culture
-
The GOP and Disrespecting President Obama
The Washington Post‘s Jonathan Capehart takes the Republican Party to task for its continual disrespect of President Barack Obama. “I’m old enough to remember the days when an invitation to the White House to meet with the president was a clear-your-calendar occasion. Not anymore.” President Obama can’t win. On the one hand, he is a…
-
How Racism Goes Unchecked
Writing at Salon, Roxane Gay explores modern-day racism and dismisses exhortations by whites that blacks simply “get over” it. She asks how this implausible request can be accomplished when racism is flourishing and silently condoned by some whites. A couple of weeks ago, I was in the Dallas Fort Worth airport with a long layover.…
-
University of Michigan Fraternity Throws 'Ratchet' Party
Everyone take note: Throwing parties that play up offensive stereotypes is never going to work. Members of a University of Michigan fraternity are learning this lesson as they face backlash for planning a “World Star Hip Hop Presents: Hood Ratchet Thursday” bash. Theta Xi Fraternity advertised the party on Facebook with a picture of a…
-
Suit Claiming Racism Filed Against Barclays Center
A group of African-American men are claiming that the staff and security at the Barclays Center arena in Brooklyn, N.Y., have given them shoddy treatment, accused them of skipping out on bills and even had security rush what they believed was their luxury box, the New York Post reports. The three men, Glen DeFreitas, Sean…
-
Dear Jay Z: Don't Dodge the Barneys Thing
(The Root) — Dear Shawn Carter: I just read your heated blog posting about “negligent, erroneous reports and attacks on my character, intentions, and the spirit of this collaboration” with the retailer Barneys, with whom you are partnering. Barneys, of course, is the store where a young man was arrested for quite legally buying a…
-
Racist Whites More Likely to Own Guns
The more racist a white person is, the more likely he or she is to own a gun, a new international study released on Thursday has found. The report, done by researchers at Australia’s Monash University and Britain’s Manchester University, was conducted to better understand gun culture in the United States, the Daily News reports.…
-
'Scandal' Recap: 5 Best Quotes About Olivia
(The Root) — Turns out Mellie got it wrong. “Flyovers” and “trailer trash” aren’t the only ones who fall for a push-up bra and a mic. Olivia Pope’s a sucker, too. Stuff the president in a penguin suit, put him in front of a podium and the girl’s a goner. In this week’s episode…
-
From Which Port Was Slave Ancestor Sold?
(The Root) — “I’ve completed the African Ancestry paternal lineage test and it says that I have Angolan heritage. I would like to find information about the ports that people from Angola were sold from to the United States — and where they landed —- in hopes of pinpointing where my Angolan ancestors came from. My…
-
Food Stamp Benefit Cuts Start Today
On Friday, a boost from the federal stimulus package is set to expire, which will cut the “food stamp” program by $5 billion dollars nationally. More than 47 million Americans — or 1 in 7 — will see a decrease in their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, reports CBS News. The amount could get…
-
Football Field Turned Organic Farm at HBCU
In Texas, where football is king, Paul Quinn College President Michael Sorrell chose to cut the school’s football program, Yahoo Sports reports. The sports department and upkeep was draining the budget of the small HBCU, which is located seven miles outside of downtown Dallas. Sorrell, a Root100 alum and president of the school since 2007, had to make the unpopular…