To those who never found the Scandal bandwagon appealing, who think Kerry Washington’s performance as Olivia Pope has always been a tad over the top, yet who feel it’s important to support shows with a person of color in the lead: The people at Fox would like you to meet Nicole Beharie. The Juilliard-trained actress…

(The Root) — In the months since the body of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson was found rolled up in a mat in the gymnasium of Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Ga., nothing has seemed to add up. The initial explanation that investigators gave to Johnson’s parents, Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson, was that their son died in a…

(The Root) — On Wednesday evening, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., The Root’s editor-in-chief, Henry Louis Gates Jr., hosted an illustrious panel and screening of his 13th documentary, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross. Gates sat down to discuss the monumental six-part, six-hour series with Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), journalist Charlayne…

Updated Oct. 9, 2:15 p.m. EDT: Jack Lamar Roberson’s family has taken the first step toward legal action in the fatal shooting of the allegedly suicidal man and have been in contact with an attorney, although no formal arrangements have been made, The Root has learned.  It may be a long battle, with both sides…

When Ellen Pompeo, the lead actress on Grey’s Anatomy, was offered the role of Dr. Meredith Grey, she had no idea it would become the role of a lifetime, but she was certain she did not want the role to be anything like her real life. As Grey’s Anatomy celebrates its 200-episode milestone, Pompeo reveals…

Administrators at Rutgers University have a new recruitment tool they can include when they talk about campus life. According to InterracialMatch.com (the self-proclaimed No. 1 interracial-dating site in the world), the New Brunswick, N.J., campus is the top college for interracial dating. No. 2 on the list? Stanford in California. The Star-Ledger reports: “It’s not…

Updated Oct. 6, 2:45 p.m. EDT: Police have now backed off allegations that the attack on a soldier over the weekend was a hate crime, according to the Daily News. The main suspect has been identified as another soldier, Jeremiah Hill. Earlier:  Police in Lakewood, Wash., are investigating the fatal attack early Saturday morning on a…

No group brings to mind images of hatred, violence and sheer ugliness more than the Ku Klux Klan. But is it possible that today’s iteration of the KKK looks remarkably different from the iconic images of white men in white robes and white hoods, burning crosses and terrorizing black people (and those who were allies of…

A group of Tufts University researchers recently conducted a study about the appeal of what they call “outrage-based” political shows hosted by such polarizing figures as Rush Limbaugh on the right and Rachel Maddow on the left. They conclude that the reason people gravitate toward such fare is that it offers them a form of…

In Anderson, S.C., real estate developer Chuck Corley has his eyes on a row of boarded-up houses. They’re in good condition, and certainly refurbishable, but there’s one small problem: Slaves used to live there. NBC News recently reported on Corley and his plans to develop a row of buildings built in 1850 and rent them…