culture
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Don’t Let the Smile Fool You. I’m Cringing on the Inside
In all truth, I was originally never going to tell this story. Because for the longest time, I didn’t even know if there was a story. I didn’t take what had happened to me seriously. Sexual harassment, unwanted sexual attention, grabby or flirtatious old men; we’re taught as women to make excuses for them, especially…
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What #JusticeForJazzy Would Look Like if I Were Jazzy
My formative years were spent on the south side of New York City’s Jamaica, Queens. The small neighborhood is almost considered a quiet suburb of New York City. Quiet—it is not. Suburban—kinda, sorta, but not quite. Sure, there were blocks of tree-lined streets, houses and backyards with grassy knolls, but it also included the 40s…
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Yoga Greenbook: How 1 Woman Is Working to Make the Transformational Power of Yoga Accessible to the Black Community
Yoga is still sometimes not seen as something for the black community. With Instagram, representation has gotten a lot better (I follow a series of amazing black yogis myself), but still, in ads, clothing-store posters, photo shoots and what have you, the yoga community, like everything else in the United States, is mostly represented by…
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These Portraits of Dads in Madagascar Offer an Intimate Glimpse of Black Fatherhood in Other Parts of the World
With an endless array of pristine landscapes and animals that are native to no other region in the world, the country of Madagascar—located in the Indian Ocean—draws in hundreds of thousands of tourists every year from nearly every country in the world. But beyond the images of lemurs and baobab trees that were made famous…
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You Got a Little Soul in You, I See
I am often asked about my name. “Nabil. It’s an Arabic name,” I’ll say. “It means noble, learned and generous,” which usually demands further interest. “Where are you from?” They’ve likely narrowed down their guess to somewhere in the Middle East, hoping for a story as interesting as the name itself. “New York. My mother…
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As Baltimore’s Homicides Reach 300, Activists Call for Another Cease-Fire Weekend
As the number of homicides in Baltimore this year climbs past 300 and the city’s Police Department remains embroiled in scandal, with officers caught on camera planting evidence and eight others facing federal racketeering charges, fed-up Baltimore City residents have decided to take matters into their own hands. And they’re doing it using a simple…
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A Tale of 2 Mich. Water Crises
On Oct. 23, 12 Oakland County, Mich., communities spent roughly nine days without water after a major water main break. Almost 305,000 people were affected by the break. Oakland County and the Great Lakes Water Authority worked nearly around the clock to ensure that the residents in those communities had safe, potable water. Water stations in…
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: First of All …
Happy Clapback Day! Yes, we’re making it a day of the week. The name “Friday” wasn’t imaginative enough. Plus, it has nothing to do with frying. If they only served fried chicken and french fries, then I’d be cool with the name, but I think the last day before the weekend should be reserved for…
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Tracing Your Roots: Where Did My Infamous Ancestor Come From?
A grandfather made headlines for his various run-ins with the law, but his origins and racial identity are mysterious. Dear Professor Gates: I can’t seem to find much information on my grandfather Kelly H. Godwin. Several newspapers in Robeson County, N.C., have carried stories about his different run-ins with local law enforcement. I even found…