theroot--2020-08-04--Activism Now: British Vogue's September Issue Stars Several Black American Heroes—and a Message of H

Activism Now: British Vogue's September Issue Stars Several Black American Heroes—and a Message of Hope

August has only just begun , but the 2020 September issues are beginning to debut ; each with its own approach to our newly socially distant , racially reawakened reality .
( At this point , last September feels like another lifetime , doesn ’ t it ? )
.
Case in point : While a few August covers may have sparked controversy over the way their Black cover stars were presented , British Vogue has charted a different course for September , scrapping the typical supermodels and celebrity cover stars for a slew of predominantly Black and American activists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , kind of—in fact , British Vogue ’ s trifold cover is topped by Black British supermodel Adwoa Aboah and soccer player Marcus Rashford , both of whom are also activists , Aboah as the founder of the nonprofit Gurls Talk and Rashford for his efforts to end child poverty .
They are among several activists photographed by self-taught Black Lives Matter photographer Misan Harriman for the cover .
Inside the cover and issue are fellow social justice powerhouses like Dr. Bernice A .
King , Campaign Zero co-founder Brittany Packnett Cunningham , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Professor Angela Davis , Janet Mock , Joan Smalls , Jesse Williams , Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrice Cullors and many more ; elsewhere in the issue , bestselling author Tayari Jones , Jodie Turner-Smith , Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing and Virgil Abloh also make appearances .
As British Vogue Editor-in-Chief Edward Enninful writes in the issue ’ s editor ’ s letter : One of the more joyful phenomena of the past years has been seeing how , in the face of what can seem like ever-escalating injustice , activism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hold of the mainstream .
I have loved seeing younger generations fire up older generations again , seeing “ social justice ” go from a term that elicited a yawn and an eye-roll to embedding itself in our daily lives , and giving rise to people using the platforms of a new era to essentially say , “ Enough is enough.
” This year has often seemed like a dark time for humanity , but it has also marked itself as a golden era for activism .
From climate change to child poverty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ democracy , people will no longer be silenced .
In the fight against injustice , the power of the collective voice is being heard .
The issue is one of 26 international Vogue covers published in 19 languages throughout August and September with a single theme : Hope .
“ We all need hope in our lives , now more than ever , ” says Anna Wintour , Vogue editor in chief and Condé Nast ’ s artistic director and global content adviser .
“ [ S ] o at this tumultuous time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global editions together around this optimistic , humane , forward-looking theme .
Hope may be hard to find at a moment of crisis , but it also feels more essential than ever .
It ’ s part of our shared humanity , a source of delight and inspiration , and keeps us focused on a brighter future.
” The British Vogue September issue is just one component of the # VogueHope project , a collaborative portfolio by the editors-in-chief of the global edition , each interpreting what hope means at this moment in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deeply believed in what British Vogue ’ s interpretation needed to be , ” writes Enninful , “ an ode to the extraordinary voices , old and young , who in this difficult year have devoted their energies to fighting for a fairer society.
” Join the discussion !
The Root is hosting its first-ever , virtual Root Institute , presented by Target , featuring several of the leading minds in our community talking about politics , culture , health , community building and social impact .
Subscribe for updates today !

Maiysha Kai on The Glow Up, shared by Maiysha Kai to The Root

August has only just begun, but the 2020 September issues are beginning to debut; each with its own approach to our newly socially distant, racially reawakened reality. (At this point, last September feels like another lifetime, doesn’t it?). Case in point: While a few August covers may have sparked controversy over the way their Black cover stars were presented, British Vogue has charted a different course for September, scrapping the typical supermodels and celebrity cover stars for a slew of predominantly Black and American activists making change around the globe.
Advertisement
Well, kind of—in fact, British Vogue’s trifold cover is topped by Black British supermodel Adwoa Aboah and soccer player Marcus Rashford, both of whom are also activists, Aboah as the founder of the nonprofit Gurls Talk and Rashford for his efforts to end child poverty. They are among several activists photographed by self-taught Black Lives Matter photographer Misan Harriman for the cover.
Advertisement Advertisement
Inside the cover and issue are fellow social justice powerhouses like Dr. Bernice A. King, Campaign Zero co-founder Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Women’s March co-founder Tamika Mallory, Professor Angela Davis, Janet Mock, Joan Smalls, Jesse Williams, Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrice Cullors and many more; elsewhere in the issue, bestselling author Tayari Jones, Jodie Turner-Smith, Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing and Virgil Abloh also make appearances.
As British Vogue Editor-in-Chief Edward Enninful writes in the issue’s editor’s letter:
One of the more joyful phenomena of the past years has been seeing how, in the face of what can seem like ever-escalating injustice, activism has re-emerged from the margins and taken hold of the mainstream. I have loved seeing younger generations fire up older generations again, seeing “social justice” go from a term that elicited a yawn and an eye-roll to embedding itself in our daily lives, and giving rise to people using the platforms of a new era to essentially say, “Enough is enough.” ... This year has often seemed like a dark time for humanity, but it has also marked itself as a golden era for activism. From climate change to child poverty, domestic abuse to the struggle for democracy, people will no longer be silenced. In the fight against injustice, the power of the collective voice is being heard.
Advertisement
The issue is one of 26 international Vogue covers published in 19 languages throughout August and September with a single theme: Hope.
“We all need hope in our lives, now more than ever,” says Anna Wintour, Vogue editor in chief and Condé Nast’s artistic director and global content adviser. “[S]o at this tumultuous time, Vogue decided to bring all the global editions together around this optimistic, humane, forward-looking theme. Hope may be hard to find at a moment of crisis, but it also feels more essential than ever. It’s part of our shared humanity, a source of delight and inspiration, and keeps us focused on a brighter future.”
Advertisement
The British Vogue September issue is just one component of the #VogueHope project, a collaborative portfolio by the editors-in-chief of the global edition, each interpreting what hope means at this moment in history.
“I knew instantly and deeply believed in what British Vogue’s interpretation needed to be,” writes Enninful, “an ode to the extraordinary voices, old and young, who in this difficult year have devoted their energies to fighting for a fairer society.”
Advertisement
Join the discussion! The Root is hosting its first-ever, virtual Root Institute, presented by Target, featuring several of the leading minds in our community talking about politics, culture, health, community building and social impact. Subscribe for updates today!


theroot--2020-08-04--Rep. Ayanna Pressley Discusses the Power of Black Women at The Root Institute

As the first woman of color in the history of the Boston City Council and the first Black woman to ever be elected to Congress from Massachusetts , Pressley is a departure from the old white men who , for too long , have dominated the political arena in the United States .
Rep. Pressley is keenly aware of how inundated structural racism and systemic oppression are in today ’ s world and is trying to make substantive change .
Indeed , in her first elected office ( on the Boston City Council ) , she ran on the mandate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a member of congress , she uses intersectionality to inform policies that she creates .
But being a trailblazer doesn ’ t come without its costs .
Rep. Pressley has been the subject of vitriolic racist and sexist attacks and even death threats , and yet somehow , she forges forth fearlessly .
“ Our very existence is the resistance , ” as the congresswoman often says .
This member of “ the Squad , ” is about that life .
In this , The Root ’ s first-ever Root Institute , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the brightest and the Blackest .
Next up : Rep. Ayanna Pressley .
Be sure to tune in on Aug. 4 as we discuss the power that Black women wield , in society and politics , with Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley .
Be sure to subscribe here .

Felice León on Institute, shared by Felice León to The Root

Rep. Ayanna Pressley is a history-making Black woman.
As the first woman of color in the history of the Boston City Council and the first Black woman to ever be elected to Congress from Massachusetts, Pressley is a departure from the old white men who, for too long, have dominated the political arena in the United States.
Rep. Pressley is keenly aware of how inundated structural racism and systemic oppression are in today’s world and is trying to make substantive change. Indeed, in her first elected office (on the Boston City Council), she ran on the mandate to “save our girls.” And as a member of congress, she uses intersectionality to inform policies that she creates.
Advertisement
But being a trailblazer doesn’t come without its costs. Rep. Pressley has been the subject of vitriolic racist and sexist attacks and even death threats, and yet somehow, she forges forth fearlessly. “Our very existence is the resistance,” as the congresswoman often says.
This member of “the Squad,” is about that life.
In this, The Root’s first-ever Root Institute, we feature a series of conversations with the brightest and the Blackest. Next up: Rep. Ayanna Pressley.
Advertisement Advertisement
Be sure to tune in on Aug. 4 as we discuss the power that Black women wield, in society and politics, with Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley.
Be sure to subscribe here.


theroot--2020-08-04--Save Grease and $26 on This Compact Air Fryer Deal

Everyone I know who owns an air fryer loves it .
Think of all the crispy treats you can make with it : bacon , baked potatoes , mozzarella sticks , really anything you fancy .
All tasty , all good .
If you ’ ve ever been curious about these little culinary wonders now is your chance to grab one for just $ 24 .
This one from Magic Chef is special because it ’ s a compact option so it won ’ t take up a lot of real estate on the kitchen counter .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
T he Snack-Sized Air Fryer makes lots of tasty goodies without the curse of grease .
It ’ s a s inch to clean and is dishwasher safe .
And don ’ t worry about overheating , it ’ s built i n a way to never get hot on the outside and have an automatic shut-off feature .
And if you get stuck on what to do with it don ’ t worry , you ’ re getting both a cookbook and recipe book so you can become the magic chef @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few of our pieces on MorningSave before and you like what you ’ ve seen they offer a $ 5 monthly fee to get free shipping on all of your orders no matter how many .
Otherwise , it ’ s a flat rate of $ 8 .

