michael harriot
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'I Wants Us to Feel Seen So Bad': Amber Ruffin to Air on NBC, Making Her the Only Black Woman With a Network Late-Night Show
Since the very start of late night television talk/variety shows (Broadway Open House was the first to air in a late night slot in 1950 on NBC), we’ve all become accustomed to watching a succession of white men sitting at a desk and interviewing famous folks—after warming us up with a relevant monologue, of course.…
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You Get Some Black Joy! And You Get Some Black Joy! Everybody Black Gets Some Black Joy! Love, The Root
Black joy is unmatched. We’re near the end of Black History Month, but you know we’re poppin’ the other 11 months of the year, too. So, a joyful trio of The Root staff members Danielle Belton (editor-in-chief), Michael Harriot (senior writer) and I, Tonja Renée Stidhum (staff entertainment writer) decided to spread some joy to…
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'Joy Is at the Forefront of Our Culture': Chloe and Maud Arnold, Phil Augusta Jackson and Michael Harriot Talk Black Joy During Times of Crisis
You know what doesn’t get enough love and attention right now? Black joy. So what are we going to do about it? Well, at The Root Institute, we decided to have a whole conversation around Black joy, especially as it relates to the current times we’re in. Panama Jackson—it me—was joined by choreographers Chloe and…
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Chloe and Maud Arnold, Phil Augusta Jackson and Michael Harriot Talk Black Joy at The Root Institute
What is Black joy? Is it a superhero? Is it a way of life? Is it under attack? The answer to all of those questions is both yes and…hmmm? Thankfully, to address and discuss the idea of Black joy, what it means on an individual basis as well as for the community—especially during times of…
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The Apollo Theater Is Holding Online Auditions So I Decided to Shoot My Shot
The Apollo Theater is a church. Opened in 1914 as a burlesque theater, for the first 20 years of its existence, Black people were banned from performing at the venue or even attending a production. After changing its name to the Apollo Theater and opening its doors to African Americans in 1934, the Harlem monument…
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Who's Who at The Root Institute
The Root Institute Want to keep track of all the folks participating in The Root Institute virtual conference this year? Here’s a handy guide of the who’s-who joining in the conversations this year. Danielle C. Belton An award-winning journalist, Danielle Belton is the Editor-in-Chief of The Root. Before joining The Root, Belton was Editor-At-Large for…
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A Letter Not From a Birmingham Jail
“If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Beethoven composed music, sweep streets like Leontyne Price sings before the Metropolitan Opera. Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and…
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The Root's Michael Harriot Explains Why Biden Needs a Black Woman as VP
There is an interesting political conversation going on that was prompted by someone who few people expected to have any political input on the 2020 election—The Breakfast Club host Charlamagne Tha God. Moving past Joe Biden’s recent “you ain’t black” statement,” MSNBC’s Joy Reid invited me to speak on whether Joe Biden needed a black…