-
Reclaiming Civility
When President Obama spoke at a White House press conference the day after the midterm elections, among his most salient points was his statement that our country must embrace civility again. No truer words could have been spoken. We witnessed a veritable slugfest among candidates leading up to Election Day, everything from a plethora of…
-
The Root Interview: Julianne Malveaux on the Importance of HBCUs
Educator Dr. Julianne Malveaux has long been known as a firebrand. Armed with a doctorate in economics from MIT, she’s made a career out of interpreting the American economic landscape as it relates to African-American life. (Her latest book is Surviving and Thriving: 365 Facts in Black Economic History.) Three years ago, the economist refocused…
-
Annette Gordon-Reed's 'Genius' Pursuit
Annette Gordon-Reed’s lifelong interest in history became the platform for a curious phone call she received this fall. “I was stunned,” she told The Root. “I was totally expecting to hear [someone else] on the other end, and then [an unfamiliar voice] said, ‘Are you by yourself?’ Yes. ‘And are you sitting down?’ ” The…
-
The Root Interview: James Earl Jones on Driving Miss Daisy
Driving Miss Daisy, the racially charged, 1987 Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Alfred Uhry, has had a long shelf life. In 1989 it was made into an Oscar-winning film starring Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman. Now it’s coming to Broadway, opening tonight. This go-round, the timeless story of tenderness across the racial divide during Jim Crow…
-
The High Price of Education
The fate of education in America greets me every morning when I wake up, because I am a parent. I have mixed feelings about what’s happening in the world of education, in part because I feel that I stand as one of the privileged few in this discussion. At least for now, my husband and…
-
Did Elle Magazine Truly Whitewash Gabby Sidibe?
Seemed like great news when we learned that Academy Award nominee Gabourey Sidibe was gracing the cover of Elle magazine. Apart from Ebony and The New York Times Magazine, no publication has dared anoint her a cover girl. Makes sense that Elle would be the mainstream monthly to celebrate Gabby in this way. For decades,…
-
Dear Carla Bruni-Sarkozy: You're Wrong About Michelle Obama
I’m not surprised, at this point in our political history, that Michelle Obama would be under attack. When she stands out as the half of the presidential couple with the super-high ratings, isn’t it only natural that somehow, some way, somebody would come out with guns a-blazin’, trying to destroy her credibility? What’s odd is…
-
Fashion Week: What Really Goes on Inside the Tents
Do you remember the Eddie Murphy skit years ago on Saturday Night Live when he posed the question, What happens on a bus when all the black people get off? His skit featured all the white passengers having the only party while the driver transported the behind-the-velvet-ropes bus down the street. Well, that’s Fashion Week.…
-
Fashionistas Protest Fashion Week
The big scream during the past few years, when it comes to models — and weeks, when it comes to editorial leaders — has been about the lack of diversity in the world of fashion. Prompted by the recent hire of a white woman as fashion director of Essence magazine, there’s been a lot of…
-
The Essence Hire: It's Personal and Professional
Reports that Essence magazine is hiring Ellianna Placas, a white woman, as fashion director have ignited a passionate response around the Web. Michaela angela Davis, a former fashion editor at the magazine, spoke out against the news on her Facebook page: “It’s with a heavy heart I’ve learned that Essence magazine has engaged a white…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