Sheilah Villari on Kinja Deals, shared by Ignacia to The Root

Magic Chef Compact Air Fryer | $24 |MorningSave
Everyone I know who owns an air fryer loves it. Think of all the crispy treats you can make with it: bacon, baked potatoes, mozzarella sticks, really anything you fancy . All tasty, all good. If you’ve ever been curious about these little culinary wonders now is your chance to grab one for just $24.
This one from Magic Chef is special because it’s a compact option so it won’t take up a lot of real estate on the kitchen counter. It’s easy to use with just one dial. T he Snack-Sized Air Fryer makes lots of tasty goodies without the curse of grease. It’s a s inch to clean and is dishwasher safe. And don’t worry about overheating, it’s built i n a way to never get hot on the outside and have an automatic shut-off feature. And if you get stuck on what to do with it don’t worry, you’re getting both a cookbook and recipe book so you can become the magic chef.
If you’ve read a few of our pieces on MorningSave before and you like what you’ve seen they offer a $5 monthly fee to get free shipping on all of your orders no matter how many. Otherwise, it’s a flat rate of $8.


theroot--2020-08-04--'Jesus Was White. Did He Have White Privilege?': Evangelical Author Roasted for Spreading the Gospel

'Jesus Was White. Did He Have White Privilege?': Evangelical Author Roasted for Spreading the Gospel of Mayo Messiah

Biblical scholars , theologians and people who have common sense are dragging a right-wing celebrity you ’ ve never heard of who claimed that white privilege didn ’ t stop federal law enforcement officers from killing a popular protest organizer from Nazareth who died with his hands up after a confidential informant named Judas snitched on his fellow gang leader .
Yeah , he ran with the Disciples .
Eric Metaxas is a Trump-loving Christian radio host who also authored the Donald the Caveman series , a collection of MAGA-themed children ’ s books that includes Donald Drains the Swamp @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Builds the Wall .
Apparently , the only thing Metaxas hates more than Mexicans , Black Lives Matter and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is equality ( The villain of one of his books is “ an angry little girl who looks a little bit like AOC ” ) .
Now Metaxas has stirred controversy with a tweet contending ( or assuming ) that Jesus was White .
His claim was made in reaction to news that the United Methodist Church is partnering with Robin DiAngelo , the author of “ White Fragility , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Deconstructing White Privilege.
” Metaxas ’ s response read in full : “ Jesus was white .
Did he have ‘ white privilege ’ even though he was entirely without sin ?
Is the United Methodist Church covering that ?
I think it could be important.
” Metaxas has subsequently attempted to place his claim about Jesus ’ ethnicity into context .
But there is no context in which this statement makes historical or theological sense .
In attempting to debunk the idea of white privilege , Metaxas employed a traditional affirmation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ physical descriptions of Jesus in the Gospels .
Traditions about his appearance , including the beard , arose more than a century after his death .
But there is no doubt that he was a Jew from what we now know as the Middle East .
The white , European Jesus of Western imagination is a fiction produced by those who could not imagine human perfection in any other form .
That ’ s right .
A man who has authored dozens of books for actual adults seems to believe that there ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could be anything other than a white man .
He wore Birkenstocks , for Hissakes !
I ’ m pretty sure this is why Jesus wept .
Of course , the seminary scholars of social media kindly gave a lesson in history and religion to the Ph.D. graduate the National Institute for God ’ s Gospel According to White Heaux-Asses on Twitter ( NIGGAWHAT ) : If he was Caucasian , those racist innkeepers would have given Joseph and Mary a room instead of forcing Mary to give birth in a musty-ass manger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heinous maternal health care plan on the white citizens in the Roman Empire .
I bet Pontius Pilate would have sentenced Jesus of Iowa to three years of probation , tops , and white people would have given better baby shower gifts than gold , frankincense and myrrh ( I think .
If I ’ m being honest , I don ’ t know what frankincense or myrrh is .
The internet says its an incense and I ’ m pretty sure the white people of antiquity used patchouli , potpourri or Febreeze @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) And despite what Shaun King would have you believe , he wasn ’ t B lack .
While many people cite John ’ s description in Revelation of Jesus having hair that was “ white like wool , as white as snow ” and feet like “ fine brass , as if they burned in a furnace , ” Jesus probably wasn ’ t prematurely gray and his feet might have been dirty ( he wore the original Yeezy slides ) , we also remember that the book was about a dream @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he ’ d probably show up to a cookout empty-handed causing my Aunt Marvel to tell him that he could have at least brought some aluminum foil .
Plus , when Jesus fed 5,000 people with two pieces of fish and five loaves of bread , a Black savior would have at least manifested some hot sauce .
There is also a glaring omission in the Bible of Jesus talking shit to Matthew and Simon on the Spades table , which must have happened if he was hanging with your homeboys all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had the big Joker ) .
Thankfully , Metaxas later clarified his position on Jesus ’ ethnicity ... kinda : However , it is understandable why Eric Metaxas assumed Jesus was white .
Jesus must be white .
How could any non-white person allow white people to commit so many historical atrocities without recompense or their repentance ?
How could a Jesus who cared about all people create a man who spewed hate and lies like this ?
Either Jesus is a blonde , blue-eyed man who only cares about white people ...

Biblical scholars, theologians and people who have common sense are dragging a right-wing celebrity you’ve never heard of who claimed that white privilege didn’t stop federal law enforcement officers from killing a popular protest organizer from Nazareth who died with his hands up after a confidential informant named Judas snitched on his fellow gang leader.
Wait...You didn’t know Jesus was gang-affiliated?
Yeah, he ran with the Disciples.
Eric Metaxas is a Trump-loving Christian radio host who also authored the Donald the Caveman series, a collection of MAGA-themed children’s books that includes Donald Drains the Swamp, Donald and the Fake News and Donald Builds the Wall. Apparently, the only thing Metaxas hates more than Mexicans, Black Lives Matter and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is equality (The villain of one of his books is “an angry little girl who looks a little bit like AOC”).
Advertisement
The Washington Post reports:
Now Metaxas has stirred controversy with a tweet contending (or assuming) that Jesus was White. His claim was made in reaction to news that the United Methodist Church is partnering with Robin DiAngelo, the author of “White Fragility,” to produce a video series on “Deconstructing White Privilege.” Metaxas’s response read in full: “Jesus was white. Did he have ‘white privilege’ even though he was entirely without sin? Is the United Methodist Church covering that? I think it could be important.” Metaxas has subsequently attempted to place his claim about Jesus’ ethnicity into context. But there is no context in which this statement makes historical or theological sense. In attempting to debunk the idea of white privilege, Metaxas employed a traditional affirmation of white supremacy. There are admittedly no physical descriptions of Jesus in the Gospels. Traditions about his appearance, including the beard, arose more than a century after his death. But there is no doubt that he was a Jew from what we now know as the Middle East. The white, European Jesus of Western imagination is a fiction produced by those who could not imagine human perfection in any other form.
Advertisement Advertisement
That’s right. A man who has authored dozens of books for actual adults seems to believe that there’s no way his lord and savior could be anything other than a white man. He wore Birkenstocks, for Hissakes!
Advertisement
I’m pretty sure this is why Jesus wept.
Of course, the seminary scholars of social media kindly gave a lesson in history and religion to the Ph.D. graduate the National Institute for God’s Gospel According to White Heaux-Asses on Twitter (NIGGAWHAT):
Advertisement
Advertisement
No, Jesus wasn’t white.
If he was Caucasian, those racist innkeepers would have given Joseph and Mary a room instead of forcing Mary to give birth in a musty-ass manger. King Herod would never enact that heinous maternal health care plan on the white citizens in the Roman Empire. I bet Pontius Pilate would have sentenced Jesus of Iowa to three years of probation, tops, and white people would have given better baby shower gifts than gold, frankincense and myrrh (I think. If I’m being honest, I don’t know what frankincense or myrrh is. The internet says its an incense and I’m pretty sure the white people of antiquity used patchouli, potpourri or Febreeze until the Glade plug-in was invented.)
Advertisement
And despite what Shaun King would have you believe, he wasn’t B lack. While many people cite John’s description in Revelation of Jesus having hair that was “white like wool, as white as snow” and feet like “fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace,” Jesus probably wasn’t prematurely gray and his feet might have been dirty (he wore the original Yeezy slides), we also remember that the book was about a dream.
Plus, if Jesus was Black, he’d probably show up to a cookout empty-handed causing my Aunt Marvel to tell him that he could have at least brought some aluminum foil. Plus, when Jesus fed 5,000 people with two pieces of fish and five loaves of bread, a Black savior would have at least manifested some hot sauce. There is also a glaring omission in the Bible of Jesus talking shit to Matthew and Simon on the Spades table, which must have happened if he was hanging with your homeboys all day (and you know Jesus always had the big Joker).
Advertisement
Thankfully, Metaxas later clarified his position on Jesus’ ethnicity...kinda:
Advertisement
However, it is understandable why Eric Metaxas assumed Jesus was white.
Jesus must be white. How could any non-white person allow white people to commit so many historical atrocities without recompense or their repentance? How could a Jesus who cared about all people create a man who spewed hate and lies like this?
Advertisement
Advertisement
Either Jesus is a blonde, blue-eyed man who only cares about white people...
Or Eric Metaxas is fucked.


theroot--2020-08-04--Body Camera Footage of George Floyd’s Final Moments Leaked to the Public for the First Time

Since the May 25 death of George Floyd , we ’ ve learned that the original footage filmed by bystanders that we all have seen—and that kicked off the largest Black Lives Matter movement the world has ever seen—was just the tip of the iceberg .
Since then , audio transcripts taken from the body cameras of two of the officers involved in Floyd ’ s killing have been released to the public , and limited in-person viewings of that video footage have also been allowed .
To date , that footage has not been released for news organizations to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any public platform .
But the footage was recently leaked , and many people have seen— for the first time— the terror Floyd experienced in the moments leading up to his death , as well as the apparent disregard for his physical wellbeing displayed by Minneapolis police officers .
It ’ s unclear how The Daily Mail obtained video footage taken from the body cameras of former officers Thomas Lane and Alex Kueng , but an investigation into the leak has been launched , according to CBS News .
But considering the fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” filed a motion last month calling for the video evidence to be fully released to the public , some may agree that the leaking of the footage is long overdue .
The tapes show in minute detail how a very distressed Floyd begs ‘ Mr .
Officer , please don ’ t shoot me .
Please man , ’ before the struggle that ended with his death on May 25 .
It also shows how belligerent cops cursed at and manhandled the sobbing suspect , ignoring his pleas for compassion .
Floyd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him into the back of the car , telling them he suffers from claustrophobia and anxiety and how Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes , leading to his death , ignoring Floyd ’ s repeated cries of ‘ I can ’ t breathe.
’ Floyd is even heard predicting his own death .
‘ I ’ ll probably just die this way , ’ he says .
The footage includes more than 18 minutes from Officer Alex Kueng ’ s bodycam and 10 minutes from Officer Thomas Lane @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to arrive on the scene after a complaint that Floyd had attempted to pass a fake $ 20 bill to buy cigarettes at Cup Foods , a store in the Powderhorn Park section of Minneapolis .
If we ’ re being honest , the use of excessive force by police officers needs to be exposed as often and as extensively as possible .
Business Insider reports that a new study conducted by Amnesty International found that between May 26 and June 5—the ten days following Floyd ’ s death—there were at least 125 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police officers against Black Lives Matter protesters .
So basically , a lot of cops responded to protests over police brutality ... by being brutal to protesters .
This is why we march .
This is why we kneel .
This is why civil unrest continues .
We don ’ t just want justice for Floyd and other victims of police violence , we want to force a change in the current practices of policing .
Public scrutiny appears to be the best and possibly the only method we can use to get @ @ @

