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TGU50: Image
The category is: Image. We often say “representation matters,” but few truly take the time to investigate and appreciate those who do who the work of making that representation possible, gatekeepers be damned. In fact, just like Madam C.J. Walker, the legendary subject of Netflix’s highly anticipated Self Made (premiering March 20), our ten inaugural…
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The Racial Wealth Gap Is Dizzying. Its Best Solution, Less So
The racial wealth gap is larger today than it was when The United States passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The average white family currently holds about 10 times the wealth of a black one, and the average income from the labor of white families stands at about two times that of black ones…
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Preparing for Outbreaks Like Coronavirus Is Always Difficult. For Marginalized Communities, It’s Crucial
In the last few days, there have been a number of shifts in the current COVID-19 outbreak that have put the world on even greater alert and made the declaration of a pandemic almost inevitable. At the time I write this, there have been more than 80,000 cases confirmed across the globe (pdf). Brazil has…
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Livestream: Kobe and Gianna Bryant's Memorial at the Staples Center
A month after Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died tragically in a helicopter crash, thousands of fans will get a chance to say goodbye at a memorial ceremony at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Monday. Hours before doors opened for the 1 p.m. ET memorial, fans started to gather outside the…
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Katherine G. Johnson, the Groundbreaking NASA Mathematician Featured in Hidden Figures, Has Died at 101
Katherine G. Johnson, the NASA mathematician who played a key role in helping America win the space race and whose story was featured in the 2016 film Hidden Figures, died Monday. She was 101 years old. From the moment she learned how to count, Johnson fell in love with numbers. “I counted everything. I counted…
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MLK Day 2020: Defining the Next Narrative for Black America
“Freedom is experienced as deliberation, decision and responsibility.” —Martin Luther King Jr. text It’s time for black leaders to end our Stepin Fetchit approach to racial equity. Overemphasizing our failings has unified friend and foe in defining black people by poverty, pathology, and problems. While we’ll never ignore those conditions, they have never defined us.…
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Dr. King Understood the Power of Unions
On what would have been his 91st birthday, we celebrate the towering legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—his moral force as a faith leader, his devotion to nonviolent resistance and, of course, the sacrifices he made to end legalized segregation in the South. But there is an often-overlooked aspect of his work: Dr. King…
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The Root’s Young Futurists 2020: Nominate the Leaders Who Are Ready to Change the World
The 2020 election is shaping up to be one of the most consequential elections in American history, and frankly, many of us are stressed just thinking about choosing a new leader (and getting rid of the old one). But what if you had a chance to choose the leaders of tomorrow? We’re looking for the…
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Elijah Cummings Is Still Setting an Example We Need to Follow
“Donald, EEC passed away.” That was the text message I got from my friend and former colleague just before 6 a.m. on Oct. 17, 2019, alerting me that my former boss, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, had succumbed to longstanding health challenges just 10 months into his tenure as chairman of the House Committee on Oversight…
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In 2020, We Must Demand a Black Education Agenda
As a black woman, mother and grandmother, the words I want to hear from presidential candidates on “public education” are this: How do we innovate for, build true academic progress around and save trapped black students from dysfunctional education systems? Full stop. Instead, what I’ve heard as candidates discuss education on the campaign trail—like what…
