culture
-
How Weaves Reveal the Success of Natural-Hair Movement
Dara Mathis says at For Harriet that the natural-hair revolution is showing society that black women’s beauty standards are not bound to relaxer kits, weave tracks or numbered curl patterns. We take verbal arms and umbrage against the mentality that polices anything black women do with their hair. But not only that, we are fighting…
-
'The African Americans': Henry Louis Gates Tells the Tragic Story of Slavery
At the Washington Examiner, columnist Cal Thomas asks, “Can something as tragic and immoral as slavery become, if not less tragic, then noble, even righteous, in the telling?” It can, and it does in the hands of The Root’s editor-in-chief, Henry Louis Gates Jr., in the upcoming PBS series The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross,…
-
Black Boys Are Not Safe on Our Streets
Editor’s note: This article contains a graphic image that may be unsuitable for young readers. (The Root) — Benjamin Crump, the attorney for Trayvon Martin’s family, has become a new face in the fight for the equal treatment (under the law) of black and brown boys. Just months after a demoralizing verdict in George Zimmerman’s…
-
The Government Shutdown Is Over
Updated Thursday, Oct. 18, 12 p.m. EDT: President Barack Obama delivered remarks Thursday morning thanking Democrats and “responsible Republicans” for coming together and ending the government shutdown and averting the debt-ceiling crisis. While happy about “ultimately getting the job done,” the president lamented the “unnecessary damage” to the American economy. “But let’s be clear, there…
-
Are Blacks Growing More Comfortable Identifying as LGBT?
(The Root) — At a time when more laws are being put in place to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, an increasing number of African-American adults are calling themselves LGBT. An estimated 1,018,700, or 3.7 percent, of black adults consider themselves LGBT, and 34 percent of African-American same-gender couples are…
-
Cory Booker Wins Senate Seat
(The Root) — On Wednesday, history was made in New Jersey as Cory Booker won a U.S. Senate seat. The outgoing Newark mayor will be the ninth African-American member of that governing body and, at 44, one of the youngest. This week’s special election, scheduled by Gov. Chris Christie, followed the abrupt death in June…
-
House Stenographer Removed During Shutdown Vote
As lawmakers voted on Wednesday to end the 16-day government shutdown, a House of Representatives stenographer approached the dais and began shouting about God and Freemasons, according to Business Insider. She was promptly removed from the floor. “He will not be mocked,” a woman shouts on the recording. “This is not one nation under God.…
-
Kerry Washington to Host 'SNL'
The timing could not have been better, whether intentional or not. On Wednesday, Saturday Night Live announced that Emmy Award-nominated actress Kerry Washington will host the show on Nov. 2 with musical co-host Eminem, Deadline reports. NBC’s announcement comes amid a heated online debate over remarks SNL cast member Kenan Thompson made to TV Guide.…
-
For Black Boys, Dream Education Deferred
(The Root) — Anyone black who’s done time in prep school can appreciate the mixed bag of experiences it can bring: On the one hand, there’s the potential — the promise — of receiving a world-class education, one that makes the transition to the Ivy League practically painless. On the other hand, there’s the potential…
-
Is White Mom's Soul Food Meal Offensive?
(The Root) — “I had dinner with my white girlfriend and her mother recently. Her mother cooked, and I was surprised that the meal was all ‘soul food’ — chitlins, greens and sweet potato pie. My girlfriend said her mom likes to cook new things and I should think nothing of it. Didn’t think much of…