Texas Gov. Rick Perry is riding off into the sunset. Perry, who entered the race to tons of buzz last fall, today announced the end of his presidential campaign. He will hold a press conference in Charleston, S.C., today to announce his plans. The move is not surprising to many who think he should have…

Seven teens have been charged after videotaping the beating and robbery of an Asian teenager. Six boys and one girl, all of whom appeared to be white, took the teenager’s wallet, cash and a pair of gym shoes, according to police. The video, which has been removed from YouTube, shows five of the six males…

NBA Hall of Famer and all-time leading scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar may have scored his biggest basket today when he was appointed the State Department’s cultural ambassador. The appointment, given to Abdul-Jabbar by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, will have the NBA legend promoting the importance of education, social and racial tolerance, cultural understanding and…

The man whom many call the greatest boxer of all time, Muhammad Ali, is celebrating his 70th birthday on Tuesday. In honor of Ali’s 70th, Time magazine has compiled a list of his 70 most iconic images. Writer George Lois talked about covering Ali’s boxing career and his memories of following the ultimate sports icon.…

Actor Taye Diggs recently revealed some issues he had with his own skin color when he was growing up. Diggs, a heartthrob to many women, didn’t really recognize his own attractiveness until he get older and began loving himself and his dark skin. “When I saw Tyson Beckford hailed as this beautiful man by all…

Entertainer Nick Cannon is speaking out after he suffered a kidney ailment that threatened his life two weeks ago. The America’s Got Talent host was admitted to a hospital after he suffered mild kidney failure. He spoke on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM radio show about the ordeal. “They thought it was kidney stones, then a kidney…

Superstar Beyoncé is taking heat for a new photo promoting her latest album, 4. The photo shows the singer, markedly lighter than her natural shade and with straight blond hair and bleached eyebrows, lying on a couch. Beyoncé is no stranger to “lightening” controversies. In 2008 L’Oréal denied accusations that it had lightened the star…

Bill Duke, co-director of Dark Girls, a new documentary focusing on colorism, recently spoke to The Root DC about the struggles of dark-skinned women. Duke said that the message of the film — in which women from many different cities, backgrounds and ages talk about growing up with dark skin — is one that transcends…

A newly discovered horsefly in Australia with a golden-haired behind has been named after Beyoncé. The species had been sitting in a fly collection since it was captured in 1981 (the year Beyoncé was born).Bryan Lessard, a researcher at Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, named it Scaptia Beyonceae. Lessard said he named the…

The Rev. Raphael G. Warnock of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta criticized Newt Gingrich in his Sunday service honoring the late civil rights legend. Warnock, who was recently profiled in this Huffington Post Black Voices article, blasted the Republican presidential contender for race-baiting. “He is playing an old game that’s part…