-
The Real-Life Women of Scandal
During the 1920s, the banana-skirt-wearing dancer-singer became a sensation in Europe for her unapologetic display of sensuality. Despite being a major star in integrated Paris, she still found racism rampant back home, and her sophistication and theatrical prowess were rejected when she tried to return to the American stage in the late 1930s. The singer-actress…
-
The Woman Civil Rights Leaders Threw Under a Bus
Every year during Black History Month, Rosa Parks’ name rolls off the tongues of schoolchildren and educators around the nation as they discuss the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s. Yet the lesser-known Claudette Colvin, whom media outlets have referred to as “The Other Rosa Parks,” still remains absent from any teachings. The…
-
For Wanda Sykes, 'Funny Always Wins'
Irreverent comic Wanda Sykes is a headliner this weekend at the re-opening of the historic Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C. Sykes was working a day job as a government worker in the city almost 20 years ago when she began her stand-up career. She recently spoke to The Root with her usual brand of levity…
-
In Their Words: MLK's Legacy
“[On MLK Day, I plan to] take the time out to review some of the historical documents that Dr. Martin Luther King wrote and presented so I can continue to remember what he has done for where we are today.” “[King represents] hope. Hope for a better future. That’s what I strive for and teach…
-
Parenting in the Age of Hip-Hop
In a blog entry at The Root DC, Abdul Ali, who also is a contributor to The Root, writes that becoming a parent has challenged his loyalty to hip-hop. He recently received a jolt of reality when he heard his 7-year-old daughter reciting misogynistic rhymes. An otherwise ordinary weekend went awry when my daughter parroted…
-
A Tribute to Hip-Hop's Pioneers
Considered the father of hip-hop, the Jamaican-born disc jockey created the “breakbeat” through experimentation at dance parties, during which he’d break the song by isolating and repeating the beats, which would extend the song and create a new track that would keep the dance floor moving. The legendary Bronx, N.Y.-born disc jockey’s Planet Rock with…
-
Her Life: A Mary J. Blige Timeline
Mary Jane Blige was born in the Bronx, N.Y., on Jan. 11, 1971. The future songbird would spend her early childhood years in Georgia, where she attended a Pentecostal Church and developed an appreciation for gospel music. After her father left her family in the mid-’70s, she moved with her mother and sister to the…
-
4 Questions With Patrick Robinson
The National Portrait Gallery recently premiered AT&T Celebrates “The Black List,” an exhibition featuring 50 large-sized portraits of accomplished African Americans that will remain on display until April 22, 2012. “The Black List” was conceived, photographed and filmed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and was subsequently made into a documentary that aired on HBO in 2008. Patrick…
-
4 Questions With Timothy Greenfield-Sanders
AT&T Celebrates “The Black List,” a photography exhibition featuring 50 portraits of accomplished African Americans, recently opened at the National Portrait Gallery and will remain on display until April 22, 2012. The Root caught up with the mastermind behind the “The Black List,” photographer-filmmaker Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, at a special reception held at the gallery. The…
-
4 Questions With Majora Carter
The National Portrait Gallery recently premiered AT&T Celebrates “The Black List,” an exhibition featuring 50 large-sized portraits of accomplished African Americans that will remain on display until April 22, 2012. “The Black List” was conceived, photographed and filmed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders in his East Village apartment in New York City after a nudge from his…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
