The planning started soon after Election Night. And now the hopes of young, single black men and women are pinned to inauguration week. The goal for the degreed and pedigreed: to find their very own Barack or Michelle.

Back, back, way back in the day, Hollywood was ahead of the curve, plugging its candidate for the first black president. From Sammy Davis Jr. to Chappelle’s Black Bush, how pop culture tested the waters for a black man running the nation.

Last year's Giants were a cut above mediocre. By contrast, this year’s Eagles outscored their opponents by a whopping 127 points. In other words, they aren’t Cinderella; instead they are the latest example of another cherished sports cliché, the team that is much better than their record indicated.

The late rapper Chris Wallace and his talent deserved a more honest tribute than the film Notorious delivered. The by-the numbers biopic succeeds in taking you back to the glory days of gangsta rap, but falls flat soon after.

Queen Latifah may have first promoted it on Saturday Night Live, but The Root has an early look at Gwen Ifill’s  much-anticipated book on the Obama generation of black political leaders. 'The Breakthrough' hits stores on Jan. 20. Read an excerpt here.

Several HBCUs are introducing a new program called Banking on Our Future: College Edition. The program aims at breaking the devastating crisis of financial illiteracy in people of color and is clear proof that HBCUs are beginning to talk in the ‘language of money.’

John F. Kennedy's election pulled his fellow Catholics into the mainstream. Has Barack Obama done the same for blacks?

What Obama's partnership with Biden means for this relationship.

Bryant Terry's latest recipe from Eco-Soul Kitchen is an edible homage, dedicated to Oscar Grant III, Adolph Grimes III, Sean Bell and countless other victims of police brutality.

All this week, our sister site, Slate, will be running an inaugural-themed novella. Best-selling author Curtis Sittenfeld serves up a tale of family, history and the personal side of politics.