culture

Writing at the Washington Post, Jeffrey Rosen, president of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, says that the controversial law should be reformed because Americans are being exposed to invasive technology. The problem with the government’s handling of surveillance since Sept. 11, 2001, comes down to the choice of the naked machine over the blob…

(The Root) — Harlem has come to London, and what a marvelous spectacle it is to behold. To be precise, it is James Baldwin’s Harlem of 1953 — complete with haunting, sensual jazz music, uplifting Pentecostal songs and the majestic cadences of evangelical oratory — that has the South Bank completely enthralled. Baldwin’s The Amen…

Roxane Gay’s piece at Salon declares that it’s wrong that American culture allows men to control and objectify women, from pop culture to legislative fights over reproductive rights. She cites Robin Thicke’s latest single, “Blurred Lines,” which promotes  “the age-old belief that sometimes when a woman says no, she really means yes.” In his single…

For nine months, Salon blogger Lauren Shields adopted a modest style of dress, much like that of Islamic women, because she disliked the daily routine of putting outfits together. To her surprise, she found it liberating. … One day, a woman came to my “Women in Church History” class. She had spent some time in…

With America’s unemployment rate at 7.6 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has released its lineup of metropolitan areas with low unemployment rates — and coming in at No. 1 is Minneapolis. Slate reports that because of its general low cost of living and high wages, Minneapolis is a great place to move if you’re…

In a New York Times article, writer Lizette Alvarez reveals how, even with race being a significant factor in the amount of exposure the Zimmerman trial has received, it has been the elephant in the courtroom that no one wants to acknowledge. For African-Americans here and across the country, the killing of Mr. Martin, 17,…

(The Root) — 50 Cent is having a bad week. Despite the saying that there is no such thing as bad publicity, the rapper-turned-actor-turned-mogul has managed to prove multiple times over the last few days that the maxim is not true. First he was accused of domestic violence. Now he is accused of being a…

When a law requiring the uninsured to purchase health insurance takes effect on Jan. 1, 2014, the cost, the extensiveness of benefits and the number of competing insurance companies that opt in to the health care marketplaces will all depend on where a person lives, CNBC reports. The Affordable Care Act mandating those marketplaces, also…

(The Root) — It’s that time again! This past weekend, the Essence Music Festival came to New Orleans, and with headlining performances from Beyoncé, Solange, Maxwell, New Edition and Jill Scott, it was a great show. NOLA was buzzing with great music, food and people. We’re sure you had your camera out to capture the memories. The…

Lauryn Hill began serving a three-month prison sentence in Connecticut on Monday after neglecting to pay more than $1 million in taxes over the last decade, the Associated Press reports. Ed Ross, a spokesman for the federal Bureau of Prisons, says the Grammy-winning singer reported Monday to the federal prison in Danbury. Hill started singing…