In case you haven't heard, The Root’s got a podcast! Unique Views is our weekly audio offering that serves up the best and blackest in pop culture. This week, our host, Senior Editor Stephen Crockett, attempted to create a theme song for us, but things got embarrassing. Crockett has also gained one new follower since our first episode—spoiler alert, it was me.
We also talked about the tragedy that is the death of Alton Sterling, the 37-year-old father of five who was shot and killed by Baton Rouge, La., police officers. We wondered if the media would portray Sterling as a loving father and not as a thug. We scoffed at the mention in the news that the officers were wearing body cameras but they "fell off" during the confrontation. Our biggest question around this painful event was, what are the chances that the cops involved will be charged?
The conversation then shifted to something lighter, older and viral: Irvin Randle, aka #MrStealYourGrandma, the gray-bearded internet sensation that had women everywhere sharing his photos and men everywhere rolling their eyes. We talked about why beards matter (especially Randle's) and his competition on "Instergram," and I mentioned that I met him while away at the Essence Festival in New Orleans. Crockett and my fellow co-host, Yesha Callahan, griped about my humble brag and barely listened to my story of meeting Oprah for a second time.
And, of course, there's more, like Washington, D.C.'s new name, black gentrification, ending racism, Azealia Banks and her Whitenicious-brand skin-lightening cream and Rachel Dolezal's dashiki collection—and we teased our next episode, which will feature our first celebrity guest. You've got to tune in to find out who!
Listen to the episode below, and don't forget to subscribe!
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