Since the May 25 death of George Floyd, we’ve learned that the original footage filmed by bystanders that we all have seen—and that kicked off the largest Black Lives Matter movement the world has ever seen—was just the tip of the iceberg. Since then, audio transcripts taken from the body cameras of two of the officers involved in Floyd’s killing have been released to the public, and limited in-person viewings of that video footage have also been allowed. To date, that footage has not been released for news organizations to publish or for people to view on any public platform. But the footage was recently leaked, and many people have seen— for the first time— the terror Floyd experienced in the moments leading up to his death, as well as the apparent disregard for his physical wellbeing displayed by Minneapolis police officers .
It’s unclear how The Daily Mail obtained video footage taken from the body cameras of former officers Thomas Lane and Alex Kueng, but an investigation into the leak has been launched, according to CBS News. But considering the fact that a “coalition of media companies” filed a motion last month calling for the video evidence to be fully released to the public, some may agree that the leaking of the footage is long overdue.
Advertisement
From Daily Mail:
The tapes show in minute detail how a very distressed Floyd begs ‘Mr. Officer, please don’t shoot me. Please man,’ before the struggle that ended with his death on May 25. It also shows how belligerent cops cursed at and manhandled the sobbing suspect, ignoring his pleas for compassion. Floyd resisted as the cops tried to force him into the back of the car, telling them he suffers from claustrophobia and anxiety and how Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, leading to his death, ignoring Floyd’s repeated cries of ‘I can’t breathe.’ Floyd is even heard predicting his own death. ‘I’ll probably just die this way,’ he says. The footage includes more than 18 minutes from Officer Alex Kueng’s bodycam and 10 minutes from Officer Thomas Lane. They were the first two cops to arrive on the scene after a complaint that Floyd had attempted to pass a fake $20 bill to buy cigarettes at Cup Foods, a store in the Powderhorn Park section of Minneapolis.
Advertisement Advertisement
If we’re being honest, the use of excessive force by police officers needs to be exposed as often and as extensively as possible.
Business Insider reports that a new study conducted by Amnesty International found that between May 26 and June 5—the ten days following Floyd’s death—there were at least 125 separate instances of excessive force used by police officers against Black Lives Matter protesters.
Advertisement
So basically, a lot of cops responded to protests over police brutality...by being brutal to protesters.
This is why we march. This is why we kneel. This is why civil unrest continues. We don’t just want justice for Floyd and other victims of police violence, we want to force a change in the current practices of policing. Public scrutiny appears to be the best and possibly the only method we can use to get us there.


theroot--2020-08-04--The Only Girl in the World: Rihanna Covers Every Issue of Harper's Bazaar This September

She already told us she was a savage , but never lets us forget she ’ s a star .
After blessing fans , followers and waitlists everywhere with the release of Fenty Skin last week , Rihanna ’ s got her Fenty Maison heel on our necks once again , as the cover girl for the always anticipated September issue of Harper ’ s Bazaar—on every single international edition , as noted by Fashionista .
On at least one of the two covers shot by Gray Sorrenti , the musician , muse and mogul ’ s face seems to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ skincare line and Fenty Beauty Stunna Lip Paint ( in Uncensored ) .
On the other , she reminds us of her now-legendary 2015 Met Gala look , once again sporting a canary-colored fur-trimmed coat with extra drama at the hem .
Profiled by influencer , journalist and 2020 Glow Up 50 honoree Kahlana Barfield Brown , we are once again reminded that the bad girl is a Black girl first , foremost , and always , as Barfield Brown writes of their first meeting , over a decade ago : Underneath the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ über-swaggy star , Robyn Rihanna Fenty was a real one—not fake real , but real real : a Black girl who wasn ’ t so caught up in her own celebrity that she couldn ’ t recognize another Black girl on the come up ... Rihanna gave off the type of down-to-earth vibe you ’ d expect from a homegirl you ’ ve known since middle school .
Despite her fame , Rihanna has somehow always managed to stay down—for the cause , for her people .
It has always felt like she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notes that while the megastar may be best known for her stratospherically successful music , beauty and fashion ventures , Rihanna also deserves to take a bow for her philanthropy .
Since the outbreak of COVID-19 , her 8-year-old nonprofit the Clara Lionel Foundation has , along with its partners , “ committed more than $ 36 million to emergency response efforts , ” reports Bazaar .
It ’ s the type of generosity that has also come to characterize Rihanna the entrepreneur , whose primary aesthetic is indisputably luxurious , but also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first seen with the 40-shade launch of Fenty Beauty .
“ Beyond providing people in communities of color starved for accessible foundation that actually matched their complexions , the move seemed to communicate , I see you when no one else does , ” writes Barfield Brown .
Coincidentally , the article ’ s accompanying photographs appear to give us a somewhat voyeuristic lens into the interior life of the Fenty creator .
In fact , Rihanna says she had to “ live with ” Fenty Skin before presenting it to eager beauty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always seen the Fenty brand as more than just makeup , and I knew I wanted to make skin care from the very beginning ...
It was just about getting it right .
You have to live with the formulas for awhile and test them in different ways .
It ’ s very different from makeup in that sense .
It takes a long time .
What ’ s next ?
If Rihanna ’ s fans have their way , it ’ ll be that ninth studio album .
All we know for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cease to amaze us .
The September 2020 issue of Harper ’ s Bazaar also features Janelle Monáe , Ava DuVernay and Stacey Abrams , and will be available on newsstands September 8 .
Join the discussion !
The Root is hosting its first-ever , virtual Root Institute , presented by Target , featuring several of the leading minds in our community talking about politics , culture , health , community building and social impact .
Subscribe for updates today !

She already told us she was a savage, but never lets us forget she’s a star. After blessing fans, followers and waitlists everywhere with the release of Fenty Skin last week, Rihanna’s got her Fenty Maison heel on our necks once again, as the cover girl for the always anticipated September issue of Harper’s Bazaar—on every single international edition, as noted by Fashionista.
On at least one of the two covers shot by Gray Sorrenti, the musician, muse and mogul’s face seems to be made up with only her new skincare line and Fenty Beauty Stunna Lip Paint (in Uncensored). On the other, she reminds us of her now-legendary 2015 Met Gala look, once again sporting a canary-colored fur-trimmed coat with extra drama at the hem.
Advertisement
Profiled by influencer, journalist and 2020 Glow Up 50 honoree Kahlana Barfield Brown, we are once again reminded that the bad girl is a Black girl first, foremost, and always, as Barfield Brown writes of their first meeting, over a decade ago:
Underneath the veil of this superhero-ish, ultramagnetic, über-swaggy star, Robyn Rihanna Fenty was a real one—not fake real, but real real: a Black girl who wasn’t so caught up in her own celebrity that she couldn’t recognize another Black girl on the come up...Rihanna gave off the type of down-to-earth vibe you’d expect from a homegirl you’ve known since middle school. Despite her fame, Rihanna has somehow always managed to stay down—for the cause, for her people. It has always felt like she is one of us.
Advertisement Advertisement
Barfield Brown notes that while the megastar may be best known for her stratospherically successful music, beauty and fashion ventures, Rihanna also deserves to take a bow for her philanthropy. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 , her 8-year-old nonprofit the Clara Lionel Foundation has, along with its partners, “committed more than $36 million to emergency response efforts,” reports Bazaar.
It’s the type of generosity that has also come to characterize Rihanna the entrepreneur, whose primary aesthetic is indisputably luxurious, but also largely democratic in its approach, as first seen with the 40-shade launch of Fenty Beauty. “Beyond providing people in communities of color starved for accessible foundation that actually matched their complexions, the move seemed to communicate, I see you when no one else does,” writes Barfield Brown. Coincidentally, the article’s accompanying photographs appear to give us a somewhat voyeuristic lens into the interior life of the Fenty creator.
Advertisement
In fact, Rihanna says she had to “live with” Fenty Skin before presenting it to eager beauty lovers, explaining:
I’ve always seen the Fenty brand as more than just makeup, and I knew I wanted to make skin care from the very beginning...It was just about getting it right. You have to live with the formulas for awhile and test them in different ways. It’s very different from makeup in that sense. It takes a long time.
Advertisement
What’s next? If Rihanna’s fans have their way, it’ll be that ninth studio album. All we know for sure is she’ll likely never cease to amaze us.
The September 2020 issue of Harper’s Bazaar also features Janelle Monáe, Ava DuVernay and Stacey Abrams, and will be available on newsstands September 8.
Advertisement
Join the discussion! The Root is hosting its first-ever, virtual Root Institute, presented by Target, featuring several of the leading minds in our community talking about politics, culture, health, community building and social impact. Subscribe for updates today!


theroot--2020-08-04--Tidy up Your Home With $70 off a Refurbished Dyson V6 Absolute, Cheaper Than Ever

Nobody likes a messy home , but cleaning isn ’ t exactly a fun chore for a lot of people @ @ @ @ @ won ’ t alleviate those woes , but it will make it easier to get @ @ @ @ @ ’ s V6 Absolute isn ’ t the most powerful in the company ’ s @ @ @ @ @ s still a darn good cleaner .
It ’ s cordless and can run up @ @ @ @ @ , so not the longest battery life , but enough to get through most rooms @ @ @ @ @ down into a compact cleaner , which is great for tough-to-reach spots , and cleaning @ @ @ @ @ weekend outing .
Right now , it ’ s $ 8 0 off at Newegg @ @ @ @ @ to just $ 15 0 .
This deal was originally published by Jordan McMahon in @ @ @ @ @ new information on 8/4/2020 .

