respectability politics
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Revisiting Anita Hill: On Racism, Stereotypes and Respectability Politics
“The more things change. The more things stay the same.” My 7th grade English teacher, the black woman who taught me how to write, said that quote in class on a cool spring day in March 2006 and looked at us to explain what she meant. Loads of us scratched our heads in that, “Well,…
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Jasper Williams and the Stupidity of Respectability
There exists a piece of video with a quote I have been trying to find for years. I know it happened at the Reebok Grand Prix on May 31, 2008, because I was watching. I know the quote was made by sprinter Usain Bolt, who had just set a new world record. After the race,…
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#FearlessFriday: Symone Sanders Speaks Truth to Power … in Her Own Signature Style
Symone Sanders loves a good rant—which is great, because we love a good rant from Symone Sanders. The political strategist, former press secretary for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and current CNN commentator has become well-known for her show-stealing, straight-shooting, mince-no-words delivery—which is only eclipsed by her deep command of American policy and commitment to…
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It’s Hot to Be Unapologetically Black … Until It’s Presented Like Tiffany Haddish
Once upon a time (somewhat) long ago, I had a hankering for Popeyes Chicken during lunch hour at work. It was one of our extra-busy days, so I needed to do a grab-and-go. As the promising waft of Louisiana lust soothed my nose, I was hit with a wave of heaviness: “Wait, do I really…
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Stigma Against Sex Workers Must End
I’m a black woman who is over 35, and for a little over a decade, I was a sex worker. It doesn’t matter what kind of sex work; what matters is that I have an adult lifetime of experience, not only in sex work, but also with the painful stigma attached to it. The thing…
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From Bus Stops to Hip-Hop: An Ode to Around-the-Way Girls
Cardi B, we’re really happy for you and we’re gonna let you finish, but girls from the hood been at this for a minute … Belcalis Almanzar, better known as the reality star-turned-star rapper Cardi B, has arrived. She fixed her teeth, made Billboard chart history, and finessed her way into the ears and hearts…
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Kevin Durant Is Black AF
Blackness is not a monolith. If you scroll through any of the comments sections beneath the articles written by me and other writers at The Root criticizing celebrities for tap-dancing on the knife edge that separates unapologetic blackness from fence straddlers who trade on their perceived black swagger while simultaneously stepping and fetching in their…
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The Real Anti-Blackness of Comedy
Tiffany Haddish has had quite a year. From her breakout role in the film Girls Trip to landing her own comedy special on Netflix, Haddish has become quite the household name. Recently she had the opportunity to be the first black comedienne to host Saturday Night Live in the show’s 42-year run. While much of…