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The Root Recommends: 'Thurgood'
HBO will air Thurgood, a one-man show starring Laurence Fishburne as Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court justice. Fishburne received glowing reviews — and a Tony nomination — for his instructive performance. HBO filmed the well-reviewed play at the Kennedy Center last spring after its short run on Broadway. Thurgood airs all month on…
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The Root Recommends: Marsha Ambrosius
Marsha Ambrosius, one half of the now disbanded British neo-soul duo Floetry, debuted her first solo effort, Late Nights & Early Mornings, last week, but not without some social commentary. The video for “Far Away,” the second single from Late Nights, depicts the love story of Ambrosius’ two gay male friends — an affair that…
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The Root Recommends: 'Harlem Is Nowhere'
In Harlem Is Nowhere, Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts walks readers through Harlem’s storied streets, recounting its colorful history while narrating the complexities of its present condition. Rhodes-Pitts weaves her own experiences with those of famous fictional characters from the Harlem Renaissance’s most memorable novels. But readers also meet Harlem’s real-life protagonists — Zora Neale Hurston, James Van Der…
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Atlanta Brings Out Its Young, Fabulous and Female
The spirit of The Root’s Young, Fabulous and Female evening Tuesday in Atlanta was summed up quite nicely in a piece of advice shared by Meet the Browns actress Terri J. Vaughn: “When we are all propelling each other, we all rise to the top.” Vaughn made the remark during a wide-ranging panel discussion on…
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The Root Recommends: CIAA
You have a couple of days to plan — get thee to Charlotte. Stat. Often referred to as simply CIAA, the annual all-black Central Collegiate Athletic Association basketball tournament in Charlotte, N.C., is a must-attend event for many folks in the know. The athletic conference includes 13 black schools — including Bowie State, Winston-Salem State…
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The Root Recommends: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 'On the Shoulders of Giants'
Nearly two decades into his retirement, Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is embarking on a new hobby: filmmaking. On the Shoulders of Giants, executive-produced by Harlem-bred Abdul-Jabbar, tells the story of basketball’s first all-black team, the Harlem Renaissance Big Five, also known as the Rens. Based largely on the book Abdul-Jabar co-authored about the team in…
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The Root Recommends: Race and the Recession
A new study suggests that blacks and Hispanics are more hopeful about the future of the economy than whites. Do the results mirror your opinions? Whether they do or don’t, here is an opportunity to talk about race and the recession with the media. Tonight the Washington Post is hosting a panel discussion called “Behind…
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The Root Recommends: Adele
The U.K. has been buzzing about Adele’s sophomore album, 21, since its release last month. If her 2008 Grammy Award-winning debut album is any indication, then the States will follow suit, since 21 is set to hit the U.S. market today. Produced by the prolific Rick Rubin, 21 features veteran musicians, including the Roots’ keyboardist James…
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The Root Recommends: Naturally 7
Popular overseas, the R&B group Naturally 7, which performs without instruments, is poised to take its home country by storm as well. The group of seven singers has been together since 1999 and released four albums. The group became a YouTube smash with a video of a performance in the Paris subway. Check them out on…
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The Root Recommends: The Legends of Hip-Hop Tour
For those longing to relive hip-hop’s glory days, when the sole criterion for a great song was its ability to get the party started, check out “The Legends of Hip-Hop” tour, headlined by hip-hop’s most famous female tag team, Salt-n-Pepa. In their first tour since their official breakup in 2002, Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandy…
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