culture

The world of social media erupted in outrage this weekend when white Twitter users posted a picture of themselves dressed as Trayvon Martin, complete with blackface and a hoodie, and George Zimmerman, Global Grind reports. The scandalous photo features a man pointing his fingers like a gun at the individual dressed to look like Trayvon.…

On Saturday, Darrell Wallace Jr. raced his way into cyber-encyclopedias and history books. The 20-year-old is the second black driver to win on NASCAR’s national level and the first in a half-century. He won the truck series race at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia, the Associated Press reports. Driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports, Wallace defeated Jeb…

Chris Brown was reportedly arrested early Sunday in Washington, D.C., and charged with felony assault after a brawl outside of a hotel.  Details are still being sorted out about exactly what happened at about 4:30 a.m. outside the W Hotel at 15th and K, but law enforcement sources told TMZ that Brown began punching an…

Following an uproar, dancer Julianne Hough took to Twitter Saturday to apologize for donning blackface as part of an Orange Is the New Black Halloween costume.  Good for Hough for apologizing. That was not a good look or a good choice for a costume, no matter the intention. Like The Root on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.  

Rashad Robinson, executive director of ColorOfChange.org, writes a stern open letter to Jay Z at the Huffington Post, saying it has been several days since news broke about the racial profiling of customers at Barneys New York. Robinson says it’s important for Jay Z to speak out about his upcoming collaboration with Barneys. (The rapper…

The New York Times Editorial Board writes a scathing indictment of Louisiana’s Republican government for gutting funding at Grambling State, which has resulted in the football team’s boycott over conditions. Under Gov. Bobby Jindal, Louisiana has been slashing state support for higher education, with funding for Grambling down 56 percent since 2008 (and funding for…

Recounting the travails one man encountered following his partner’s death, L.Z. Granderson explains at CNN why it’s important that states allow same-sex marriage. In my 20-plus years as a journalist, I’ve written a lot about death. Thankfully, it hasn’t gotten easier. The stories still touch me, although some more than others. Bridegroom’s passing would be…

Hip-hop mogul Jay Z spoke out Saturday, following several days of criticism and questions over whether he would continue his collaboration with Barneys New York after the store was accused of racially profiling two black customers. He made the following statement in a post at his website: This collaboration lives in a place of giving…

On the heels of reports that a Baltimore woman lost her job because of her blonde highlights comes another story about a 24-year-old woman who has been ordered to cut her dreadlocks or be fired. Ashley Davis, of St. Peters, Mo., told Fox 2 St. Louis that a change in policy at the finance company…

Famed music producer Quincy Jones has filed a lawsuit against Michael Jackson’s estate, saying he is owed millions in royalties and production fees on some of the star’s biggest hits, including “Billie Jean,” “Thriller” and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.” In the lawsuit filed Friday, Jones seeks at least $10 million from Jackson’s estate…