"The Root" will continue to grow over the coming year, adding innovative tools and sharing functions to greater promote community.

 "All of us at The Washington Post Company are excited to be part of launching 'The Root.' The chance to work with Skip Gates and the team he and Lynette Clemetson have assembled is a great one," said Donald Graham, Chairman of The Washington Post Company. "We hope to help create a strong online community with interactivity across the site."

 HBO has signed on as the first founding sponsor of "The Root," a significant collaboration in establishing the growth of the site.

 In addition, MSN will regularly feature links to "The Root's" articles on its homepage, providing an important channel to drive national and international readers to "The Root."