culture
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Malcolm X Was More Than MLK’s Alter Ego
This Friday marks the 49th anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X—and the 20th-century icon is still making headlines. His memory remains contested and debated, as witnessed by the recent controversies over his depiction in rapper Nicki Minaj’s cover art and a Queens, N.Y., public school teacher forbidding students to write about him during Black…
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Noose Found on Statue of 1st Black Student at the University of Mississippi
University police at the University of Mississippi are investigating who is behind the vandalism of a statue honoring integration, the Daily Mississippian reports. The student newspaper reported that officers were called early Sunday morning after a contractor discovered a rope and a “pre-2003 Georgia state flag” (containing the Confederate symbol) hung from a statue of…
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Melissa Harris-Perry Welcomes a Baby Girl
On Valentine’s Day, Melissa Harris-Perry took to Twitter to tell her followers that she is a new mother. She posted pictures of her new daughter wearing a onesie that reads, “daddy and mommy’s little valentine.” On Tuesday, the MSNBC host revealed the struggles she endured and how she and her husband ultimately chose surrogacy. “Many…
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Jordan Davis: A Dream Denied
Jordan Davis would have celebrated his 19th birthday on Sunday. Instead the 17-year-old was killed by Michael Dunn at a Florida gas station in 2012 when Jordan and his friends refused to turn down their loud music. On Saturday night, Dunn was found guilty of three counts of second-degree attempted murder but was not convicted…
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Michael Dunn Compares Himself to a Rape Victim
Michael Dunn, convicted on three charges of attempted murder for shooting at a car full of black teenagers, is now comparing himself to a victim of rape, saying that his situation made him think of when “chicks” are blamed for being assaulted because of their style of dress, ABC News reports. Prosecutors released audio on…
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The Root Live: Bring It to the Table Tackles Career Changes
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 nine…
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Oklahoma Pharmacy Agrees Not to Sell Drug for Missouri Execution
A pharmacy in Oklahoma has agreed not to give Missouri a drug to use for a convicted rapist-murderer’s execution after the man’s lawyers filed a case against the pharmacy, hoping to stop the business from providing the drug, the Associated Press reports. Part of the deal included the pharmacy’s acknowledgment that it had not already…
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NBA All Star Charles Barkley: Public More Homophobic Than the Locker Room
Former basketball star Charles Barkley is defending his sport, saying in an interview on Monday with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that the view of the sports world as homophobic and dangerous for gay teammates is not true. “I think they would be safe with their teammates,” Barkley said, when asked if openly gay teammates would be welcome…
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The Root’s Response to the Worst Letter We’ve Ever Gotten
On Saturday evening the Michael Dunn verdict came in, and I was thrown. Not because he wouldn’t be serving time, as the jury found him guilty for shooting at the three boys he didn’t kill, but because I, like many people around the nation, felt like another grown white man had gotten away with killing…
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Tom Ford Pays Tribute to Jay Z at London’s Fashion Week
Turns out that Tom Ford also rocks Tom Ford. The high-end fashion retailer included two sequined football-jersey-style dresses with “TOM FORD” emblazoned across the back in his runway show at London’s Fashion Week on Monday. In between his luxurious fur coats and cashmere dresses, the designer sent down two versions of the dress, which had…