Opinion
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Brett Kavanaugh and America's Insistence on White Male Virtue
Let’s start with the laughter: how it was the thing that Christine Blasey Ford remembered best. During a confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, in a marathon session that ran more than three hours, Blasey Ford recounted how Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh, then a 17-year-old, sexually assaulted her at a…
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What Black People Should Take Away From the Kavanaugh Hearing: A Lack of Due Process Will Always Hurt Us the Most
Jennifer Thompson-Cannino was the perfect witness. She was credible. She had taken the time during a brutal, agonizing attack to study her rapist’s face, to make sure she would later be able to bring him to justice. She remained strong through an agonizing rape kit—twice, because the first attempt was botched; through a penicillin shot;…
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Bill Cosby Hates You
We can conclude, with much evidence and without much doubt, that Bill Cosby hates women. When a person has been deemed by a judge a “sexually violent predator” and said person’s prey happens to be women—dozens of women—using hate to describe the predator’s feelings towards them is such a common sense encapsulation that it might…
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‘They Treat Us Like Dogs’: Can Wisconsin Lead the Way in Creating a New Vision of Youth Justice?
Last week, in the wake of intensive community advocacy, litigation and media scrutiny, the state of Wisconsin agreed to shut down two large youth prisons and reform its treatment of incarcerated youth. This is the perfect moment to ask—what should real justice for youth look like, and how do we get there? The answer is…
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The Root's Clapback Mailbag: Wypipology 101
As one of the world’s foremost wypipologists, my credentials are often challenged by people who aren’t familiar with my field of study. So today, I would like to use my area of expertise to discuss some very important subjects that are often asked about in the emails, tweets and messages received by The Root staff.…
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The Way Kavanaugh Defenders and Republican Senators Are Handling the Christine Blasey Ford Accusation Is Disgusting
Ever since Christine Blasey Ford’s accusation of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh became public knowledge, there has been a scramble by Kavanaugh supporters—including Donald Trump—and Republican senators to try and cast Kavanaugh in a positive light and a simultaneous attempt to keep his confirmation moving forward unimpeded. Kavanaugh has the unfortunate luck…
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Is It Safe? How Insecure Can Be a Force in Shaping Black Women’s Sexual Health
If you watched Sunday night’s episode of Insecure you found out that Lawrence is out here burning folks. Kudos to the show for showing some of the negative health effects of what happens if you engage in unsafe sex, as well as showing Lawrence in true “good dude” form calling all of his sexual partners…
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15 Things, Other Than Weed, That Might Make Me Care About What Cops Found in Botham Jean's Apartment
After a burglar broke into Botham Jean’s Dallas apartment and reportedly killed him (I know, I know, but I have to say “reportedly.”), police now say they found .37 ounces of marijuana in Jean’s residence. Although this revelation initially made me angry, I quickly remembered that every time a white person kills an unarmed black…
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The Root's Clapback Mailbag: White People Did It First
Before we get into this week’s emails, tweets, DMs, Facebook Messages, etc, let me tell you a story: As a kid, whenever my sisters or I broke my mother’s rules by doing something stupid (which was often), before doling out her punishment, my mother would allow us to plead our cases before the court of…