culture
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In Memoriam: Remembering Those We Lost in 2017
We laid many of our beloved black icons, role models and pioneers to rest in 2017. From legends such as Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and Della Reese to modern-day stars like Charlie Murphy and Prodigy; from unsung heroes like civil rights activists and black firsts to men, women and children killed by police, and to…
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The Biggest Losers of 2017
As the year comes to a close, The Root takes a look back at those who took an L. We aren’t talking the kind of loss you feel sympathy for—or the kind of losses you point a finger and laugh at or shake your head in shame and secondhand embarrassment. Let’s review everyone—and everything—that caught…
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How to Have a Sexy and Happy New Year’s Eve
Sunday night will be the last Sunday night of 2017. For some, it will be the last night they can stay up as late as they want before starting out a new year at work Tuesday morning. They say the way you bring in your new year is indicative of how you will spend the…
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Umar Johnson Is the Black Church
The Hoteps are hilarious. We should all make fun of them. I still find it hard to believe that people actually cape for Umar Johnson. I’d never fall for it. I’m too educated to buy into that illogical nonsense. I pray to God that I would never be that stupid. The Bible says we need…
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: Cusswords, Awards and Our Old Friend Umar
It seems like only yesterday that we began highlighting the emails, tweets, comments and messages from our readers. As we close out 2017, we would like to thank our haters because we don’t know where we’d be without you. (Actually, we do know where we’d be without you. We’d be fractionally happier, I’d probably have…
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Tracing Your Roots: DNA Connected Me With White Kin
A reader wants to know if and how the black and white branches of his family connected during slavery. Dear Professor Gates: My entire life, I’ve never met another person with the surname Tillage that I wasn’t related to. They all have originated from Murfreesboro, Tenn. My great-great-grandfather was named Jesse Tillage and was born…
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Top 10 Disappointing Moments Black People Experienced in 2017
I don’t have to tell you how supremely tough 2017 was to deal with. Like, I’m sure we all could go on and on about how terrible this year truly was to each and every last one of us. Still, the year had some high points, which we pointed out earlier this week, but in…
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Why Kwanzaa Is Lit Like 7 Red, Black and Green Candles
Each year, there are new essays or snide conversations about how black people don’t celebrate Kwanzaa. But I’m here to tell you that some of us do. Some of us have been doing it for decades. Yeah, I’m that unicorn. My mother is from Cincinnati and she grew up with Christmas, but when she had…
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The Art of the Sexy Nude Selfie
Raise your hand if you have ever sexted before. Raise it again if those sexts included a picture of you in some stage of nudity. Did you put your best picture out there, or was it a haphazardly thrown-together selfie that should be embarrassing for both parties involved? Don’t worry, friends, I am here for…
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Bitcoin and Why White Supremacists Love It, Explained
If you have paid any attention to non-Donald Trump-related news, you probably already know that bitcoin is the hottest new investment trend. Everyone is talking about how much it has grown, how you can invest 75 cents into bitcoin on Monday, and by Friday you’ll have enough money to qualify for the biggest tax cuts…