-
Oscars 2014: Red-Carpet Roundup
The 86th Academy Awards were held at the Dolby Theatre on March 2 in Hollywood, Calif. The Root has a recap of the black stars to walk the red carpet. Best actor in a leading role nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor and his guest Actress Kerry Washington Best director nominee Steve McQueen and producer Bianca Stigter Best…
-
Satirical Blog Offers Up Little-Known Black History Facts
The satirical blog Little Known Black History Facts has developed a large following since it first launched in 2012. This year, controversy surrounded the blog—some claimed it disrespected Black History Month. We sat down with the blog’s creator, Tracy Clayton (a former writer for The Root), to get her take on the controversy. The Root:…
-
Spike Lee Gets Real About Gentrification
Director Spike Lee let them know how he really felt on Tuesday night. According to New York magazine, Lee was speaking at Pratt Institute for a Black History Month lecture when an audience member asked him about “the other side” of the gentrification debate. “Let me just kill you right now, because there was some…
-
Rihanna: Accountant Left Me Bankrupt
In 2009 singer Rihanna was down to her last $2 million thanks to bad business advice from financial advisers, causing the singer to file suit against New York-based firm Burden LLC for mishandling her money. Rihanna is worth $40 million today, but in 2009 she was effectively bankrupt and didn’t know. In recently filed paperwork,…
-
Brooklyn District Attorney Vows to Decriminalize Marijuana
Ken Thompson, Brooklyn’s new district attorney, is making some drastic changes. While he doesn’t have the authority to legalize marijuana in his New York City borough, he can decide who is charged, and Thompson has vowed not to prosecute low-level marijuana offenses. According to the Huffington Post, Ken Thompson said during his inaugural address last…
-
California School Plans Fried Chicken and Watermelon Lunch For Black History Month
File under how not to celebrate Black History Month. Carondelet High School for Girls in Concord, California, is under fire after announcing a Black History Month lunch special menu of fried chicken, cornbread and watermelon. Students at the Northern California private school had been brainstorming ways to celebrate Black History Month. The lunch menu was…
-
Piers Morgan Learns How Not to Interview Janet Mock
Transgender advocate and writer Janet Mock agreed to do her first mainstream interview with CNN’s Piers Morgan on Tuesday, to discuss her critically acclaimed book, Redefining Realness. It didn’t go so well. Criticism from Mock and the transgender community led to a second interview on Wednesday, which, in the eyes of many viewers, didn’t go…
-
The GOP Gets in on Black History Month Advertising
Looks like the GOP wants in on Black History Month. Republican leaders have long noted the party’s inability to attract African-American voters. Some 93 percent of African Americans voted for Obama in the 2012 election, compared with 6 percent for the Republican candidate, Mitt Romney. In a move to bring more black Americans into the…
-
Film Classics Reimagined With African Leading Ladies
We wish that the film remakes featured in the exhibit ONOMOllywood, the brainchild of Dakar, Senegal-based photographers Omar Victor Diop and Antoine Tempé, were real. The duo was approached by hotel group Onomo International to create a photo series that used Onomo’s hotels as a backdrop. Diop and Tempé decided to create a 20-photo exhibit…
-
Black Girls Who Won in 2013
This was a good year for black women. From Emmy nominations to elections, music to movies, black women dominated 2013. The Root has gathered a list of the black girls who won in 2013. Sasha Obama Sasha caused a unicorn sweater shortage this year. After she was spotted wearing this ASOS sweatshirt, it promptly sold…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
