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The Island Is a Triumph of Spirit Over Hardship
The Island will forever be synonymous with John Kani and Winston Ntshona, the two black South African actors who devised the play in collaboration with white South African dramatist Athol Fugard in 1973, and who played the two lead roles (to which they lent their names) for almost three decades in productions throughout the world.…
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The Holidays Can Help Your Family Research
Family holiday gatherings provide a wonderful opportunity to learn more about one’s roots. These get-togethers can prove to be a valuable resource for furthering your genealogical research, if you’re prepared to make the most of them. Below are a few ideas to help you get ready. Picture This As the older generations of a family…
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Quote of the Day: William Warfield on Perseverance
Read an obituary for William Warfield here. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and founding director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. He is also the editor-in-chief of The Root. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Like The Root on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
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Giving Black Boys a Chance to Run the Tech Industry
Last month Twitter found itself the latest major tech company to face criticism for a lack of diversity—a jarring lack of diversity, to be more precise. It was revealed that the company’s entire board of directors consists of white males. The revelation generated plenty of hand-wringing about a well-covered topic, namely the underrepresentation of women…
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This 12-Year-Old’s Cover of ‘Royals’ Is All You Need Today
Meet 12-year-old Cam Anthony. He likes to sing. And he’s really good at it. Here he is covering Lorde’s “Royals,” an interpretation that almost 8,000 folks on Facebook have shared. The control. The timing. Why is he so good at this? And why is he so cute? Wait. There’s more to love. He dedicated his…
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‘Scandal’ Recap: A Thin Line Between Love and Hate
After last week’s gut-punching episode, you’d think Scandal might want to cut us a break. You know, give us a chance to catch our collective breaths. Why not try a very special musical episode? Or even a “Where are they now?” recap of the gladiators who mysteriously went missing? What ever happened to Olivia’s old…
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Mixed Emotions About the ‘Knockout Game’
The “knockout” game has been a hot topic this past week, flooding Twitter timelines with YouTube clips and articles, sparking debates between friends and giving some people a reason to portray black youths as a detriment to society. The game—if you can call it that—is the latest trend in violent acts committed by youths in…
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A Get-Tough Obama Finally Emerges
Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid has generated most of the headlines for his willingness to “go nuclear,” specifically his willingness to, as the publication Politico put it, take the “unprecedented step of gutting Senate filibuster rules for presidential nominees on a straight party-line vote.” The move, which alters how the Senate has operated for more…
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JFK’s 1963 Race Speech Made Him an African-American Icon
President John F. Kennedy’s tragic assassination 50 years ago today had a profound impact on American race relations. A president who, during his last six months in office, acknowledged that “civil rights has become everything” embraced the movement and in the process helped not only to solidify his personal legend but also to transform a…
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White Privilege Keeps Crack-Smoking Mayor in Office
In 1988 the white American feminist writer Peggy McIntosh wrote a powerful essay, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, Based on Racial Inequality” (pdf). McIntosh argued eloquently that although racial progress had taken place, there was still a power differential between whites and people of color. McIntosh’s essay was groundbreaking because she was a white…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
