Opinion
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We Said What We Said: 10 Things The Root Wrote About America
In the 10-plus years since The Root was founded, our writers have always celebrated the Fourth of July with the knowledge that America’s original Independence Day celebration only applied to white men. Since then, this land of freedom and opportunity has graciously allowed its black citizens incremental but not-quite-full access to liberty and justice through…
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: Math
Remember the Clapback day, to keep it holy. Five days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the Friday is the Clapback Day of the Root, thy website. In it, though shalt respond to the emails tweets and DMs ye received. All week, wypipo raised all holy hell. And on Fridays, we shalt…
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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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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: Clapback to Reality
Every Friday, when I wade through the emails, tweets and direct messages received from the readers of The Root, I wonder how they can disagree with science, statistics, and history. Whether it’s Hoteps, Trump supporters or store-brand, Great Value white people, they are willing to discount verified facts, peer-reviewed studies, documented accounts of history and…
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: White People
People are worried about me. In the past two weeks, no less than three people asked me if I ever worry about my career as a writer. In so many words, each one of them said that I am increasingly becoming a one-trick pony. They wondered if I am worried about being pigeonholed or being…
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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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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: Why?
Editor’s Note: Senior Writer Michael Harriot is on vacation, so this week’s Clapback Mailbag was prepared in advance. If anyone on The Root’s staff has pissed white people off in the last few days, we promise to respond to their concerns in a timely manner. Why is the Clapback Mailbag so important? Because wypipo need…
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I'm Allergic to Hennessy
I don’t neatly fit into many of the cultural lines set before me—much like many black millennials. It’s almost derivative to say I love anime in an age where black people’s love of anime now spans generations. I grew up listening to Paramore and Van Hunt and Yo-Yo Ma. It’s now Ben Howard and Valis…