For The Root Friday I wrote about this whole trumped up race controversy Daily Kos writer Shaun King unwillingly found himself at the center of. It’s all a hot mess of conservative trolling, seeking to police the race of biracial people. It was pretty sickening. Continue reading
On Tuesday I interviewed two activists out of Black Lives Matter chapters in Massachusetts who met with former Secy. of State Hillary Clinton. While they did have some words about their meeting with Clinton, ultimately they had a message for all the candidates: Get a real analysis on race. Continue reading
In my final installment of “After the Fire” for The Root, I take a look at the five biggest challenges facing this growing movement. From issues of division to the insidious nature of racism itself, the challenges are many. Continue reading
In my third part of the “After the Fire” series for The Root I touch on politics, #BlackLivesMatter and the current social justice movement. In “Black Voters Matter,” I talk to several people, including Van Jones, Rev. William Barber II, Jeff Johnson, Patrisse Cullors, Charlene Carruthers, Cornell William Brooks and many more. Check it out. Continue reading
In the second installment of the After the Fire series for The Root, I take a look at two different styles of movement leadership — one with a strong central figure and one that is decentralized and community-based. Black Lives Matter is built out of the community base model. In this story, I speak with organizers and activists out of Ferguson, WyzeChef and Netta, as well as Rev. Al Shaprton and we go over some of the historical tension between BLM adherents and Sharpton that culminated last year during a rally in D.C. Continue reading
For The Root a first in a series of long-form pieces by your truly started running this Sunday. The stories, as part of “After the Fire” series, go in-depth about the state of the movement, where its been, where it’s headed and what it’s facing. The first story, “How to Burn What Can’t Catch Fire,” looks the brief, unfinished history of digital movements around racial justice. Upcoming pieces will look at divisions, politics and challenges. Continue reading
For The Root on Tuesday I penned an explainer on the Confederate flag, including facts like how the flag we see the most isn’t actually the official flag of the Confederacy, but a North Virginia battle flag, and how the flag only became popular as desegregation gained steam. I also write about what it will take to get the flag removed from South Carolina’s state grounds — a majority vote from the South Carolina legislature. Check it out. Continue reading
