• New Video Reveals Sacramento, Calif., Police Tried to Run Over Black Man Before Fatally Shooting Him

    According to recently released dashcam video from a July altercation, two Sacramento, Calif., police officers attempted to run over an African-American homeless man—twice—before they shot and killed him in a hail of bullets. The Sacramento Bee reports that one of the officers said, “[F—k] this guy” in the final minute before they shot Joseph Mann.…

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  • Police Release #AlfredOlango Videos; Sister Heard Shrieking, ‘Don’t Shoot Him!’

    El Cajon, Calif., police released two short videos of the shooting death of Alfred Olango, on Friday, “for the sake of the well-being of the community,” USA Today reports. One of the videos shows the unarmed black man backing away from a police officer before he was fatally shot Tuesday night. El Cajon Police Chief Jeff…

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  • The Root’s Young Futurists, Where Are They Now: Joye Nettles

    Joye Nettles is a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) star. The 2016 Young Futurist first impressed us with her tech savvy and leadership skills as a student at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. A natural-born leader, the recent graduate continues to share her story with aspiring techies, particularly women and people of color. “I…

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  • The Root Hosts Young, Fabulous and Female in Philly

    Wednesday night was The Root’s Young, Fabulous and Female event, this time held at the African American Museum in Philadelphia, and we had a blast! An ambience of Black Girl Magic filled the room as our guests arrived. While enjoying delicious treats from our incredible caterer, David K. Simms of Eatible Delights Catering, women were…

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  • Update on Opal Lee's Journey to Make Juneteenth a National Holiday

    The petition on Opal Lee’s hope to make Juneteenth a national holiday ran out of time Tuesday when it didn’t reach the goal of 100,000 signatures, the Star-Telegram reports. However, that hasn’t stopped Lee, 89, from continuing on. “Whether we have 100,000 signatures or not, she is still walking. Her goal is to get an audience with…

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  • The Black Maternal Mortality Rate in the US Is an International Crisis

    Last week I spoke at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to urge the United States to use a human rights framework to improve maternal mortality in the U.S. That’s right: Black women are dying around the world, and black women in the U.S. need to be placed in the…

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  • NJ Train Crash Leaves 3 Dead and More Than 100 Injured

    During Thursday morning’s rush hour, a NJ Transit train crashed into the Hoboken, N.J., train station, the last stop on the Pascack Valley Line, which starts in Spring Valley, N.Y., CNBC reports. According to a medical examiner, three deaths have been reported and up to 100 people are injured. Officials say that there are no…

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  • The Cast of Moesha: Where Are They Now?

    It’s been two decades since young black girls of the ’90s were introduced to Moesha Mitchell and her South Los Angeles crew: Kim, Niecy and Hakeem. Since the show’s debut in January 1996, many of the actors have stayed out of the limelight. But several of them have given us a peek into their lives…

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  • I Think About My Funeral When Police Stop Me

    What was Terence Cutcher thinking about before those Tulsa, Okla., police killed him? Every time cops stop me while I’m driving my car in the middle of the night, I begin thinking about how good my funeral will be. I think about a packed funeral home with standing room only. I have lots of friends,…

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  • Ohio Rapper Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Child Porn

    Eric Chavis of Columbus, Ohio, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after making sexually explicit music videos featuring underage teenage girls, leading one of his victims to attempt suicide, according to the New York Daily News. He pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy to produce child pornography. After his release, Chavis will have to…

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