Jordan McMahon on Kinja Deals, shared by Ignacia to The Root

Dyson V6 Motorhead | $120 | Newegg
Nobody likes a messy home, but cleaning isn’t exactly a fun chore for a lot of people. A good vacuum cleaner won’t alleviate those woes, but it will make it easier to get through your cleaning. Dyson’s V6 Motorhead isn’t the most powerful in the company’s arsenal, but it’s still a darn good cleaner. It’s cordless and can run up to 20 minutes per charge, so not the longest battery life, but enough to get through most rooms. It can also shrink down into a compact cleaner, which is great for tough-to-reach spots, and cleaning up the car after a weekend outing. Right now, a refurbished model is only $120 over at Newegg. This vacuum originally retails for $400 but you can find it new on Amazon for $350, so this is an incredible deal.
I personally have this vacuum and can tell you it is one of my best investments as someone who is sensitive to dust and other allergens. I didn’t get it for this low of a price though, so take advantage of it while you can! This deal is good for today only.
This deal was originally published by Jordan McMahon in July 2020 and updated with new information on 11/9/2020.


theroot--2020-08-04--Talib Kweli's Harassment Campaign Shows How Unprotected Black Women Are Online and Off

In late July , rapper Talib Kweli posted a lengthy message to his Instagram account , announcing that after 11 years , he was finally leaving Twitter .
“ I have officially left @ twitter for the greener pastures of @ patreon which is membership fee based , ” Kweli wrote .
“ Now most of my exchanges will always be with real fans who invest in me.
” But Kweli didn ’ t leave Twitter voluntarily .
On July 23 , Kweli was suspended for “ repeated violations of Twitter rules , ” according to a spokesperson for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks in the mentions of black women who characterized his behavior as harassment .
His primary target : A 24-year-old student and activist named Maya Moody , who became Kweli ’ s obsession after a discussion about colorism in hip-hop went left .
The suspension came nearly two weeks after Kweli began incessantly tweeting at Moody , sometimes for more than 12 hours straight in a single day .
During that time , several Black women participated in a campaign to report Kweli for targeted harassment and get him suspended , to no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , precisely , changed Twitter Support ’ s mind after weeks of inaction .
In a statement to Jezebel , a Twitter spokesperson claimed his account was suspended for violating its rules around harassment , among other things : Moody is unsurprised by Twitter ’ s initial inaction , which fits into a pattern of the company ignoring rampant abuse against Black women on the platform .
“ Twitter has a history of defending those who speak out against oppression—specifically Black people—but staying silent when white supremacists and alt-right people are saying unbelievable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have platforms , still allowing them to post crazy things , ” Moody explained .
“ But those that have spoken against [ bigots ] have been suspended for way less than targeting someone and harassing them constantly for over two weeks straight.
” Twitter is familiar with this critique from Black women .
In 2019 , Rachelle Hampton wrote a piece for Slate about Black feminists who encountered far-right trolls on Twitter in the early and mid-2010s ; this was before Gamergate and before the calamity of the 2016 presidential election .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black people or other racist and sexist harassment campaigns , Black women have often been the early targets of coordinated harassment and doxxing before it spreads to other people of color and white people .
Yet they ’ ve been largely ignored .
As Hampton wrote in Slate , “ some media outlets diminished the danger of ‘ trolls ’ by characterizing their flirtation with white nationalism as tongue-in-cheek—until those trolls took their rhetoric offline and onto the streets of Charlottesville , Virginia.
” While the Kweli debacle isn ’ t a matter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the harassment campaign Moody has endured illuminates a larger concern Black women have long held about normalized harassment on Twitter .
Whether from miscellaneous trolls or verified Twitter users like Kweli , Moody ’ s experience is not just an isolated incident , but rather a microcosm of the harm Black women experience online daily—whether or not anyone listens .
It started in early July , when a video of rappers 50 Cent and Lil ’ Wayne talking about dating “ exotic ” —i.e .
non-Black—women made the rounds , prompting a Twitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Snoop Dogg , are married to Black women .
Another user replied with a list of names : Jay-Z , 2 Chainz , Gucci Mane , Chance the Rapper , Ludacris , Kendrick Lamar , Big Boi , Killer Mike , and more .
Talib Kweli was also included in the list .
On July 9 , Moody responded , writing , “ Literally almost all of them are married to lightskinned women but that ’ s a conversation for another day.
” Moody ’ s offhand comment hinting at colorism in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ replied the next day , tweeting the following : “ Nah let ’ s have this convo today .
Are we talking all of my relationships ?
My children ’ s mother as well ?
Or are you only talking about who you think I ’ m currently in a relationship right now ?
I mean , is any of this really any of your business ?
” Kweli dug up and publicized Moody ’ s old tweets in an attempt to discredit her , including one in which Moody swooned over white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meme of Tamera Mowry ( whose husband is white ) lamenting that people have called her “ white man ’ s whore.
” ( Black women and other women of color have reappropriated Mowry ’ s quote in a humorous light over the years , reframing it as a joke for when they find a white man attractive , perhaps beyond their best judgment . )
Kweli framed Moody ’ s tweet—calling herself “ a white man ’ s whore ” —as proof of her hypocrisy , failing to understand the facetiousness .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ this contextless attempt to smear Moody .
For weeks , Moody has been subjected to Kweli ’ s incessant attacks on social media , during which Kweli accused Moody of aligning with white supremacists and Nazis .
During this very public spat , photos of Moody ’ s parents and identifying information was leaked by trolls , various Twitter accounts publicized her stepmother ’ s salary , and she received death threats and threats of sexual abuse from defenders of Kweli ’ s .
“ It ’ s definitely been draining and overwhelming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ phone interview last week .
“ Yesterday alone , I had to get 12 different accounts suspended for trying to make new profiles doxing my family and me using my stepmom ’ s name and pictures and where we live ... basically pretending to be my stepmom on Twitter.
” Kweli , meanwhile , vowed on the app that he wouldn ’ t let up unless Moody deleted her Twitter account or apologized .
When a Twitter user pointed out at the time that his tweets for the past 13 hours had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I can go for 13 years if you come for my family .
I ’ m just getting started.
” In an email to Jezebel , Kweli denied that he was harassing Moody .
“ Maya Moody is a liar , ” he wrote .
“ I ’ ve never cyber harassed anyone in my life .
I responded , on Twitter , to the lies that Maya posted about me .
When you respond to someone who posts lies about you , that is not harassment.
” Responding for hours on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social media platforms may , in fact , qualify as cyber harassment , which the National Conference of State Legislatures defines as an act that “ usually pertains to threatening or harassing email messages , instant messages , or to blog entries or Web sites dedicated solely to tormenting an individual.
” It was—eventually—considered harassment by Twitter ’ s standards as well .
But he was , indeed , just getting started .
For weeks , it was impossible to scroll through Kweli ’ s Twitter account without seeing him interacting with Moody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ covered Kweli ’ s Twitter behavior in late July with a post full of screenshots .
Moody is not the only woman who has been on the opposite end of Kweli ’ s fixation .
A two-hour-long YouTube video from 2019 details seven months of targeted harassment against Yvette Carnell , YouTuber and ADOS ( African Descendents of Slaves ) co-founder .
Kweli ’ s harassment of Moody didn ’ t remain on Twitter .
He dragged the fiasco to Instagram for his 918,000 followers to enjoy , posting screenshots of her tweets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and dedicating an hour-long Instagram Live session to the kerfuffle ( ironically titled “ Addressing The Lies That I Harass Black Women ” ) .
In his Instagram Live video , Kweli accuses Moody of denying the blackness of light-skinned Black women .
“ She ’ s saying that these women—who are Black women—are not Black enough because they ’ re light-skinned .
And she ’ s also implying that these rappers only marry these women for the color of their skin.
