Jason Johnson, Author at The Root

Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude

Bloomberg Is the Real 'Slim Shady,' Warren Says 'Call Me Maybe' and Voters Ask Biden, ‘What Have You Done for Me Lately?’: 2020 Presidential Black Power Rankings, Week 29

The committee loves Valentine’s Day—not just because it’s an excuse to eat lots of candy and make reservations at places that you never cared about going to so that you actually look like you’ve made an effort because last Valentine’s Day we were waiting in line for hours because you refuse to use NexTable—sorry, I…

By

Jason Johnson

Published

February 14, 2020
Bloomberg Is an Oligarch, Biden May Have Jumped the Shark and Warren’s Campaign Is Still in Park: 2020 Presidential Black Power Rankings, Week 28

It’s that time of year again when we get a little sad. Football is over (I was right; the team with the black quarterback won!), our favorite shows are coming to an end (Power’s series finale is Sunday but I feel like anything other than Tariq ending up in jail is a downer) and we…

By

Jason Johnson

Published

February 7, 2020
Yang Extends His 15 Minutes, Buttigieg Is Still Serving His Penance and Michael Bennet Is Finally in It: 2020 Presidential Black Power Rankings, Week 27

M I am not a mind reader, a soothsayer, a sage or in any way gifted with divining gifts. After decades of being wrong about Super Bowls, NBA Championships and NCAA brackets, I have come to accept that only Miss Cleo, Whoopi from Ghost and Ciara’s ex-bae can predict the future. So believe me when…

By

Jason Johnson

Published

January 31, 2020
Sanders Is a Sore Winner, Buttigieg Fans Say He’s a Beginner and Biden’s Lead Is Getting Slimmer: 2020 Presidential Black Power Rankings, Week 26

Green Book wasn’t just the story of a white savior who centered himself in the story of a queer black genius in the 1960s. It also happened to be a real guide as to where it was safe for black folks to eat, sleep and socialize—kind of like a Black Yelp. Why does that matter?…

By

Jason Johnson

Published

January 24, 2020
Booker Says Farewell, Warren Decides to Tell and Yang Gets Chappelle: 2020 Presidential Black Power Rankings, Week 25

Once upon a time, there was a really popular TV show on HBO called Game of Thrones. We’ve written about it a few times at The Root; it’s a show about ambitious white people in an ancient realm who have a lot of incestuous sex, ride dragons and dream of ruling the world. A perfect…

By

Jason Johnson

Published

January 17, 2020
Biden Continues to Churn, Steyer’s Got Money to Burn and Buttigieg’s Got a Lot to Learn: 2020 Presidential Black Power Rankings, Week 24

“You know my mother thinks she knows you. Like she talks about you like y’all are friends.” A friend of mine told me this on the phone one morning a few weeks ago. I hear this a lot; black folks, especially retired black people, can be trusted to do a few things: go to church,…

By

Jason Johnson

Published

January 10, 2020
Booker Learns to Dance, Biden Affirms His Stance and Klobuchar Is Saying There’s a Chance: 2020 Presidential Black Power Rankings, Week 23

It’s the beginning of the end, everybody, so get your popcorn ready. While this is the first Black Power Ranking of 2020, it is also a week when many things either came to an end or are at the start of ending. This week, Julián Castro officially dropped out of the campaign for the 2020…

By

Jason Johnson

Published

January 3, 2020
Oprah’s Gift Is Her Presence, Storm Has Iridescence and Kaepernick Will Keep You Guessing: 2020 Presidential Black Power Rankings, Week 22

The best things about Christmas (also Kwanzaa and Hanukkah) heading into New Year’s week are the gifts and the promises. Yes, there is a slew of wonderful viral videos about grandmas crying at Christmas and Instagram thirst trap posts masquerading as New Year’s workout resolutions, but in the end, it’s a week of gifts and…

By

Jason Johnson

Published

December 30, 2019
Warren Uses the Force, Klobuchar Beats a Dead Horse and Buttigieg Needs to Change Course: 2020 Presidential Black Power Rankings, Week 21

In a galaxy far, far away, on a planet teeming with life but suffering from global warming, dirty oceans and way too many streaming services there, existed the early stages of an empire. Oh, they didn’t know it was an empire yet; there were no stormtroopers marching down the street, only a curious proliferation of…

By

Jason Johnson

Published

December 20, 2019
Warren Takes a Tumble, Biden Is Ready to Rumble and Patrick Continues to Bumble: 2020 Presidential Black Power Rankings, Week 20

I’m here with you, but I’m not here FOR you… No truer words in politics have ever been said, according to Marcus Ferrell, fellow permanent Black Power Rankings judge (and former head of African American Outreach for Bernie Sanders 2016). We talked about this concept of who we’re with versus who we’re for after he…

By

Jason Johnson

Published

December 16, 2019

Jason Johnson