the root tv
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Watch: Sneak Peek of Array’s The House on Coco Road
In the 1980s, San Francisco Bay Area native Damani Baker and his family migrated to the Caribbean to join the Grenada Revolution. The move wasn’t his decision; he was a child at the time. Rather, Baker’s mother, Fannie Haughton, made the bold decision that, decades later, would be the basis of his documentary. The House…
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Judge of Characters: Thank You, Kodak Black, Say Black Women Everywhere
This week, some folks hate their blackness, while others who aren’t black embrace blackness with open arms! Who am I talking about? Well, first … let’s dig into rapper Kodak Black, just a little bit. (I say “a little bit” because I literally know nothing about him and I don’t care enough to do research.)…
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Black Music Month: The Transition of Mali Is Super Woke and Super Black
Maybe you’ve heard his name or seen his beautifully brown face across your feeds. One thing is certain—the minute you hear Mali’s voice, you know it’s not to be forgotten. Mali is a soul singer who uses his art not only to tell the stories of black people but also to shake us awake. Mali’s…
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Watch: Did Rough Night Steal From Girls Trip? Director Says Yes
Girls Trip, the new girls-just-wanna-have-fun flick starring Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Regina Hall and Tiffany Haddish, has been on a promo tour like no other. It’s been a full year of the production powers that be pushing this Hangover-meets-Girlfriends (shoutout to Joan Clayton, aka Tracee Ellis Ross) mashup and then … Rough Night came…
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Watch: A Brief History of Jazz by Some of the Genre’s Freshest Faces
So, what, exactly, is jazz? We know it’s black music, we know that many of the artists of the genre are political. But how does one define an art form so heavily based on improvisation and live instrumentation? Better question: Is jazz dead? The Root asked three fresh faces in jazz to school us on…
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Watch: This Is What Happens When Your Privilege Is Showing and There’s a Black Woman in the Room
By now you may have seen the viral clip from Katy Perry’s livestream promoting her new album, Witness, that catapulted actress Amanda Seales and former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner more into the spotlight more than they already were! To recap: Jenner adores America and Seales doesn’t quite feel the same, and Jenner is perplexed by Seales’…
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Watch: The Cast of Power on the Meaning of Loyalty
Loyalty. It’s not something to be bought or sold. In life, one could only wish to find a tribe of loyal people. Hopefully, this is the case more often than not. But are the characters on Power loyal? I mean, really. Folks are being betrayed left and right: murder, infidelity, the works. C’mon, son. I…
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Watch: Does Claws Challenge Stereotypes on TV of Women of Color?
When you hear about a new TV show that stars Niecy Nash and Karrueche Tran and it’s all about a nail salon, thoughts of stereotypes of Asian women and black women immediately pop up. At least they did for me when I saw the trailer for TNT’s new dramedy, Claws. But after watching, I was…
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Judge of Characters: These White Women Were Told by AppleCare!
White women gonna white women. This week, white women decided to get in “Formation” for an unseasoned display of white-womanness. First, Elizabeth Banks used her speech after winning an award at the Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards (something I have never in my life heard of) to call out famed director Steven Spielberg…
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Watch: The Jazz Legends Who Fearlessly Fought for Freedom
Jazz has always been one of the soundtracks of black people’s journey toward freedom in America. Artists like Nina Simone and Gary Bartz became the fearless messengers of African-American protest. In honor of Black Music Month, we pay tribute to some of the most political artists and moments in jazz music.