Opinion
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: A Teachable Moment
Dear White People, Let’s work out a good deal! You don’t want to be responsible for oppressing millions of people and I don’t want to be responsible for destroying your fragile spirits—but I will. I’ve given you samples with respect to previous Fridays. The writers at The Root have worked hard to solve some of…
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Juvenile Fines and Fees Undermine the Entire Notion of Family in Courts Across the U.S.
“His mother works at Giant Food Store and his stepfather works at USPS. He can pay the court costs.” Those were the words I heard a Maryland judge utter as she imposed juvenile court fines and fees on the young black man standing before her. There was no inquiry into his family’s expenses—rent, bills, or…
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If You Love Me, Do Not Call the Police
I do not want to die. Because I am far from infallible, I am willing to concede the slight possibility that there exists a scenario in which I may benefit from the presence of the police. Even though I’ve tried to imagine such a situation doesn’t exist, I admit that I may have overlooked some hypothetical…
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#AtatianaJefferson: A List of Questions That Need Answers From Fort Worth Police Chief Ed Kraus
The Fort Worth Police Department and its police chief, Ed Kraus, have a lot of explaining to do as it pertains to the senseless killing of 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson in her mother’s home early Saturday morning. A neighbor, James Smith, said he called a police non-emergency number when he noticed that the front door was…
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A Black Trans Woman Interrupted CNN's Equality Town Hall But It Was Not a Protest
I do not want to die. I do not want my son to die. Or my daughter. Or my nieces or nephews. Or anyone. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb and admit that I am staunchly anti-murder. If there were a serial killer hunting people like me, knowing that no one…
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The Root's Clapback Mailbag: Stupid or Liar?
White people are smart. They be knowing stuff. And, as a lowly negro writer, it is my duty to study the emails, letters, tweets and direct messages received every week and use them as a valuable learning tool. Even when they say things that are not true, I must understand that the vast majority of…
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Nobody Is Buying Dallas PD’s Bullshit Story About Joshua Brown’s Death
The Dallas Police Department just came up with a story so farfetched, I am going to stop roasting both Empire and Power for some of the ridiculous shit that happens on both of those soapy-ass shows that I cannot stop watching. Joshua Brown, 28, was shot and killed Friday night—a week after he served as…
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: We Forgot to Mention…
Today’s mailbag consists of people who called us out about our egregious errors. The writers at The Root often use statistics and facts to back up our point but, according to the emails, tweets, DMs and comments received this week, we left out a few very salient points. Thankfully, we can correct our mistakes every…
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18-Year-Old Brandt Jean’s Hug of Amber Guyger Made Me Sick. But It Ain’t About Me, Though
The conversation about Brandt Jean’s hug of convicted murderer Amber Guyger has mostly cannibalized both the news of the (still surprising) conviction and the (not surprising at all) sentence. The image of the act is both explosive and saccharine; a molotov cocktail dipped in high fructose corn syrup. It’s impossible to see that and not…