” Moody didn ’ t say that , nor did she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s light complexion doesn ’ t inherently negate their blackness , and for Kweli to act as if the desirability of light-skinned and non-Black women isn ’ t pervasive—regardless of one ’ s intentions—is absurd .
“ So many people pretend that they don ’ t know that [ colorism ] is a real thing , especially in the Black community , ” Moody said .
“ This is something that impacts every aspect of our lives , from our education system to our prison system to [ who gets ] harsher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of us .
And if we can ’ t acknowledge that and talk about that without getting defensive and gaslighting each other and saying , you know , ‘ You just hate Black men , just hate Black people ... ’ No , that ’ s not the case .
I love us .
And because I love us , I want us to be able to have the conversation and talk about it.
” In Kweli ’ s Instagram Live video , he acknowledged that colorism is a problem .
Despite this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toward Moody ’ s initial tweet , and continued to talk about her on his Instagram .
“ This has always been about a bunch of groupies doing celebrity cockwatch , ” Kweli wrote in a recent Instagram post .
He tagged Moody .
When Jezebel contacted Kweli , his response via email was long and thorough , but terse in tone .
Kweli accused Moody of calling him a child rapist ; tweeting white supremacist diss tracks about him ; harassing and encouraging others to harass his wife , DJ Eque ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an attempt to stop him from getting work ; posting his phone number ; and using a photo of him and the mother of one of children as her Twitter header .
Kweli sent me an iCloud folder full of screenshots he says prove his point .
But for the most part , the photos demonstrate just how much Kweli has lost the plot .
The diss track Moody tweeted was by a white rapper named Diabolic , whose insipid comments downplaying the threats that the Trump administration posed appeared to anger Kweli @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kweli to infer that Moody is a Nazi sympathizer .
( A perusal of Diabolic ’ s social media concludes that while prone to conspiracy and disdainful toward what he considers communism , Diabolic is likely not a Nazi , just ignorant ) .
The insinuation that Moody instrumented a harassment campaign against DJ Eque also falls flat .
Many Black women on Twitter began to reach out to DJ Eque in earnest , days into Kweli ’ s neverending tweetstorm against Moody , asking Eque why she hasn ’ t tried to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote , “ Hey he makes his own damn choices for his life ” and that he ’ s a “ debater ” who has a way with words .
“ I ’ m sorry but I rather he do it online than to me , ” she wrote .
She later tweeted that she tried to ask Kweli to stop , but said she felt less inclined to do so after Moody started calling Kweli a rapist .
Moody did accuse Kweli of being a child rapist , citing an article about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it claimed , without evidence , that Kweli raped a teenage girl .
Moody also called Kweli a predator , based on sexual harassment allegations against Kweli made by Res , a Philadelphia artist with whom Kweli once collaborated .
In 2018 , Res publicly accused Kweli of bullying her and holding her career hostage after she rejected his sexual advances .
Kweli uploaded an Instagram photo of a court document in response , showing that Res ’ s sexual harassment claim was dismissed by a judge .
Kweli wrote , “ Res @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claim to be dubious in nature .
Bogus.
” Kweli also accused Res of taking advantage of the MeToo movement for personal gain .
That same day , Res tweeted a screenshot of a 2014 e-mail from Kweli , in which he admits attempting to kiss her in a pool .
Moody denies contacting Kweli ’ s business partners .
She also denies publicizing his phone number , and none of the screenshots Kweli sent to me support this claim either ( someone else did , however , and Kweli did receive a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moody did not hesitate to own up to temporarily changing her Twitter header .
It was a petty move , but during a phone call with Jezebel , she explained why she wasn ’ t above it .
“ After three days of consistent , non-stop harassment , I sure did , ” Moody said , laughing .
“ After I already blocked [ him ] and told [ him ] to stop and leave me alone and [ he ] did not ... yes , I did .
I sure did .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s worth noting that virtually no other hip-hop artists pushed back on Kweli ’ s behavior .
His tweets were on full display for all to see , and few condemned him .
Activist and rapper Noname was one of the few public figures who bothered to speak out against Kweli ’ s two-week harassment spree , invoking the mockery and abuse that hip-hop artist Megan Thee Stallion received after she was reportedly shot .
“ Watching black men joke about [ Meg ’ s ] shooting as a call to action @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a way I ’ m not smart enough to articulate , ” Noname tweeted .
“ And the silence from male rappers while Talib Kweli harassed black women for weeks , disgusting.
” The presumption is that Black women are fair game , easy targets , for racists and Black men alike .
Misogynoir is for everyone .
“ [ Meg ’ s ] life could have easily been taken from her , ” Moody said .
“ And it just goes to show how Black women are not taken seriously .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Both Moody and Kweli experienced nastiness throughout this ordeal .
Both of their personal lives were made public for drama-thirsty spectators , and both received threatening messages .
Trolls and bored opportunists with an ax to grind got into the mix to hassle and terrorize both parties .
But there is an obvious power imbalance at play here that , judging by Kweli ’ s email to me , he is reluctant to acknowledge .
He writes ( emphasis ours ) : While Kweli ’ s relevance has waned since the height of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early 2000s , Kweli still maintained over one million Twitter followers and was featured in an interview with Common just last week .
He ’ s not an obscure artist , and he ’ s not a random guy on social media .
He ’ s a 44-year-old who has collaborated with Pharrell and Kanye West and enjoys a devoted following .
Moody ’ s audience is nothing to sniff at , with just under 30,000 Twitter followers , but she ’ s still a student who largely tweets about pop culture and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moody spoke disparagingly of Kweli , but only after he turned her tweet into an indictment against him and spammed her .
But just as perplexing was Kweli ’ s attempt to deny that he harassed Moody while justifying his harassment of another Black woman .
When I asked Kweli about his alleged harassment campaign against Yvette Carnell , he didn ’ t deny it , but rather justified it .
“ Yvette Carnell AKA @ breakingbrown is the founder and patent owner of # ADOS which is an anti-immigrant hate cult , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a board member of PFIR [ Progressives for Immigration Reform ] which is a white nationalist organization .
The job of ADOS is to target progressive black folks.
” He added , “ Why would Jezebel , a known feminist site , not know what ADOS is ?
ADOS is anti-feminist .
The fact that ‘ Maya Moody ’ would align herself with an anti-immigrant , pro right-wing , anti-feminist , hate cult like ADOS proves that everything I ’ ve said about her intentions is correct.
” The condescension was glaring , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about ADOS is strange .
For the record , I ’ m well aware of the ADOS movement .
I agree with its support of reparations to descendants of enslaved people ( I am one ) , and I see no harm in emphasizing the unique history of Black Americans with slave ancestry .
I do not , however , agree with its pseudo-nationalist leanings , its approach toward immigrants , its race essentialism , nor its tendency to platform right-wing talking points .
I am skeptical of the ADOS movement for several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think it is appropriate for Kweli to spend seven months harassing a member of that movement .
It is obsessive behavior that Carnell did not deserve .
Kweli ’ s failure to understand this is alarming , but it also makes sense : Kweli doesn ’ t believe his behavior is harassment as long as he sees his actions as righteous .
( Moody confirmed to Jezebel that she is not involved or associated with ADOS ) .
Kweli ’ s tendency to jump to conclusions is how this entire mess started in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a mess he seemed unwilling to let go weeks after it all began .
Last Tuesday , he made an Instagram post about Moody that he crossposted to Facebook .
On Wednesday , he talked about her in an Instagram Live stream from his moving car .
“ Grown ass man bullying a woman smh the insecurities are really jumping out , ” one woman commented on Kweli ’ s Instagram Live .
Yet Talib Kweli and Maya Moody are just part of a larger narrative about how Black women are treated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continues without intervention—a story that never seems to end .

