culture
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The Root Live: Bring It to the Table Tackles Debt
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 eight…
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Judge Returns Guns to Blind Florida Man Who Fatally Shot Friend
A judge in Seminole County, Fla., reluctantly returned two firearms to a legally blind man who was acquitted for killing a friend under the “Stand your ground” law, Gawker reports. According to the site, Judge John Galluzo returned a 10-mm pistol and a rifle to the accused after dismissing the jury and awarding John Wayne…
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Everyone Is Asking the Wrong Questions About the Ray Rice Video
“PSA of the day … If you spit in a man’s face, you deserve to get knocked out. Man, woman or child. Period!” This was a friend’s Facebook status on the day the news broke that Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice and his fiancee, Janay Palmer, had both been charged with simple assault after…
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Video of Principal Dragging Kindergartners Doesn’t Lead to Firing
A video recorded in the spring of 2012 showing a Connecticut principal dragging two kindergartners down a hallway has surfaced, causing some parents and administrators to question why the principal was not fired, NBC New York reports. The videos, which were made public last week, show Tisdale School principal Carmen Perez Dickson dragging two young…
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9-Year-Old Honorary Detroit Police Chief Dies From Leukemia
Jayvon Felton, the 9-year-old who was Detroit’s police chief for a day back in January, on Monday succumbed to acute lymphoblastic leukemia, according to the Detroit Free Press. On Jan. 31, Jayvon was named honorary police chief for the day, complete with a helicopter trip to the Detroit Public Safety Headquarters, where he took the…
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Georgia Officials Approve Confederate Flag Specialty License Plate
The Georgia Department of Revenue approved for the second time a new specialty license plate featuring the Confederate battle flag, sparking outcry from those who view the flag as racially insensitive, according to CBS news. The state’s Sons of Confederate Veterans requested a new plate, apparently, featuring a small Confederate battle flag to one side,…
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Mother of 3 Posts to Facebook Hours After Being Shot in Head
A 30-year-old Connecticut woman is expected to make a miraculous recovery after being shot in the head and arm during a shoot-out, NBC Connecticut reports. She is doing so well, in fact, that hours after the shooting, which will leave a bullet lodged in her brain, she was in good spirits and posting on her…
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Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick Is Open to Presidential Run
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has opened the door to a potential White House run in the future, although not the immediate future, the Boston Globe reports. During an interview with Politico at a governor’s conference in Washington, D.C., Patrick was asked whether he could see himself in running for national office. “Maybe. Maybe,” he replied,…
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Being Mary Jane: Why We Watch Her Man-Stealing Mess
I used to argue that the worst thing about Being Mary Jane was, in fact, Mary Jane. Don’t get me wrong—BET’s newest scripted drama is a hit for all the right reasons: compelling and complex characters, gossipy twists and addictive cliffhangers. But its center is so unlikely. A character more easily characterized as a villainous,…
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Wal-Mart Donates $1.75 Million to Boost African-American Achievement
Wal-Mart is providing $1.75 million in grants through its foundation to three of the nation’s biggest civil rights organizations: the NAACP, National Urban League and United Negro College Fund. According to a press release, a $500,000 grant will go to UNCF to help 16 HBCUs gain financial stability to ensure their continued mission of providing black…