In a poignant interview with Time magazine, four of five black and Latino men who became known as the Central Park Five speak out about their upcoming documentary film, which is a watershed moment in American history. It’s hard not to be aware of these men, even if you don’t know them by name. They…

(The Root) — When President Barack Obama takes the oath of office for a second term on Jan. 21, he will use two Bibles: the one used by Abraham Lincoln at his first inauguration, which the president used during his first ceremony in 2009, and a Bible used by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.,…

Denzel Washington and Quvenzhané Wallis — who has made history as the youngest Oscar nominee ever — are the only African-American actors who made the list of 2013 Academy Award contenders. Washington earned a best actor Oscar nod for his role as a troubled airline pilot in Flight, according to the list of nominees released…

Update: Tuesday, Jan. 1: 11:59 p.m. EST: Before leaving for Hawaii, President Obama hailed the fiscal-cliff bill, which he plans to sign. With regard to future negotiations over the nation’s budget, he said, “The one thing that I think hopefully in the new year we’ll focus on is seeing if we can put a package…

Starting today, BET is reporting that nearly a million minimum wage earners in 10 states will receive a cost-of-living adjustment in their paychecks to account for inflation. Washington State, after a raise of 15 cents, will have the highest minimum wage in the nation at $9.19 per hour. Other states raising their minimum wage are…

Forty years after their wrongful convictions for firebombing a grocery store in Wilmington, N.C., outgoing Gov. Beverly Perdue on Monday pardoned the civil rights activists who became known as the Wilmington 10, CNN reports. Former NAACP head Benjamin Chavis was among the activists, who were convicted and sentenced to a combined 300 years in prison. A…

The U.S. Postal Service marked the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation by issuing a limited edition stamp that will go on sale Wednesday at post offices nationwide, NBC Washington reports. The stamp was unveiled at the National Archives, where the original Emancipation Proclamation is on display through 5 p.m. Tuesday, the final day of…

Before talk of a “fiscal cliff” stole center stage on the domestic front, all eyes of political observers were most likely on the selection of President Barack Obama’s second-term cabinet. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was recently admitted to a New York hospital for treatment of a blot clot, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa…

Almost a year after her unarmed son, Trayvon Martin, was shot and killed while visiting his father in Sanford, Fla., Sybrina Fulton tells Essence.com that she is ready for justice to be served in 2013. She also talks about her first holiday season without her son, among other things, in the exclusive interview. George Zimmerman,…

Popular Good Morning America host has reached a turning point following a bone marrow transplant in her battle against the rare blood disorder myelodysplastic syndrome: She just passed the 100-day milestone, the Daily News reports. That means her immune system is strong enough to reunite with K.J., her loyal Jack Russell terrier. The 52-year-old, who…