Ashley Reese on Jezebel, shared by Monique Judge to The Root

In late July, rapper Talib Kweli posted a lengthy message to his Instagram account, announcing that after 11 years, he was finally leaving Twitter. “I have officially left @twitter for the greener pastures of @patreon which is membership fee based,” Kweli wrote. “Now most of my exchanges will always be with real fans who invest in me.”
But Kweli didn’t leave Twitter voluntarily. On July 23, Kweli was suspended for “repeated violations of Twitter rules,” according to a spokesperson for the app, after he spent over two weeks in the mentions of black women who characterized his behavior as harassment. His primary target: A 24-year-old student and activist named Maya Moody, who became Kweli’s obsession after a discussion about colorism in hip-hop went left.
Advertisement
The suspension came nearly two weeks after Kweli began incessantly tweeting at Moody, sometimes for more than 12 hours straight in a single day. During that time, several Black women participated in a campaign to report Kweli for targeted harassment and get him suspended, to no avail.
It’s unclear what, precisely, changed Twitter Support’s mind after weeks of inaction. In a statement to Jezebel, a Twitter spokesperson claimed his account was suspended for violating its rules around harassment, among other things:
“[Talib Kweli’s] account has been permanently suspended after repeated violations of the Twitter rules. Twitter’s purpose is to serve the public conversation. Violence, harassment and other similar types of behavior discourage people from expressing themselves, and ultimately diminish the value of global public conversation. Our rules are to ensure all people can participate in the public conversation freely and safely.”
Advertisement
Moody is unsurprised by Twitter’s initial inaction, which fits into a pattern of the company ignoring rampant abuse against Black women on the platform. “Twitter has a history of defending those who speak out against oppression—specifically Black people—but staying silent when white supremacists and alt-right people are saying unbelievable things online and still allowing them to have platforms, still allowing them to post crazy things,” Moody explained. “But those that have spoken against [bigots] have been suspended for way less than targeting someone and harassing them constantly for over two weeks straight.”
Twitter is familiar with this critique from Black women. In 2019, Rachelle Hampton wrote a piece for Slate about Black feminists who encountered far-right trolls on Twitter in the early and mid-2010s; this was before Gamergate and before the calamity of the 2016 presidential election. Whether it was white men masquerading as Black people or other racist and sexist harassment campaigns, Black women have often been the early targets of coordinated harassment and doxxing before it spreads to other people of color and white people. Yet they’ve been largely ignored. As Hampton wrote in Slate, “some media outlets diminished the danger of ‘trolls’ by characterizing their flirtation with white nationalism as tongue-in-cheek—until those trolls took their rhetoric offline and onto the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia.”
While the Kweli debacle isn’t a matter of racist right-wingers versus Black women, the harassment campaign Moody has endured illuminates a larger concern Black women have long held about normalized harassment on Twitter. Whether from miscellaneous trolls or verified Twitter users like Kweli, Moody’s experience is not just an isolated incident, but rather a microcosm of the harm Black women experience online daily—whether or not anyone listens.
It started in early July, when a video of rappers 50 Cent and Lil’ Wayne talking about dating “exotic”—i.e. non-Black—women made the rounds, prompting a Twitter user to ask which rappers, aside from Snoop Dogg, are married to Black women. Another user replied with a list of names: Jay-Z, 2 Chainz, Gucci Mane, Chance the Rapper, Ludacris, Kendrick Lamar, Big Boi, Killer Mike, and more. Talib Kweli was also included in the list.
Advertisement
On July 9, Moody responded, writing, “Literally almost all of them are married to lightskinned women but that’s a conversation for another day.”
Moody’s offhand comment hinting at colorism in the Black community soon spiraled.
Kweli replied the next day, tweeting the following: “Nah let’s have this convo today. Are we talking all of my relationships? My children’s mother as well? Or are you only talking about who you think I’m currently in a relationship right now? I mean, is any of this really any of your business?”
Advertisement
Kweli dug up and publicized Moody’s old tweets in an attempt to discredit her, including one in which Moody swooned over white actor Alan Ritchson and quoted a popular meme of Tamera Mowry (whose husband is white) lamenting that people have called her “white man’s whore.” (Black women and other women of color have reappropriated Mowry’s quote in a humorous light over the years, reframing it as a joke for when they find a white man attractive, perhaps beyond their best judgment.) Kweli framed Moody’s tweet—calling herself “a white man’s whore”—as proof of her hypocrisy, failing to understand the facetiousness.
But Kweli didn’t stop at this contextless attempt to smear Moody. For weeks, Moody has been subjected to Kweli’s incessant attacks on social media, during which Kweli accused Moody of aligning with white supremacists and Nazis. During this very public spat, photos of Moody’s parents and identifying information was leaked by trolls, various Twitter accounts publicized her stepmother’s salary, and she received death threats and threats of sexual abuse from defenders of Kweli’s.
“It’s definitely been draining and overwhelming,” Moody told me in a phone interview last week. “Yesterday alone, I had to get 12 different accounts suspended for trying to make new profiles doxing my family and me using my stepmom’s name and pictures and where we live... basically pretending to be my stepmom on Twitter.”
Advertisement
Kweli, meanwhile, vowed on the app that he wouldn’t let up unless Moody deleted her Twitter account or apologized. When a Twitter user pointed out at the time that his tweets for the past 13 hours had been nothing but harassment, Kweli replied, “I can go for 13 years if you come for my family. I’m just getting started.”
In an email to Jezebel, Kweli denied that he was harassing Moody. “Maya Moody is a liar,” he wrote. “I’ve never cyber harassed anyone in my life. I responded, on Twitter, to the lies that Maya posted about me. When you respond to someone who posts lies about you, that is not harassment.”
Responding for hours on end for over two weeks on various social media platforms may, in fact, qualify as cyber harassment, which the National Conference of State Legislatures defines as an act that “usually pertains to threatening or harassing email messages, instant messages, or to blog entries or Web sites dedicated solely to tormenting an individual.” It was—eventually—considered harassment by Twitter’s standards as well.
Advertisement
But he was, indeed, just getting started. For weeks, it was impossible to scroll through Kweli’s Twitter account without seeing him interacting with Moody’s Twitter handle. The Root covered Kweli’s Twitter behavior in late July with a post full of screenshots.
Moody is not the only woman who has been on the opposite end of Kweli’s fixation. A two-hour-long YouTube video from 2019 details seven months of targeted harassment against Yvette Carnell, YouTuber and ADOS (African Descendents of Slaves) co-founder.
Advertisement
Kweli’s harassment of Moody didn’t remain on Twitter. He dragged the fiasco to Instagram for his 918,000 followers to enjoy, posting screenshots of her tweets, accusing Moody of harassing him, and dedicating an hour-long Instagram Live session to the kerfuffle (ironically titled “Addressing The Lies That I Harass Black Women”).
In his Instagram Live video, Kweli accuses Moody of denying the blackness of light-skinned Black women. “She’s saying that these women—who are Black women—are not Black enough because they’re light-skinned. And she’s also implying that these rappers only marry these women for the color of their skin.”
Moody didn’t say that, nor did she imply it. Acknowledging a Black person’s light complexion doesn’t inherently negate their blackness, and for Kweli to act as if the desirability of light-skinned and non-Black women isn’t pervasive—regardless of one’s intentions—is absurd.
Advertisement
“So many people pretend that they don’t know that [colorism] is a real thing, especially in the Black community,” Moody said. “This is something that impacts every aspect of our lives, from our education system to our prison system to [who gets] harsher punishment. It’s a part of us. And if we can’t acknowledge that and talk about that without getting defensive and gaslighting each other and saying, you know, ‘You just hate Black men, just hate Black people...’ No, that’s not the case. I love us. And because I love us, I want us to be able to have the conversation and talk about it.”
In Kweli’s Instagram Live video, he acknowledged that colorism is a problem. Despite this, he has maintained his obtuse approach toward Moody’s initial tweet, and continued to talk about her on his Instagram. “This has always been about a bunch of groupies doing celebrity cockwatch,” Kweli wrote in a recent Instagram post. He tagged Moody.
When Jezebel contacted Kweli, his response via email was long and thorough, but terse in tone. Kweli accused Moody of calling him a child rapist; tweeting white supremacist diss tracks about him; harassing and encouraging others to harass his wife, DJ Eque; contacting all of his business partners in an attempt to stop him from getting work; posting his phone number; and using a photo of him and the mother of one of children as her Twitter header.
Kweli sent me an iCloud folder full of screenshots he says prove his point. But for the most part, the photos demonstrate just how much Kweli has lost the plot. The diss track Moody tweeted was by a white rapper named Diabolic, whose insipid comments downplaying the threats that the Trump administration posed appeared to anger Kweli years ago. This was enough for Kweli to infer that Moody is a Nazi sympathizer. (A perusal of Diabolic’s social media concludes that while prone to conspiracy and disdainful toward what he considers communism, Diabolic is likely not a Nazi, just ignorant).
Advertisement
The insinuation that Moody instrumented a harassment campaign against DJ Eque also falls flat. Many Black women on Twitter began to reach out to DJ Eque in earnest, days into Kweli’s neverending tweetstorm against Moody, asking Eque why she hasn’t tried to intervene. In since-deleted tweets, Eque wrote, “Hey he makes his own damn choices for his life” and that he’s a “debater” who has a way with words. “I’m sorry but I rather he do it online than to me,” she wrote. She later tweeted that she tried to ask Kweli to stop, but said she felt less inclined to do so after Moody started calling Kweli a rapist.
Moody did accuse Kweli of being a child rapist, citing an article about Kweli suing a blog for defamation after it claimed, without evidence, that Kweli raped a teenage girl. Moody also called Kweli a predator, based on sexual harassment allegations against Kweli made by Res, a Philadelphia artist with whom Kweli once collaborated. In 2018, Res publicly accused Kweli of bullying her and holding her career hostage after she rejected his sexual advances.
Kweli uploaded an Instagram photo of a court document in response, showing that Res’s sexual harassment claim was dismissed by a judge. Kweli wrote, “Res is a liar... I find her claim to be dubious in nature. Bogus.” Kweli also accused Res of taking advantage of the MeToo movement for personal gain.
That same day, Res tweeted a screenshot of a 2014 e-mail from Kweli, in which he admits attempting to kiss her in a pool.
Advertisement
Moody denies contacting Kweli’s business partners. She also denies publicizing his phone number, and none of the screenshots Kweli sent to me support this claim either (someone else did, however, and Kweli did receive a few threatening text messages).
But Moody did not hesitate to own up to temporarily changing her Twitter header. It was a petty move, but during a phone call with Jezebel, she explained why she wasn’t above it. “After three days of consistent, non-stop harassment, I sure did,” Moody said, laughing. “After I already blocked [him] and told [him] to stop and leave me alone and [he] did not... yes, I did. I sure did. And I am not sorry.”
It’s worth noting that virtually no other hip-hop artists pushed back on Kweli’s behavior. His tweets were on full display for all to see, and few condemned him. Activist and rapper Noname was one of the few public figures who bothered to speak out against Kweli’s two-week harassment spree, invoking the mockery and abuse that hip-hop artist Megan Thee Stallion received after she was reportedly shot.
Advertisement
“Watching black men joke about [Meg’s] shooting as a call to action to harm more black women hurts in a way I’m not smart enough to articulate,” Noname tweeted. “And the silence from male rappers while Talib Kweli harassed black women for weeks, disgusting.”
The presumption is that Black women are fair game, easy targets, for racists and Black men alike. Misogynoir is for everyone.
“[Meg’s] life could have easily been taken from her,” Moody said. “And it just goes to show how Black women are not taken seriously. They make a mockery of our pain.”
Advertisement
Both Moody and Kweli experienced nastiness throughout this ordeal. Both of their personal lives were made public for drama-thirsty spectators, and both received threatening messages. Trolls and bored opportunists with an ax to grind got into the mix to hassle and terrorize both parties. But there is an obvious power imbalance at play here that, judging by Kweli’s email to me, he is reluctant to acknowledge. He writes (emphasis ours):
I challenge Jezebel and Maya to 1. present these death threats 2. prove she was doxxed or sexually harassed
Advertisement
3. prove that somehow any of these claims are connected to me. I have screenshots of everything I say happened.
While Kweli’s relevance has waned since the height of his popularity in the ’90s and early 2000s, Kweli still maintained over one million Twitter followers and was featured in an interview with Common just last week. He’s not an obscure artist, and he’s not a random guy on social media. He’s a 44-year-old who has collaborated with Pharrell and Kanye West and enjoys a devoted following. Moody’s audience is nothing to sniff at, with just under 30,000 Twitter followers, but she’s still a student who largely tweets about pop culture and men she finds attractive. Yes, Moody spoke disparagingly of Kweli, but only after he turned her tweet into an indictment against him and spammed her.
But just as perplexing was Kweli’s attempt to deny that he harassed Moody while justifying his harassment of another Black woman. When I asked Kweli about his alleged harassment campaign against Yvette Carnell, he didn’t deny it, but rather justified it.
“Yvette Carnell AKA @breakingbrown is the founder and patent owner of #ADOS which is an anti-immigrant hate cult,” Kweli wrote. “Carnell is a board member of PFIR [Progressives for Immigration Reform] which is a white nationalist organization. The job of ADOS is to target progressive black folks.”
Advertisement
He added, “Why would Jezebel, a known feminist site, not know what ADOS is? ADOS is anti-feminist. The fact that ‘Maya Moody’ would align herself with an anti-immigrant, pro right-wing, anti-feminist, hate cult like ADOS proves that everything I’ve said about her intentions is correct.”
The condescension was glaring, and the assumption that I am uninformed about ADOS is strange. For the record, I’m well aware of the ADOS movement. I agree with its support of reparations to descendants of enslaved people (I am one), and I see no harm in emphasizing the unique history of Black Americans with slave ancestry. I do not, however, agree with its pseudo-nationalist leanings, its approach toward immigrants, its race essentialism, nor its tendency to platform right-wing talking points.
I am skeptical of the ADOS movement for several reasons. That does not mean I think it is appropriate for Kweli to spend seven months harassing a member of that movement. It is obsessive behavior that Carnell did not deserve. Kweli’s failure to understand this is alarming, but it also makes sense: Kweli doesn’t believe his behavior is harassment as long as he sees his actions as righteous.
(Moody confirmed to Jezebel that she is not involved or associated with ADOS).
Advertisement
Kweli’s tendency to jump to conclusions is how this entire mess started in the first place, and it’s a mess he seemed unwilling to let go weeks after it all began. Last Tuesday, he made an Instagram post about Moody that he crossposted to Facebook. On Wednesday, he talked about her in an Instagram Live stream from his moving car. “Grown ass man bullying a woman smh the insecurities are really jumping out,” one woman commented on Kweli’s Instagram Live. Yet Talib Kweli and Maya Moody are just part of a larger narrative about how Black women are treated on social media, a pattern that continues without intervention—a story that never seems to end.


theroot--2020-08-04--Samuel L. Jackson to Star in Enslaved Docuseries, Which Chronicles the History of Human Trafficking

