“Belief is a heart project” —Oprah Winfrey Very few of us can connect people the way Oprah can. She has a gift for helping the rest of us look deep within and challenge ourselves. She has the ability to push us to go higher. To dig deep within. And to want to live more authentic…

“We wish to plead our own cause. Too long have others spoken for us.” —Freedom’s Journal, first African-American newspaper (1827) Roland S. Martin is no regular newsman. He is a seasoned, outspoken and bold change agent who uses his national platform as a prominent African-American journalist to talk about the issues, politics and policies affecting…

Prayer is a strategy. That is the message of a new faith-based movie from the Kendrick Brothers, who are two of Hollywood’s most successful directors and producers in the religion-faith genre. Their past movies include Fireproof, Facing the Giants and Courageous. The Root was on-site for the red-carpet premiere of their latest film, War Room, in Dallas…

Some say the church is irrelevant. Others say the church is more powerful than ever. One thing is for sure: Studies and polls suggest that the church has lost the millennial generation and the moral power it once had on issues of civil rights. Whatever the case, the church now finds itself once again at…

For black America, the church has long symbolized freedom, faith and reconciliation. Since slavery days, it has always been a place for refuge and deliberation and a catalyst for great change. It is where many blacks learned to love, find fellowship and praise, study, sing and honor their history. Church is the place where black…

As a Christian, I still can’t quite reconcile the notion of same-sex marriage with my faith. And as an attorney, I’m somewhat concerned that after same-sex marriage becomes the law of the land, there will be cases where clergy may be pressured—even sued—to force them to allow same-sex weddings in their churches. But I also…

What is sisterhood, anyway? That’s really the question we should be asking behind all of the hoopla over the likely cancellation of VH1’s ratchet reality show Sorority Sisters. And for me, the question was present all day Thursday, the 107th anniversary of the founding of my sorority of choice: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Sisterhood is,…

Stereotypes are dangerous. And for Michael Brown, they proved to be deadly. Of all that we heard Monday night about the St. Louis County grand jury’s decision not to indict Ferguson, Mo., police Officer Darren Wilson for shooting and killing Brown, what kept me awake for hours after the announcement was made was Wilson’s testimony.…