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  • Eric Holder: Systemic, Subtle Racism Far Worse Than Rants

    Subtle, everyday racism, especially within the criminal justice system, is far more harmful than racist outburst, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told graduates Saturday during a commencement address at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md. He described racist outbursts, such as those by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, as…

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  • SNL Parodies Solange and Jay Z Elevator Fight

    Saturday Night Live mercilessly lampooned the Solange and Jay Z elevator fight during the show’s season finale. In the comedy sketch, Solange was not attacking her brother-in-law, but trying to remove a spider off his shoulder. This was not the first time the show parodied the family, well, Beyoncé. Just weeks ago, they released a…

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  • Oprah’s Network to Hold Michael Sam Docuseries

    Just days after announcing that Oprah Winfrey’s OWN would chronicle Michael Sam’s every move for a documentary series, officials said Friday that the project has been placed on hold indefinitely, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Last week, Sam made headlines when he became the first openly gay player to be drafted by the NFL’s St.…

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  • Veteran’s Death in Hot Jail Cell Exposes National Problem

    It was a horrifying discovery when Jerome Murdough was found dead in his Rikers Island jail cell after malfunctioning equipment caused temperatures to skyrocket to nearly 100 degrees in February. Now, officials say the death of the 56-year-old former Marine may be emblematic of a growing problem in jails across the nation as the inmate…

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  • School Closures: A New Version of Separate and Unequal

    Saturday marked the 60th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision, which struck down the “separate but equal” doctrine in public schools. Long after this landmark civil rights victory was won in the courts, however, communities of color have continued the struggle to realize an equal education for their children. From…

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  • NH Pols Join Push for Ouster of Racist Police Commissioner

    New Hampshire political leaders have joined a widening chorus of residents calling for the resignation of a police commissioner who called President Barack Obama the n-word, the Associated Press reports. Wolfeboro, N.H., Town Manager David Owen posted a statement (pdf) Friday on the town’s website calling on Robert Copeland, 82, to resign the position to…

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  • Obama on Brown v. Board: The 1st Major Step in Ending ‘Separate but Equal’

    On the 60th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision, President Barack Obama described the 1954 case as the first major step in dismantling the “separate but equal” doctrine that had justified Jim Crow, according to statement released by the White House. “As we commemorate this historic anniversary, we recommit…

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  • The Root Interview With NAACP's New President Cornell William Brooks

    The NAACP, the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization, has named Cornell William Brooks its 18th president and chief executive officer. The New Jersey-based civil rights lawyer, human rights activist and ordained minister, replaces interim leader Lorraine C. Miller, who filled the vacancy created by Benjamin Jealous’ departure at the end of 2013. “With…

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  • Michelle Obama Warns of Growing School Resegregation

    First lady Michelle Obama issued a warning Friday about the return of school segregation nearly 60 years after it was struck down by the Supreme Court’s decision in the pivotal Brown v. Board of Education, according to a statement released by the White House. Speaking to about 1,200 graduating high school seniors and their families…

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  • 6 Lesser-Known Facts About Brown v. Board

    Brown v. Board of Education—the landmark Supreme Court ruling that desegregated public schools—turns 60 this year, and if someone were tasked with identifying the most interesting parts of the case in order to repurpose it for a Law & Order special, what would that episode look like? Who were the major characters? Which one of…

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