A new Samuel L. Jackson project is coming our way , and it ’ s something pretty different from the tough-talking acting legend .
According to Variety , Jackson is starring in and executive producing a six-part docuseries titled Enslaved , which focuses on unlocking information about human trafficking “ from Africa and the New World.
” The site says the show , which is slated to air on Epix September 14 , will cover 400 years worth of history on the subject .
The show will also premiere on Canada ’ s CBC network on October 18 .
Per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the series is being internationally distributed by British-based content company Fremantle .
“ The series uses a DNA test to identify Jackson ’ s ancestral tribe and trace his personal journey from the US to Gabon for his induction into the Benga tribe , ” Variety reads .
“ Each episode follows three separate storylines : Jackson ’ s personal story , the quest for a sunken slave ship , and a historical investigation led by investigative journalists Simcha Jacobovici and Afua Hirsch.
” Jackson posted a series of photos during his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last year while filming the show .
“ By involving Samuel L. Jackson—that instantly appeals to a completely new demographic , younger audiences familiar with his incredibly vast catalog of movies , ” Hirsch says of the celebrity component of the series .
“ But also the archaeological element , the adventure of it , the dives and the mystery-solving as well as the storytelling and the traveling , I think it ’ s so many things.
” Hirsch also discusses the significance of this part of world history , stating that “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ South American or African person who was not touched by [ human trafficking . ]
” Aside from his well-known films , some of Jackson ’ s previous acting work has aimed to bring awareness to this devastating topic .
He starred in the 2014 film Kite , which chronicles one woman ’ s experiences through the world of human trafficking in order to discover who murdered her parents .
He is also a staunch human rights advocate and activist who has supported various Africa-based causes and charities , such as the Nelson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a New South Africa .
Join the discussion !
The Root is hosting its first-ever , virtual Root Institute , presented by Target , featuring several of the leading minds in our community talking about politics , culture , health , community building and social impact .
Subscribe for updates today !

J'na Jefferson on The Grapevine, shared by J'na Jefferson to The Root

A new Samuel L. Jackson project is coming our way, and it’s something pretty different from the tough-talking acting legend.
According to Variety, Jackson is starring in and executive producing a six-part docuseries titled Enslaved, which focuses on unlocking information about human trafficking “from Africa and the New World.” The site says the show, which is slated to air on Epix September 14, will cover 400 years worth of history on the subject. The show will also premiere on Canada’s CBC network on October 18. Per a press release obtained by The Root, the series is being internationally distributed by British-based content company Fremantle.
Advertisement
“The series uses a DNA test to identify Jackson’s ancestral tribe and trace his personal journey from the US to Gabon for his induction into the Benga tribe,” Variety reads. “Each episode follows three separate storylines : Jackson’s personal story, the quest for a sunken slave ship, and a historical investigation led by investigative journalists Simcha Jacobovici and Afua Hirsch.” Jackson posted a series of photos during his time in Africa to his Instagram page last year while filming the show.
Advertisement Advertisement
“By involving Samuel L. Jackson—that instantly appeals to a completely new demographic, younger audiences familiar with his incredibly vast catalog of movies,” Hirsch says of the celebrity component of the series. “But also the archaeological element, the adventure of it, the dives and the mystery-solving as well as the storytelling and the traveling , I think it’s so many things.” Hirsch also discusses the significance of this part of world history, stating that “There is no British or American or South American or African person who was not touched by [human trafficking.]”
Advertisement
Aside from his well-known films, some of Jackson’s previous acting work has aimed to bring awareness to this devastating topic. He starred in the 2014 film Kite, which chronicles one woman’s experiences through the world of human trafficking in order to discover who murdered her parents. He is also a staunch human rights advocate and activist who has supported various Africa-based causes and charities, such as the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and Artists for a New South Africa.
Advertisement
Join the discussion! The Root is hosting its first-ever, virtual Root Institute, presented by Target, featuring several of the leading minds in our community talking about politics, culture, health, community building and social impact. Subscribe for updates today!


theroot--2020-08-04--Trump on John Lewis: He Didn’t Come to My Inauguration, So I Didn’t Go to His Funeral, and I’ve Done

Trump on John Lewis: He Didn’t Come to My Inauguration, So I Didn’t Go to His Funeral, and I’ve Done More for Blacks Than He Did

I ’ m as petty as the next man .
I once made a cashier at the grocery store walk away from her register because of my pettiness .
It ’ s a long story but just know that I was right .
So I totally understand pettiness , but there are levels to this shit and no one is as petty as the president .
This bama ’ s petty is off the charts .
It ’ s the kind of petty that even petty people like myself look at and go “ I mean , I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that petty.
” Trump literally fixed his anus-shaped mouth to refuse to give civil rights god John Lewis his flowers and basically stated that he didn ’ t want to celebrate the Georgia Democrat because he refused to attend his 2017 inauguration .
“ I don ’ t know .
I really don ’ t know .
I don ’ t know .
I don ’ t know John Lewis .
He chose not to come to my inauguration , ” Trump said during an interview with Axios that aired Monday and was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked how he thought history would remember Lewis and Trump ’ s answer was , yep , you guessed it , petty AF .
“ I can ’ t say one way or the other , ” Trump said when asked if he thought Lewis was impressive .
“ I find a lot of people impressive .
I find many people not impressive , ” he continued .
“ He didn ’ t come—he didn ’ t come to my inauguration .
He didn ’ t come to my state of the union @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That ’ s his right .
“ He should ’ ve come .
I think he made a big mistake , ” he said .
Goddamnit , the man is dead and Trump still can ’ t say anything positive about one of the greatest civil rights icons to ever stand on a bridge and get his ass beaten bloody by the police for Black America .
Even CNN upheld all of the journalistic standards and still called him a bitch .
Trump ’ s willingness to hold a grudge against what he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those who have passed away , such as Sen. John McCain — has been a hallmark of his public image for decades , though as president , it ’ s remarkable that he would not praise Lewis , who at the time of his passing last month was widely recognized as a hero of the Civil Rights Movement .
News of his death was met with widespread mourning and praise for his accomplishments , and he laid in state in the US Capitol .
Trump declined to pay his respects to Lewis .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ upset because Lewis didn ’ t kiss the ring , and instead , called his presidency a sham and didn ’ t attend his inauguration because the late Georgia Democrat felt Trump was not a “ legitimate president , ” prompting Trump to call the congressman “ all talk ” and “ no action.
” It isn ’ t like Lewis was attending all of the president ’ s inaugurations during his time in Congress , he didn ’ t attend George W. Bush ’ s 2001 inauguration either .
But none of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speak a good word of Lewis ’ name .
Trump couldn ’ t even say that Lewis ’ story was impressive ; the most he could muster was a half-hearted shoutout to Lewis and all those who ’ ve also fought for civil rights .
“ He was a person that devoted a lot of energy and a lot of heart to civil rights , but there were many others also.
” Trump did say that he wouldn ’ t stop the renaming of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma , Alabama—where Lewis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a voting rights march in 1965 , an incident that came to be known as “ Bloody Sunday ” —after the late congressman .
“ I would have no objection to it if they ’ d like to do it , would have no objection to it whatsoever , ” the President said .
As if Trump couldn ’ t have gone any lower , he even had the audacity to fix his white supremacy-shaped mouth to claim that he ’ s done more for Black Americans “ with the possible exception ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unemployment numbers before the global pandemic .
But his record on race — among other things , he has repeatedly sought to undermine the legitimacy of the nation ’ s first Black President , Barack Obama , by pushing the racist conspiracy theory that he wasn ’ t born in the US , has largely declined to address the grief and rage expressed in the wake of George Floyd ’ s death , privately referred to some African nations as “ shithole countries ” and lambasted protests led overwhelmingly by black NFL players @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stoked tensions , and a January Washington Post-Ipsos poll found more than eight in 10 Black Americans believe Trump is racist .
“ He ’ s a narcissist and he is delusional .
The only person that believes that is him , ” Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told CNN .
“ He ’ s done nothing for African-Americans in this country , and to speak that in the same sentence as speaking of John Lewis is almost blasphemous.
” Trump ’ s entire interview was a Thanksgiving spread of a shitty mess @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flipping through graphs to try to prove how his administration hasn ’ t completely shit the bed in mishandling the coronavirus crisis .
You can watch the whole interview here but I ’ m warning you that the chances of you vomiting listening to this bullshit are high .
Join the discussion !
The Root is hosting its first-ever , virtual Root Institute , presented by Target , featuring several of the leading minds in our community talking about politics , culture , health , community building and social impact .
Subscribe for @ @ @

