culture
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NAACP's Ben Jealous to Step Down in January
In a surprise move, Benjamin Todd Jealous, NAACP president and CEO, says he plans to step down in January, the Washington Post reports. He is slated to make the announcement on Monday. Five years ago when Jealous took the helm of the 104 year-old civil rights group, he became the youngest president in its history.…
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Vogue Cover Nixed Because of Miley's VMA 'Struggle-Twerk'
Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour has canceled plans to feature Miley Cyrus on the December cover after witnessing her recent performance at the Video Music Awards, according to the Daily Mail. The 20-year-old […] was photographed for the December issue as editor-in-chief Anna Wintour had been eager to champion her as a new fashion icon. But…
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NYC Man Feared Brain-Dead After Hate Attack
New York City police are investigating a possible hate crime after a black man reportedly shouted, “I’m going to punch the first white man I see,” before attacking Jeffrey Babbitt, 62, who fell backward and hit his head on the ground, the Daily News reports. Babbitt is feared brain-dead. Jeffrey Babbitt, 62, who is white,…
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Bloomberg Accuses Bill de Blasio of 'Racist' Campaign
During a recent interview, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Bill de Blasio, a Democrat in the race to replace him, is running a “racist” campaign based on “class warfare,” the Washington Post reports. Bloomberg made the comment about candidate Bill de Blasio in an interview with New York magazine due on newsstands Monday.…
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Before Blacks Ruled the College Game
(Special to The Root) — Fifty years ago, when viewers across the country tuned in to watch the Loyola Ramblers play the Cincinnati Bearcats in the 1963 NCAA men’s basketball championship, they saw for the first time a sight that’s familiar to us today: Most of the players on the court, seven of 10, were…
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The N-Word: Lawsuit Exposes Double-Standard Myths
At MSNBC Adam Serwer says that the workplace will likely be the only place impacted by last week’s court ruling that use of the n-word is wrong, even among blacks. Like it or not, he says, the word has become a permanent fixture in America’s nomenclature, with all of its connotations. Earlier this week, a…
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Soaring Black Unemployment Rate: Time for GOP to Act
Arguing that people of color will remain a part of the American fabric long after President Barack Obama leaves office, Jonathan P. Hicks says at BET that it would be wise for Republican lawmakers to set aside their ideological differences with his administration and adopt long-term solutions to address the staggering black unemployment rate. It…
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Why 'Racism Talk Breeds Disunity' for Republicans
Writing at Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Ibram X. Kendi, assistant professor at University at Albany, SUNY, challenges an argument by Republicans that “racism talk breeds disunity,” which has been put forth in the weeks since George Zimmerman was acquitted in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. It is actually their dogma that is at the…
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White Dallas Man Shoots 8-Year-Old Black Boy Playing Tag
Donald Maiden Jr., who celebrated his 8th birthday on Sunday, is struggling to recover at a Texas hospital after a 46-year-old white man shot him in the face on Tuesday, as the child played a game of tag outside his apartment complex, according to the Raw Story. Police have not been able to determine a…
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Arsenio Hall on Return: 'If I Fail, I Will Tell America It Was Special'
Arsenio Hall will reboot his late night television career on Monday, and if he gets his way, some of his favorite guests from the past will return, according to MSNBC. One of the most memorable moments from his earlier days occurred when then-candidate Bill Clinton played his saxophone on the show in 1992 with Hillary…