culture
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Why Black South African Women Are Protesting at the Oscar Pistorius Trial
As Oscar Pistorius faces trial for murder, a large group of South African women have become like a shadow that the runner seems unable to shake. In this notoriously violent country, a vocal group of women, most of them black, say they believe Pistorius’ girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was a victim of an all-too-common crime, one…
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Kenyan Pastor Says No To Panties
A pastor in Kenya has reportedly banned women from wearing underwear to church in order to receive Christ “free in body and spirit”. Ok, sir. While the rest of us must have missed that order in Sunday School, Reverend Njohi of the Lord’s Propeller Redemption Church in Nairobi, is adamant that his parishioners follow the new rules.…
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Will 12 Years a Slave Change Hollywood’s Race Problem?
Admirers of 12 Years a Slave are still basking in the Academy Awards’ afterglow. The fact that a film by a black screenwriter and black director—depicting a black man’s painful but ultimately triumphant true life story—won several Oscars, including the top prize for best picture, is a dream come true, particularly for moviegoers of color.…
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Tenn. News Anchor Removes Wig on Air After Bout With Breast Cancer
A brave Tennessee news anchor who has been fighting cancer declared, after running a preproduced segment about women and their “crowns of glory”—in which she discusses how recent chemotherapy treatments caused her to go bald—that she’d had enough. “I’m going natural. No more relaxers to straighten my hair,” she told viewers. When the cameras cut…
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Lupita Nyong’o and What It Means to Be Black
When I posted a picture on my Instagram of newly minted Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o giving her acceptance speech at Sunday night’s awards ceremony, I didn’t know or even suspect that there was any question about whether she was black. The photo was of a beaming Nyong’o holding up her award in triumph. Her…
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The Root Live: Bring It to the Table Tackles Job Loss
In many African-American families, when we have an important issue to discuss, we gather in the kitchen and bring it to the table. That’s especially true of financial discussions, whether about how to pay the bills, how to send Junior to college or where to start looking for a new job. For the next seven…
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New York Times Corrects Article About Solomon Northup More Than 160 Years Later
In 1853 the Times published an article about the now-famous kidnapping of Solomon Northup, in which Northup’s name was misspelled—and it went unnoticed until Monday. The mistake was brought to light by the recent fame Hollywood has bestowed on the lost narrative and Twitter, CNN reports. The article was about how Northup was sold into…
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Indiana Mall Bans Upturned Hoodies
A mall in central Indiana has stirred up the debate surrounding hoodies and what they represent by posting a sign requesting that all patrons lower their hoods when on the premises. According to the Raw Story, signs that read, “For the safety and well-being of everyone, please lower your hoodie” are posted at the entrances…
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The Beef Between 12 Years Writer and Director
A bitter feud brewing between 12 Years a Slave director Steve McQueen and writer John Ridley came to a frosty head during the Oscars Sunday. Ridley won for best adapted screenplay, and in accepting his award, he bypassed the director to hug director David O. Russell. Ridley did not mention McQueen in his acceptance speech,…
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NJ Supreme Court to Review Rap Lyrics in Shooting
A New Jersey man on trial for attempted murder will wait for the state Supreme Court to decide whether the words he rapped should have been admitted at trial. Vonte Skinner, who rapped that he would “blow your face off and leave your brain caved in the street,” is having his case watched closely by…