Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude

valerie jarrett

Culture

Valerie Jarrett, Obama's Top Adviser, Reflects on Trump's Win, the Obamas and Finding Her Voice

Obama’s top adviser, Valerie Jarrett, opens up about her new book, Finding My Voice, her journey to the White House, Trump’s presidential win in 2016, and her close friendship with the Obamas. She also shares her thoughts on the 2020 presidential race and has some advice for the Democratic candidates. “They will be at their…

By

Peter J. Rickards

Published

April 5, 2019
Beauty + Style

‘It Freaking Matters Today’: Influential Black Women Stress the Importance of the Midterms

Fun fact: Despite voting early, I’ve been proudly holding onto my unworn “I Voted, Did You?” wristband for two weeks now, just waiting to wear it on Tuesday, Nov. 6, in solidarity with my fellow voters. This midterm election is a deeply significant and historic one. We’re no longer speculating on “the lesser of two…

By

Maiysha Kai

Published

November 6, 2018
News, Opinion, Your Take

Phenomenal Women: On the Transformative Power of Black Women

Editor’s note: This story was written for an event where The Root was a media sponsor. On a rainy afternoon in August, Valerie Jarrett, April Ryan, Alicia Garza and the Rev. Dr. Renita Weems—truth-tellers, as I refer to them—descended on Lola’s in Martha’s Vineyard to discuss the intersections of race, gender and power in America.…

By

Anne Branigin

Published

August 23, 2018
Entertainment, Television

Unemployed Comedian Comes Up With Another Excuse for Valerie Jarrett Tweet: 'I Thought the Bitch Was White'

Updated Friday, July 20 at 1:34 PM EDT: Well, here’s a predictable plot twist. TMZ reports Roseanne Barr will host her own “talk show” on her YouTube channel—and that clip of her screaming about how she thought Valerie Jarett was white was just a sample of what’s to come. She’ll be talking to close friends…

By

Anne Branigin

Published

July 20, 2018
School Board Member Blames Her Racist Facebook Posts on Michelle Obama, NFL Protesters

After being called out for a collection of racist social media posts echoing the sentiments of noted Twitter political pundit Roseanne Barr, a board member of Alabama’s second-largest school district passionately explained herself by citing Michelle Obama’s unpatriotic hate for America and kneeling NFL players’ insistence on disrespecting the troops. Donna Pike, a member of…

By

Michael Harriot

Published

June 14, 2018
Entertainment

ABC Is Trying to Figure Out How to Keep Profiting Off Roseanne’s Brand Without Involving Roseanne: Report

ABC canceled Roseanne on Tuesday after its star Roseanne Barr sent out a tweet saying that former Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett was the child of the Muslim Brotherhood and Planet of the Apes. Although Roseanne would later claim it wasn’t, everyone with a brain knew that the tweet was racist, and ABC acted accordingly.…

By

Monique Judge

Published

June 1, 2018
Culture

Here’s Why Black Women Take the High Road

This week, Roseanne Barr—a bona fide racist—was outed, fired and hung out to dry. Former Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett was the butt of a tasteless, racist joke. And at MSNBC’s Everyday Racism town hall, Jarrett had a few words for Barr. “I think we have to turn it into a teaching moment,” Jarrett said.…

By

Felice León

Published

June 1, 2018
Culture

Sterling K. Brown on Roseanne’s Firing: ‘I’m Happy With the Swift Action That Was Taken’

Sterling K. Brown, Keegan-Michael Key and Brian Tyree Henry shared their thoughts on Roseanne Barr’s racist tweets and the canceling of her show by ABC during a red carpet for Hotel Artemis this week. Hey, ABC, can you give these guys a show instead? Watch above.

By

Ashley Velez

Published

May 30, 2018
Valerie Jarrett Is Better Than Me—Just Look at the Way She Handled Roseanne’s Racist Tweet

By now you have probably already heard that ABC canceled Roseanne after its star, actress-comedian Roseanne Barr, made a horrifyingly racist tweet at the expense of Valerie Jarrett—a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama. In case you missed it, early Tuesday morning, Barr tweeted that the Muslim Brotherhood and Planet of the Apes had…

By

Monique Judge

Published

May 29, 2018
Very Smart Brothas

Roseanne Barr Is a White Woman [Updated]

My capacity for being surprised by white people acting white is shrinking at an exponential rate. It was never a generous amount, but what was already small is getting even smaller. That said, I was somewhat surprised by the amount of surprise so many (white) people seemed to possess when they discovered within the last…

By

Damon Young

Published

May 29, 2018