culture
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3rd Plea in FAMU Hazing Case
Caleb Jackson, 24, has entered a no-contest plea to charges of manslaughter in the case of the hazing death of Florida A&M drum major Robert Champion, the Huffington Post reports. That choice — which does not admit guilt but acknowledges prosecutors have enough evidence to convict him — came with an agreement to testify against…
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Black American's DNA at Center of Discovery
(The Root) — An African-American family is at the center of a discovery that researchers say pushes back previous estimates of how deep the roots of the human family tree are. Analyzing DNA provided by the kin of a man from South Carolina, they estimate that the most recent common ancestor of all humans with…
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The Living Legacy of 'Letter From Birmingham Jail'
Writing for the Aspen Institute’s Aspen Idea blog, Dr. Eric L. Motley, a vice president at the institute, explains the power of “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” which he read for the first time with his grandfather before he left home for college in 1992. Beginning that August summer day in 1992, when I encountered “Letter…
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Threats to Voters Who Need Help at the Polls
(The Root) — Remember 102-year-old Desiline Victor, whose story President Obama highlighted in his State of the Union address? The entire country heard about how she stood in line for three hours to cast her ballot in the presidential election. A lesser-known fact: She also got translation help from an assistor in the community who…
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White Mandela Painting: 'Not Suitable'?
A painting by artist Kobus Myburgh was scheduled to be displayed as part of South African municipality’s celebration of World Art Day, but that plan has been scrapped, and the piece of art is locked up in a storeroom. Why? It depicted Nelson Mandela and Jacob Zuma as white, and former heads of state Hendrik…
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How Corporate Hip-Hop Profits From Rape Culture
Clutch magazine‘s Kirsten West Savali says that “pimps masquerading as corporations” are proud stakeholders in the degradation and endangerment of women and must be held accountable. When the laser sharp backlash finally grew too intense to ignore, Reebok severed ties with spokesperson Rick Ross for his failure to sincerely apologize for glorifying rape in the…
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Abortion-Doctor Coverage and the 'Poor Black Victim' Theory
According to the Atlantic‘s Conor Friedersdorf, this is just one of 14 explanations circulating for the sparse coverage of the abortion provider charged with killing babies and neglecting women in his care. Journalists, news junkies, and casual news consumers are all offering theories of what drives the media. Wildly divergent theories. And every last one…
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Why Do Black Women Still Support Tyrese?
(The Root) — I have a friend who looks similar to Tyrese. He has the same complexion and chiseled features, and a fondness for wearing plaid shirts, which Ty wore in a pivotal scene as Jody in John Singleton’s Baby Boy. Last year, that friend and I were standing backstage at a music festival when…
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An Image of Inclusion or Colonialism?
(The Root) — This image is part of a weekly series that The Root is presenting in conjunction with the Image of the Black in Western Art Archive at Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research. Within the multitude of pages contained within an early modern prayer book is found a powerful image of inclusion,…
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Who Was the Real Jackie Robinson?
Colorlines‘ Jamilah King points out that the baseball legend’s fight for racial justice was always tempered by a degree of pessimism about the realities faced by black people in America. Almost 66 years to the day that Robinson made his Major League Baseball debut, the new biopic, “42,” offers an opportunity to examine the racial…