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  • Homeless Teen Arrested in University of Texas Murder

    A 17-year-old living in a homeless shelter has been taken into custody in the death of a University of Texas freshman, according to CNN. After police circulated a surveillance video of a suspect, they took Meechaiel Criner into custody Friday evening in the death of 18-year-old Haruka Weiser. Criner was charged with first-degree murder, and bond…

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  • Schools Spend More Money Policing Students Than Helping Them

    On Wednesday night, we saw a video of yet another student being physically brutalized and criminalized by an armed school police officer, this time in San Antonio. The 12-year-old girl, Janissa Valdez, was body-slammed, face-first, on the concrete before being handcuffed and taken away. The scene was reminiscent of another horrific incident involving an officer…

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  • The 15 Most Hilarious Moments From The People v. O.J. Simpson Miniseries

    In no particular order: 1. O.J. Simpson’s banter during the mock cross-examination when he was describing a volatile incident with Nicole Brown Simpson: “You know … we was just wrasslin’ … ”  2. F. Lee Bailey—who in real life reportedly helped out with the miniseries and said, to some effect, “As long as Bob Shapiro looks like…

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  • Testing DNA When Time Is Running Out

    I frequently receive requests for advice about DNA testing, and occasionally the questions involve the following scenario: A parent is dying or incapacitated. The window is closing on the opportunity to have his or her DNA tested in order to gain answers to long-standing questions about genetic origins. This week I turned to genetic genealogist…

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  • Here’s What Happens When You Give Money to Female and Minority Entrepreneurs to Fix Global Problems

    The name Village Capital may evoke visions of some run-of-the-mill financial-services operation, but in fact, it’s a startup-development organization with a decidedly different goal. “Our mission has been to democratize entrepreneurship,” says Nasir Qadree, Village Capital’s sector manager for education. “Village Capital finds, trains and invests in entrepreneurs solving global problems.” It’s a lofty goal,…

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  • Sarah Palin Says She’s Suing Azealia Banks Over Sexual Twitter Insult; Banks Apologizes

    Sarah Palin told People magazine that she’s suing rapper Azealia Banks over sexually inappropriate tweets Banks put up a few days ago about the former vice presidential candidate and Alaskan governor. “I’ve had enough of the unanswered threats and attacks against my family and me,” Palin said. “So, for the first time I’m going to…

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  • The People v. O.J. Simpson Recap: Not Guilty. What, Did You Expect Something Different?

    Johnnie Cochran meets O.J. Simpson at the jail with a spread of suits and accessories appropriate for a photo shoot. It’s a big day, the last day that the defense will present its, well, defense. In the courtroom, O.J. wants to make a statement. He says he “did not, could not and would not” commit…

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  • New Film Explores How the Search for 2 Long-Forgotten Bluesmen Intersected With Freedom Summer of 1964

    Some events from the summer of 1964 in Mississippi are well-known. It was Freedom Summer, tragically highlighted by the brutal murders of civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner. The outrage ultimately led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. At that same time, two groups of young men,…

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  • If Stress Is Blocking Your Chi, How About Giving Acupuncture a Try?

    April is National Minority Health Month, and through this campaign, the nation turns its attention to improving the health and well-being of minorities. At The Root, we salute National Minority Health Month with a three-part video series focusing on alternative health practices: acupuncture, yoga and meditation. And the videos specifically feature black practitioners. First up:…

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  • Kerry Washington Reveals How She Crafted Scandal’s Stellar Presence on Social Media

    Who knew that a little exposure to how political campaigns get press would equip someone with the social media savvy to get a network-television show off the ground and trending? That’s what Kerry Washington said during a recent interview with Adweek. She’d been a surrogate for then-Sen. Barack Obama’s bid for the presidency and saw…

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