I’m as petty as the next man. I once made a cashier at the grocery store walk away from her register because of my pettiness. It’s a long story but just know that I was right. So I totally understand pettiness, but there are levels to this shit and no one is as petty as the president. This bama’s petty is off the charts. It’s the kind of petty that even petty people like myself look at and go “I mean, I’m petty, but I’m not that petty.”
This nigga is PETTTY petty.
Trump literally fixed his anus-shaped mouth to refuse to give civil rights god John Lewis his flowers and basically stated that he didn’t want to celebrate the Georgia Democrat because he refused to attend his 2017 inauguration.
Advertisement
“I don’t know. I really don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know John Lewis. He chose not to come to my inauguration,” Trump said during an interview with Axios that aired Monday and was a cornucopia of fuckshit.
Trump was asked how he thought history would remember Lewis and Trump’s answer was, yep, you guessed it, petty AF.
Advertisement Advertisement
“I can’t say one way or the other,” Trump said when asked if he thought Lewis was impressive.
“I find a lot of people impressive. I find many people not impressive,” he continued. “He didn’t come—he didn’t come to my inauguration. He didn’t come to my state of the union speeches. And that’s OK. That’s his right.
Advertisement
“He should’ve come. I think he made a big mistake,” he said.
Goddamnit, the man is dead and Trump still can’t say anything positive about one of the greatest civil rights icons to ever stand on a bridge and get his ass beaten bloody by the police for Black America.
Advertisement
Even CNN upheld all of the journalistic standards and still called him a bitch.
Trump’s willingness to hold a grudge against what he perceives as personal slights — even against those who have passed away, such as Sen. John McCain — has been a hallmark of his public image for decades, though as president, it’s remarkable that he would not praise Lewis, who at the time of his passing last month was widely recognized as a hero of the Civil Rights Movement. News of his death was met with widespread mourning and praise for his accomplishments, and he laid in state in the US Capitol. Trump declined to pay his respects to Lewis.
Advertisement
This is all because the racist-in-chief was upset because Lewis didn’t kiss the ring, and instead, called his presidency a sham and didn’t attend his inauguration because the late Georgia Democrat felt Trump was not a “legitimate president,” prompting Trump to call the congressman “all talk” and “no action.”
It isn’t like Lewis was attending all of the president’s inaugurations during his time in Congress, he didn’t attend George W. Bush’s 2001 inauguration either. But none of this could force the petty-ass president to speak a good word of Lewis’ name.
Advertisement
Trump couldn’t even say that Lewis’ story was impressive; the most he could muster was a half-hearted shoutout to Lewis and all those who’ve also fought for civil rights.
“He was a person that devoted a lot of energy and a lot of heart to civil rights, but there were many others also.”
Advertisement
Trump did say that he wouldn’t stop the renaming of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama—where Lewis and other marchers were brutally beaten during a voting rights march in 1965, an incident that came to be known as “Bloody Sunday”—after the late congressman.
“I would have no objection to it if they’d like to do it, would have no objection to it whatsoever,” the President said.
Advertisement
As if Trump couldn’t have gone any lower, he even had the audacity to fix his white supremacy-shaped mouth to claim that he’s done more for Black Americans “with the possible exception” of Abraham Lincoln, pointing to his unemployment numbers before the global pandemic.
From CNN:
But his record on race — among other things, he has repeatedly sought to undermine the legitimacy of the nation’s first Black President, Barack Obama, by pushing the racist conspiracy theory that he wasn’t born in the US, has largely declined to address the grief and rage expressed in the wake of George Floyd’s death, privately referred to some African nations as “shithole countries” and lambasted protests led overwhelmingly by black NFL players during the National Anthem — has often stoked tensions, and a January Washington Post-Ipsos poll found more than eight in 10 Black Americans believe Trump is racist.
Advertisement
“He’s a narcissist and he is delusional. The only person that believes that is him,” Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told CNN. “He’s done nothing for African-Americans in this country, and to speak that in the same sentence as speaking of John Lewis is almost blasphemous.”
Trump’s entire interview was a Thanksgiving spread of a shitty mess. Just look at this bumbling fool flipping through graphs to try to prove how his administration hasn’t completely shit the bed in mishandling the coronavirus crisis.
Advertisement
You can watch the whole interview here but I’m warning you that the chances of you vomiting listening to this bullshit are high.
Advertisement
Join the discussion! The Root is hosting its first-ever, virtual Root Institute, presented by Target, featuring several of the leading minds in our community talking about politics, culture, health, community building and social impact. Subscribe for updates today!


theroot--2020-08-04--Make the Most Out of Your Espresso With These Special Mugs

Save 40 % on a pair of cute see-through mugs made especially for espresso !
Down to $ 14 , @ @ @ @ @ to sip 5.4 ounces of pure caffeine goodness !
It ’ s made with a @ @ @ @ @ you won ’ t burn your hands or fingers while sipping .
Grab this before @ @ @ @ @

Ignacia on Kinja Deals, shared by Ignacia to The Root

Espresso Mugs | $14 | Amazon
Save 40% on a pair of cute see-through mugs made especially for espresso ! Down to $14, you’ll be able to sip 5.4 ounces of pure caffeine goodness! It’s made with a double wall of glass so you won’t burn your hands or fingers while sipping. Grab this before it’s gone!


theroot--2020-08-04--Bill Russell Tweets From the Afterlife to Remind Everyone That Yes, He Is Still Very Much Alive

Bill Russell is an 11-time NBA champion , a civil rights icon and one of the most gregarious men you will ever meet—or would ’ ve met , rather , considering people keep mistaking the 86-year-old ageless wonder for dead .
On Sunday , the Boston Celtics extinguished the Portland Trail Blazers 128-124 in a game that saw the C ’ s almost blow a 24-point lead .
And in the first quarter , after Marcus Smart stuffed Carmelo Anthony then saved the ball to keep it in-bounds , one fan noted how it reminded him of one of Russell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sent Melo ’ s shit and kept it in bounds , ” user @ fakemikemulloy tweeted .
“ Bill Russell is looking down from heaven smiling.
” This , of course , forced Russell to press pause on his game of spades with James Brown and W.E.B .
Du Bois to issue a retort .
“ Just in case anyone cares , I am still alive , at least I was the last time I checked , ” he tweeted .
“ I ’ m watching @ celtics vs @ trailblazers @ NBA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ let them know I ’ m still hanging in there ” Naturally , this clapback from the heavens above sent Twitter into a frenzy .
Fellow Boston residents James White and Ja ’ Whuan Bentley of the New England Patriots got a good laugh out of the exchange too .
I ’ m just glad that the five-time MVP can laugh off these repeated attempts on his life .
Protect this man at all costs .

Bill Russell is an 11-time NBA champion, a civil rights icon and one of the most gregarious men you will ever meet—or would’ve met, rather, considering people keep mistaking the 86-year-old ageless wonder for dead.
On Sunday, the Boston Celtics extinguished the Portland Trail Blazers 128-124 in a game that saw the C’s almost blow a 24-point lead. And in the first quarter, after Marcus Smart stuffed Carmelo Anthony then saved the ball to keep it in-bounds, one fan noted how it reminded him of one of Russell’s signature moves.
Advertisement
“Smart sent Melo’s shit and kept it in bounds,” user @fakemikemulloy tweeted. “Bill Russell is looking down from heaven smiling.”
Advertisement Advertisement
This, of course, forced Russell to press pause on his game of spades with James Brown and W.E.B. Du Bois to issue a retort.
“Just in case anyone cares, I am still alive, at least I was the last time I checked,” he tweeted. “I’m watching @celtics vs @trailblazers @NBA @NBAonABC Hey @paulpierce34 can you let them know I’m still hanging in there”
Advertisement
Naturally, this clapback from the heavens above sent Twitter into a frenzy.
Advertisement
Y’all gone stop wishing death on William Felton Russell, goddammit.
Fellow Boston residents James White and Ja’Whuan Bentley of the New England Patriots got a good laugh out of the exchange too.
Advertisement
I’m just glad that the five-time MVP can laugh off these repeated attempts on his life. Protect this man at all costs.


theroot--2020-08-05--Roc Nation Partners With New York's Long Island University to Launch School of Music, Sports and Ent

Roc Nation Partners With New York's Long Island University to Launch School of Music, Sports and Entertainment

Prospective students at Brooklyn ’ s Long Island University ( LIU ) will have the chance to learn from some of the best in business , music , sports and more , thanks to the college ’ s new partnership with Roc Nation .
According to The Hollywood Reporter , the Jay-Z-owned entertainment company is working with LIU for a new program : Roc Nation School of Music , Sports & Entertainment .
The school will begin enrolling students for the fall 2021 semester , and plans to offer “ undergraduate degrees in music , music technology , entrepreneurship and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will also be able to hear from guest speakers , lecturers , and can apply to get hands-on work experience through internships .
Approximately 25 percent of freshmen enrolled in the program will receive Roc Nation Hope Scholarships .
Those who are selected as Hope Scholars are chosen from a pool of students who are “ academically competitive , need-based first-time freshmen from New York , ” per THR .
The best part ?
Those selected for the scholarship will graduate without student debt .
Roc Nation ’ s CEO Desiree Perez said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ institution stands as “ a true investment in our community and young people in Brooklyn , in New York City , and beyond.
” Jay-Z hails from the borough ’ s Bedford-Stuyvesant section .
“ Our proximity in and around New York City ’ s epicenter of music and sports clearly positions us to offer unparalleled experiential learning and access to professional opportunities that will launch students to success , ” LIU President Dr. Kimberly Cline said in a statement to THR .
“ We look forward to joining with Roc Nation to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up the entertainment and sports world to a new and eager generation.
” The Roc Nation School of Music , Sports & Entertainment also offers programs for school-aged children who aren ’ t college-bound just yet .
Per THR , the school will open summer residential camps for high schoolers as well as Saturday programs for students ages 10 to 18 , in order for them to gain experience in the sports and music worlds .
The programs will begin in spring 2021 , and will offer scholarships for students in need .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ hosting its first-ever , virtual Root Institute , presented by Target , featuring several of the leading minds in our community talking about politics , culture , health , community building and social impact .
Subscribe for updates today !

Prospective students at Brooklyn’s Long Island University (LIU) will have the chance to learn from some of the best in business, music, sports and more, thanks to the college’s new partnership with Roc Nation. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Jay-Z-owned entertainment company is working with LIU for a new program: the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment.
The school will begin enrolling students for the fall 2021 semester, and plans to offer “undergraduate degrees in music, music technology, entrepreneurship and production, and sports management.” Students will also be able to hear from guest speakers, lecturers, and can apply to get hands-on work experience through internships.
Advertisement
Approximately 25 percent of freshmen enrolled in the program will receive Roc Nation Hope Scholarships. Those who are selected as Hope Scholars are chosen from a pool of students who are “academically competitive, need-based first-time freshmen from New York,” per THR. The best part? Those selected for the scholarship will graduate without student debt.
Advertisement Advertisement
Roc Nation’s CEO Desiree Perez said that their partnership with the higher learning institution stands as “a true investment in our community and young people in Brooklyn, in New York City, and beyond.” Jay-Z hails from the borough’s Bedford-Stuyvesant section.
“Our proximity in and around New York City’s epicenter of music and sports clearly positions us to offer unparalleled experiential learning and access to professional opportunities that will launch students to success,” LIU President Dr. Kimberly Cline said in a statement to THR. “We look forward to joining with Roc Nation to offer an unprecedented educational resource that opens up the entertainment and sports world to a new and eager generation.”
Advertisement
The Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment also offers programs for school-aged children who aren’t college-bound just yet. Per THR, the school will open summer residential camps for high schoolers as well as Saturday programs for students ages 10 to 18, in order for them to gain experience in the sports and music worlds. The programs will begin in spring 2021 and will offer scholarships for students in need.
Join the discussion! The Root is hosting its first-ever, virtual Root Institute, presented by Target, featuring several of the leading minds in our community talking about politics, culture, health, community building and social impact. Subscribe for updates today!