culture
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An Attack on Abortion Is an Attack on Black Women
The war on women is an especially fierce battle for women of color and their access to health care, says France François at Ebony. Although placing restrictions on abortions affects all women, young women of color and low-income women would bear the brunt of any bill that restricts access to health services. Consider the following:…
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Keep It Classy, Lolo Jones
Lolo Jones’ recent inflammatory tweet about Rachel Jeantel, witness at George Zimmerman’s trial, to Madea, says a lot more about the running star than its does about Jeantel, writes Kirsten West Savali at NewsOne. There are many cultural critics and scholars who tackle the dysfunction inherited from Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome. And the same…
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'Enter the Dragon' Actor Jim Kelly Dead at 67
On Saturday, Enter the Dragon actor and martial arts man James “Jim” Kelly lost his battle with cancer. He was 67 years old, reports the Associated Press. Sporting an Afro hairstyle and sideburns, Kelly made a splash with his one-liners and fight scenes in the 1973 martial arts classic. His later films included “Three the…
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Rev. Al Sharpton Blasts Mike Bloomberg Over Stop-and-Frisk Comments
Rev. Al Sharpton demanded an apology from New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg during a press conference on Saturday, according to the Daily News. On his weekly radio show, the mayor recently defended the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk practices, saying, “I think we disproportionately stop whites too much and minorities too little.” “The tone that has been set…
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No One Cares About Jay-Z's New Music
Longevity is tough for most rappers, but Jay-Z makes it look easy. Still, Kris Ex writes in L.A. Weekly that no one is paying much attention to the rapper-cum-businessman’s music anymore, including his next album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, which fans will be able to download through a Samsung phone app in July, and Jay couldn’t…
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When Leaning In Isn't Enough
(Special to The Root) — It seems like a lot of women — women with the time for these things — are talking about Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In” project. It’s a book, a website, some kind of social network and, for all I know, probably an upcoming movie. But color me underwhelmed. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Sandberg…
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Why 'Cracker' Can't Compare to the N-Word
Discovering the bigger racist, Kathleen Parker writes at the Washington Post, seems to be the real goal at the heart of the George Zimmerman trial. When Rachel Jeantel, friend of the late Trayvon Martin, told the jury this week that Trayvon said a “creepy-ass cracker” was following him, her words played into that very discussion.…
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I'm Black, and I Forgive Paula Deen
Citing Paula Deen’s admission of racism as evidence that the former Food Network star is simply from a certain era, Medgar Evers College educator Robin R. Ford writes at Salon that she won’t hold Deen’s words against her. Still, I can’t bring myself to dislike her. Of course I’m disappointed that the N-word passed her…
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How Do I Find My Garifuna Ancestors?
(The Root) — “I am first-generation American born to fifth-generation Honduran parents. Specifically, we are Garifuna (labeled Black Caribs by the British). Before Garifuna settled into the Latin American country, they were in St. Vincent. The complex part is that we are mixed with African and Amerindian people. Still, I can’t trace the lineage back…