culture
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If You’re Not Watching Ts Madison and Khia’s The Queens Court, What’s Taking You So Long?
My introduction to Ts Madison, the adult entertainer-turned-trans activist, recording artist and internet personality, was a video of her cursing out critics who felt she may not be the right kind of transgender activist. “Fuck alll you hoes that feel some type of way about Ts Madison, ’cause guess what, bitch? I’m that ho in…
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#2017WeMadeIt: What The Root’s Top 25 Stories of the Year Say About 2017
Donald Trump became president. White supremacy became normalized. Black women had to strap on their work boots to prevent an alleged pedophile from becoming a U.S. senator. We discovered that men everywhere were sexually harassing women. The Atlanta Falcons blew a 25-point halftime lead in the Super Bowl … Let’s face it: 2017 sucked. And…
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Habari Gani?! Umoja! Tarana Burke Was the Embodiment of Unity in 2017
This year, The Root is making the blackest holiday of them all great again! And for each day of Kwanzaa, we will be highlighting one person from the community who exemplifies the principle of the day. On the first day of Kwanzaa, Dec. 26, the principle is Umoja, or “unity.” To practice Umoja is to…
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Welcome to Kwanzaa Week at The Root!
Yes, we’re serious. When I was asked (or, um, “volunteered”) to edit our Kwanzaa Week series, I was hype! Last year, I decided to try to celebrate the holiday for the first time in a long time. This was pre-Donald Trump, and my family and I admittedly bumbled through it, but now more than ever, this…
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#MakeKwanzaaGreatAgain, Explained
Sure. This will be one of our shortest explainers ever. The Root has started a grassroots campaign to place Kwanzaa at the top of the list of the most important black cultural traditions. Essentially—I know it’s hard to tell our intentions from the hashtag—we want to make Kwanzaa great again. No need to be embarrassed.…
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Why 2017 Was the Year of Rose Armitage
To be a person of color in America is to always be tangled between dueling worlds. What was different in 2017, more so than any other year in recent memory, was how those polarities were laid bare for everyone else to see. It was the year American streets were crowded with both pussy hats and…
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5 Apps to Make Your 2018 More Productive and Stress-Free
Many people look for different ways to minimize the time they spend on their devices, but for those of us who manage mental illness or mood disorders, “adulting” can be particularly overwhelming sometimes. Over the last few years, I’ve found a few apps that help me get through things. The apps listed below can help…
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A Bold Strategy for Diddy and Colin Kaepernick’s Plan to Own the Carolina Panthers
Sean “P. Diddy” Combs and Colin Kaepernick’s interest in purchasing the Carolina Panthers appears to be far more legitimate than a couple of boastful tweets. Kaepernick and Combs have already discussed the role that the former quarterback might play in Combs’ new-look NFL team. And Combs has also begun reaching out to other wealthy individuals…
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How the Legacy and Influence of Combat Jack Lives On in These Black Podcasts
On Dec. 20, 2017, Reggie “Combat Jack” Ossé died of colon cancer. It’s difficult, and also feels unfair, to give him a single title. He was so many things to so many people. Not only was he a prolific entertainment attorney, but he was also the founding partner of the Loud Speakers Podcast Network and…