Opinion
Opinion
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Dear American Airlines, I Hate You With My Whole Heart
Once upon a time, not long ago, when people wore pajamas and lived life slow, my wife and I were invited to a wedding in Dallas; ya know, deep in the heart of Texas. Because I believe that there’s nothing you should do today that you can put off until tomorrow—I don’t actually believe this,…
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If You Helped a Racist Become the Most Powerful Person in America, Then You’re a Racist Too
Legally, Lakeith Smith is a murderer. When he was 15 years old, police officers confronted Lakeith and a group of friends after the teenagers allegedly burglarized a home in Millbrook, Ala. One of the boys, 16-year-old A’Donte Washington, “brandished” a gun, according to police, forcing officers to shoot Washington four times, killing him. Alabama’s law…
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White Man Whose Son Begged Him Not to Call the Cops on Black Guy Whitesplains Why He Did It
None of us know Christopher Cukor well enough to make cuckold jokes, but trust me, I know we all want to. Cukor was thrust into the African-American zeitgeist the way that most white people throughout history have thrust themselves into African-American history: by minding other people’s business. Here’s how The Root Senior Writer Michael Harriot…
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We Are Meharry, Not Juul’s Marionette
When my alma mater—Meharry Medical College (one of only three historically black colleges and universities that produces physicians, dentists, and biomedical researchers)—welcomed a $7.5 million donation from Juul/Altria, the world’s leading e-cigarette company, it felt like we had accepted Kryptonite. The unpopular decision connects two diametrically opposed missions: one that seeks to improve the health…
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Chris Matthews Asked Kamala Harris to Explain Why She Doesn't Hate White People. Here's the Answer [Corrected]
Shortly after Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) finished her cool-down exercises after forcing the former Pinky to Barack Obama’s Brain into submission with a Rear Naked Chokehold before a live television audience, she sat down with chronic interrupter and MSNBC pundit Chris Matthews to explain how she acquired the can of whoop-ass she opened and poured…
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Melania Trump and the Hypocrisy of White American Motherhood
Over the last few years, much of the conversation around Melania Trump has hinged on her foreignness—both in the literal sense, and in the ways she breaks from White House traditions: She’s a former lingerie model, the first first lady in more than two centuries to be born outside of the U.S., and the only…
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As a Black Man, I Understand Why Democrats Don’t Want to Impeach Trump
Contrary to what most people think, almost every black person I know honestly believes in the noble ideals of America. We think it is self-evident that all men are created equal. The history of Africans in America is nothing if not the desperate, fruitless pursuit of life, liberty and happiness. We want to live in…
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Rahm Emanuel Is a Liar
The outgoing mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, is preparing for life outside of municipal governance by rewriting Chicago history. In a May 9 op-ed in the New York Times, Emanuel argues that the city of Chicago leads in police reform because he let the CPD have a seat at the table while working with the…
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An Open Letter to the White Boys Who Praised Alabama's Abortion Ban By Citing the Bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church
I don’t believe in hell. My lack of belief is not because of my religion or the absence thereof. I simply tend not to believe in things. A thing either is or it is not. My unbelief does not negate hell’s existence or make it so. But if there is a place populated by the…
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Republicans, Men and Christians Aren't Trying to Ban Abortions. White People Are
News outlets across the country have characterized two recent bills that effectively banned abortions in Georgia and Alabama in a number of ways. Some media outlets have painted the laws as Republican measures while others have painted it as the byproducts of Christian crusaders or the creations of sexist men. But the numbers show it’s…