Black Excellence
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Once Homeless, 10-Year-Old Tanitoluwa Adewumi Is Now America's Newest Chess Master
In 2019, Nigerian refugee Tanitoluwa “Tani” Adewumi rose to national prominence after New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof shared the story of Adewumi’s ascent from homeless youth to winning the New York State K-3 Championship at only eight years old. And now years removed from such a prestigious honor, his light burns brighter than ever…
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ESPN's The Undefeated Promotes Raina Kelley to Editor-in-Chief
On Monday, news began to circulate that media OG-triple-OG Kevin Merida was stepping down from his position as the editor-in-chief at ESPN’s blackstravaganza, The Undefeated, in order to pursue greener pastures. More specifically (since you’re so damn nosey), he accepted a role as the brand spanking new executive editor at the L.A. Times, which sounds…
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Kendrick Carmouche Will Become the 1st Black Jockey to Ride in the Kentucky Derby Since 2013
During this year’s Kentucky Derby, fans will be allowed to attend and partake in the festivities for the first time since the pandemic began. That won’t be the only first; Kendrick Carmouche will become the first Black jockey to compete in the derby since 2013, per the Louisville Courier-Journal. Much like the rest of us, the…
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ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu Unveil Their Master Plans to Celebrate Black History Always
Here at The Root, our unofficial motto has always been “Black History Always.” But as part of its commitment to celebrating the Black experience and amplifying a wide variety of Black stories all year long, streaming giants ESPN+, Hulu and Disney+ have launched their own Black History Always campaign—because we deserve. As such, each streamer…
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Pride and Joy: As She Prepares for a New Era, Editor-in-Chief Danielle Belton Reflects on Life at The Root
Six years to the day that she became a full-time staffer and associate editor at The Root, Editor-in-Chief Danielle Belton sat her staff down via virtual meetup to make a difficult announcement: She’d be departing to lead the team at HuffPost. As is typical of our staff, the news wasn’t met with stoicism; there were…
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High School Basketball Team That Announcer Called the N-Word Claps Back With State Championship
Whew, the devil is busy. This weekend, you might’ve heard about a Sapulpa, Okla., basketball announcer who was kind enough to call members of the Norman High School girls basketball team “fucking niggers” because they committed the unpardonable sin of kneeling during the national anthem. I know, I know…they don’t like when we get all…
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With Journacy, Jeff Johnson Is Encouraging Black Fathers to Enjoy the Journey
Black History Month provided us all with the perfect opportunity to reflect on the achievements of Black fathers throughout the course of history. Jeff Johnson also wants to ensure that the everyday dads who hold it down for their families—and who might never be immortalized by history books—have an advocate, too. That’s why he’s created…
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Michigan, Northwestern Announce George Jewett Trophy to Honor Big Ten's 1st Black Player
While pursuing a degree in nursing, George Jewett broke the color barrier as the first Black football player in the history of the Big Ten. During the 1890 and 1892 seasons, he played fullback, halfback, and kicker at Michigan before transferring to Northwestern in 1893 to play two more seasons and earn his degree. Typically…
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The Cast of Coming 2 America Is Very Happy to Be Here and Show Out on These Essence March/April Covers
Zamunda is all about opulence, so of course, the cast of Coming 2 America has some Essence covers to show off! For the March/April editions of the magazine, one of the Blackest sequels ever has three different covers: Eddie Murphy and Bella Murphy KiKi Layne Eddie, Jermaine Fowler and Arsenio Hall It’s been 33 years…
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Melina Matsoukas, Howard University and Instagram Launch Share Black Stories ‘Future First’ Reels Challenge
If you’re active on Instagram, you’ve probably viewed an Instagram Reel at this point—whether it was sent to you by a friend or you saw it organically on the “Explore” page. There’s a lot of opportunity for creators to show off their skills and this is just one more outlet in the booming world of…