to a pretty interesting start. At the conclusion of the painful year that was 2017, various women of assorted celebrity backgrounds assembled to simultaneously weaponize their privilege and latch onto the momentum and resurgence of Tarana Burke’s “Me Too” movement. This gave birth to a new movement on Jan. 1, 2018: #TimesUp.…
-
Classic Hip-Hop: Nas Performs Illmatic With the National Symphony Orchestra
Nas’ first full-length feature, Illmatic, was the very first hip-hop album to get The Source magazine’s coveted five-mic rating. It was sonic and lyrical perfection; it remains an undisputed hip-hop classic. A progenitor to soaring street lullabies like Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid M.A.A.D. City or even Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt, Illmatic vividly captured the life…
-
Watch: Black Colleges in the Age of Trump Chronicles Donald Trump’s Treatment of HBCUs
When Stanley Nelson agreed to discuss his new op-ed documentary on HBCUs’ strained relationship with the Trump administration, I struggled to find the terms to describe him. Simply calling Nelson a “filmmaker” seemed inadequate. Referring to him as the premier documentarian of the black experience seemed a little hyperbolic (not to mention that it contained…
-
Let’s Get Lit: Black Lightning Is the Superhero Show for the Trump Era
Let’s make a black-superhero television show, shall we? First you’d need to have a network that actually has a track record of successful shows about superheroes. CW? Check. Then you’d need a diverse black cast that hits all age groups. Cress Williams as the star, with old-school cred from Living Single and crossover love from…
-
Watch: MLK Now 2018 Live from Harlem’s Riverside Church
Hundreds of people have gathered at Harlem’s famed Riverside Church to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. at this year’s MLK Now 2018. MLK Now is organized by Blackout for Human Rights, and this year The Root has the honor of being the official media partner of the event. Join us live via livestream…
-
What Does It Mean to Have a ‘Gentrified’ Martin Luther King Jr. When Some Blacks Are the Gentrifiers?
My first real experience with the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. happened in 1980, just 12 years after his tragic assassination in Memphis, Tenn. I was a 14-year-old freshman at Loyola High School, a prestigious Jesuit all-boys school in Los Angeles built on the philosophy that rigorous academic training would produce the next generation…
-
The #MeToo Movement Won’t Kill Any Sexy Movies in Hollywood, Because You Know What’s Sexy? Consent
I was scrolling through my Twitter timeline, minding everyone else’s business, when I came across an article entitled, “How the #MeToo Movement Could Kill Some Sexy Hollywood Movies,” via the Hollywood Reporter. After rolling my eyes so hard they could be on a river, I decided to take a gander. In the article, several industry…