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'We Have to Ensure Accountability': Anita Hill to Launch an App Identifying Serial Abusers in Entertainment
Prior to being portrayed by Kerry Washington in 2016’s Confirmation (HBO), few people would’ve associated esteemed attorney and academic Anita Hill with Hollywood. Understandably, the longtime professor of women’s studies and social policy and law in Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management had largely stayed out of the spotlight after reluctantly entering…
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Wrapping Paper Roll Call: Everything's Better Together
True Confession Time: I am deeply missing my partner this holiday season. Having committed to a long-distance relationship well before the pandemic hit, the events of 2020—which have necessitated us spending far more time apart than together—presented a whole new set of challenges. So, suffice to say that those of you griping about the abundance…
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Rashida Jones Is the Next President of MSNBC News—and First Black Woman to Helm a Cable News Network
If you’ve been impressed with the amount of Black talent making it onto MSNBC’s roster as of late, prepare to be amazed. On Monday, NBC Universal announced that the news channel’s current president, Phil Griffin, will be leaving on February 1, 2021, after a 25-year tenure with the company and 12 as its president. Ascending…
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Why Was 'Childbirth' Trending on Twitter? Because It’s Kind of a Big Deal
If you’re reading this, at some point you were born—and whether naturally, with an epidural or via cesarean section, it was indisputably a major physical event for the woman who carried you, no matter how much she may have wanted to welcome you into the world. In fact, it may have been so traumatic she…
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Valentino Must Be Euphoric: Zendaya Is the Luxury Label's Newest Ambassador
Is there a power on Earth greater than Zendaya? The obvious answer is, of course, yes. But if you watched her return to HBO’s Euphoria for the first of its two-part holiday special this weekend (shout out to Colman Domingo’s brilliant performance opposite her), you likely got the reference above. While this year hasn’t had…
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Authors Raven Leilani, James McBride, and Editor Chris Jackson Win Honors From the Center for Fiction
Toni Morrison would be proud. The Center for Fiction’s Annual Awards Benefit was dedicated to the memory of the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, who died in August 2019. But the virtual event, emceed by comedian, author and Insecure co-star Yvonne Orji on Thursday night, also subtly celebrated Black voices, lives and creativity, as evidenced by several…
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Proving Black Is Always the New Black, the British Fashion Awards 2020 Celebrated 'Leaders of Change'
Fashion prides itself on being one well-heeled step ahead of the moment, and setting the trends, rather than following them. But the converging moments that comprised 2020 demanded more introspection from the industry that is always looking forward; as an already raging pandemic debilitated economies and discretionary spending worldwide, many hid behind black boxes this…
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For Us, By Us—by Any Means Necessary: Daymond John Tells the Story Behind LL's Legendary Gap 'Coo'
You may have been surprised to find FUBU was suddenly trending today, and maybe even did a little digging (as I did), hoping to discover a new drop or collaboration in the works. (There are, by the way, as the pioneering Black-owned brand co-founded by Shark Tank judge Daymond John is still producing streetwear). But…
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'She's So Real': The Root Presents: It's Lit! and Michaela Angela Davis Discuss The Meaning of Mariah Carey
Fun fact: we highly considered naming this week’s episode of The Root Presents: It’s Lit! “All I Want for Christmas Is [Truth].” After all, our guest this week is veteran fashion stylist, editor, activist, and now author Michaela Angela Davis, who this year helped bring the long-awaited life story of Mariah Carey to the page—and…
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Stamped (For Kids): A New Adaptation of the Bestseller Will Provide 'an Antiracist Building Block for Children'
“Adults struggle to discuss race and racism. But what if we were discussing race since we were kids? What if we were learning about racism since we were kids?” This is the question posed by Ibram X. Kendi, the award-winning author, activist and historian whose many groundbreaking books on race and antiracism in America include…
