Nearly one year ago an all-female, nearly all-white jury returned a “not guilty” verdict in the George Zimmerman murder trial. Zimmerman had been charged in the February 2012 shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin. Here’s an update on some of the people and correlating events that were part of the critical conversations inspired by…

The crowd wanted a party and His Purpleness delivered. With a nostalgic salute to the 1980s, the Afro-shaking, guitar-riffing Prince showed up in New Orleans and showed out for the 20th anniversary of the Essence Music Festival. He tore up the Mercedes-Benz Superdome with hit after hit, and the capacity crowd of 50,000 sang along…

Some celebrities slayed at the 2014 BET Awards, while some looked plain silly (more stars fell into the latter category). Perhaps the blistering Los Angeles heat was to blame? Here’s a recap of the stunners and the stunned at this year’s awards show, which took place at the Nokia Theatre. THE BEST: Regina Hall Hall…

This summer marks the 25th anniversary of Do the Right Thing. June is also when part of Bedford-Stuyvesant’s Stuyvesant Avenue—where the fim was shot—was renamed Do the Right Thing Way in honor of the film and its director, Brooklyn, N.Y.’s native son and outspoken gentrification critic Spike Lee. The Root’s multimedia editor, Nicole Cvetnic, went to Bed-Stuy to photograph the…

 You could hear the life and the living in Bobby Womack’s voice. He was the gospel-trained son of a preacher man, who climbed back from the depths of addiction, had career highs and lows and was a most cherished protege of the great Sam Cooke. The soulful singer was back in the studio this year…

The wrongful convictions of five black and Latino men who have become known as the Central Park Five represent a pattern of racial inequity in the nation’s criminal justice system that is almost as old as the country itself. So great is the problem that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder recently announced plans to tackle the…

It is impossible to deny soccer’s growing popularity among U.S. fans. An ESPN Sports Poll Annual Report revealed that Major League Soccer is now as popular with American children as Major League Baseball. And according to FIFA, U.S. fans are second to Brazil in the purchase of tickets to this year’s World Cup. As the…

Left of Black host Mark Anthony Neal is joined by Elizabeth Alexander to discuss the black art aesthetic, growing recognition for black poets and whether hip-hop is poetry. Alexander—the Thomas E. Donnelley Professor of African American Studies, and a professor of American studies and English, at Yale University—was chosen by President Barack Obama to compose…

Let these memories of Ruby Dee—who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 91—in roles from Jungle Fever to A Raisin in the Sun remind you of her legendary film career. 1. Do the Right Thing, 1989, Mother Sister 2. Jungle Fever, 1991, Lucinda Purify 3. American Gangster, 2007, Mama Lucas 4. A Raisin in…

Whether or not you’re a fan of soccer, there are some key players in the 2014 FIFA World Cup you might want to keep your eyes on. Whether making goals or on the sidelines, these soccer hotties will keep you on the edge of your seat. Get to know them:  1. Glen Johnson, England Place of birth:…