(The Root) — On the heels of her widely praised speech at the Democratic National Convention, first lady Michelle Obama delivered another high-profile address, this time at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual Phoenix Awards gala in Washington, D.C. As first reported on The Root, this year marked the first lady’s first year delivering a…

(The Root) — On Friday a special investigator commissioned by the House of Representatives announced that one of the most prominent African-American women in Congress, Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), did not violate House ethics rules. The investigation cast a three-year cloud over the California congresswoman, her family and congressional Democrats in general, coming on the heels…

(The Root) — It could be argued that President Obama has been one of the greatest targets of criticism in presidential history. For many black Americans this has not entirely been a surprise, with the president’s race making him an even more attractive target than previous presidents. What has been surprising to some is the…

(The Root) — Sometimes a presidential candidate’s behavior is so outlandish during a campaign that you have to assume the person doesn’t really want to become president, but instead is secretly hoping that his wacky behavior will be found out so he’ll have an excuse to throw in the towel and find something less demanding…

(The Root) — Next to the Obamas and former President Bill Clinton, there was one other elected official whose speech captivated the crowd at the Democratic National Convention: Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.). No one could blame the other speakers for claiming that he had an unfair advantage, though. After all, as a practicing Methodist minister,…

(The Root) — While a teachers union in Chicago has dominated headlines nationwide because of a strike affecting 400,000 students, the union influence in another story with national implications went largely overlooked. This week, Michigan, which had been touted as a swing state this election cycle because of the discontentment of white working-class voters, lost…

(The Root) — A Democratic source has confirmed exclusively to The Root that for the first time ever, first lady Michelle Obama will give the keynote address at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Phoenix Awards on Sept. 22. With her husband tied up on the campaign trail, the first lady will be taking his place…

(The Root) — On Thursday night President Obama was tasked with delivering the most important speech of his tenure in office. With polls showing the 2012 presidential election increasingly close, many experts intimated that he needed to hit a home run just to stay in the game. Though widely hailed as one of the greatest…

(The Root) — The same week that a controversial new article landed former President Clinton in the headlines for allegedly making a remark that could be interpreted as racially insensitive about President Barack Obama, the man once described as “the first black president” grabbed the front pages again, for possibly saving the Obama presidency. This…