Dr. King’s Favorite Pastime and More Little Known Facts on the Anniversary of His Murder
Anti-Affirmative Action Groups are Now Coming for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Scholarships
Why an Ex-Syracuse Basketball Player Chose Deportation to Sudan
New Study: DNA Testing Could Be the Key to Saving Black Women With Breast Cancer
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A Hint of GLAAD's Plan for Roland Martin?
Offending Hollywood Producer Joins Gay Group’s Campaign The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation provided a hint of what it might have in store for Roland Martin Wednesday when it announced that Brett Ratner, the Hollywood producer who resigned as host of this year’s Academy Awards show after he publicly used the word “fag,” would…
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Joyner Urges 'Sincere Apology' From Martin
Syndicated radio host Tom Joyner Friday called on Roland Martin to “make it right” and offer “a sincere apology” to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Joyner urged his morning-show colleague not to be like “another family member who refused to turn around,” an obvious reference to Tavis Smiley, who left Joyner’s show amid…
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The Root on the Red Carpet: 'BET Honors' 2012
The Root’s Jenée Desmond-Harris was on the scene Jan. 14 at the taping of the 2012 BET Honors at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. She caught up with some of the who’s who of the black community, including former Secretary of State Colin Powell, singer Kelly Rowland and host Gabrielle Union. Hear what they…
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CNN Suspends Roland Martin Over Tweets
Pundit Won’t Be Appearing on Air “For the Time Being” CNN Wednesday suspended commentator Roland Martin over the tweets that the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has denounced as anti-gay. A CNN spokeswoman confirmed that the network issued this statement: “Roland Martin’s tweets were regrettable and offensive. Language that demeans is inconsistent with the…
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AP Lays Off Diversity Advocate
Robert Naylor Jr., a diversity advocate within the Associated Press who was director of career development/news, was laid off on Friday, a day after the news cooperative announced it would restore a key diversity initiative, its internship programs. Naylor’s departure follows other layoffs, including those of other long-serving journalists of color: Dolores Barclay, East Coast…
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Leslie Uggams on Fame and 'Roots'
Being one of the first members of your race to appear regularly on national television is pressure enough. Imagine carrying that burden at the age of 17. That’s what Leslie Uggams had to bear when she joined the cast of Sing Along With Mitch in 1961. “Because of that time period, when I was growing…
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News of Don Cornelius' Death Goes Viral
The tipster who notified TMZ.com about the death of “Soul Train” creator Don Cornelius Wednesday morning might never be identified, but no identity was needed for the story to quickly consume social media and expand into the mainstream. TMZ.com, which has gained notoriety for breaking such celebrity news, reported at 6 a.m. Pacific Time: “Don…
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AUDIO: Cornelius on Producing 'Soul Train'
Don Cornelius, who died Wednesday morning of an apparent suicide, lived long enough to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his iconic show, Soul Train, last fall. In this September 2010 segment from the Tavis Smiley show, Cornelius reminisces about the challenge of producing live acts on television. He considered Soul Train to be on the…
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Meet Our Future: 25 Young Black Innovators
They hail from Oxnard, Calif., to Portland, Maine, and several spots in between. They are scientists, artists, entrepreneurs and agents of social change. The Root’s 2012 Young Futurists are our future. After a nationwide search, The Root’s staff selected these 25 African-American innovators, ages 16 to 22, for its second annual list. This year’s Young…
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5 More Latino Journalists Flown to Israel
Jewish Group Sees Chance to Influence Hispanics Five Latino journalists returned last week from an all-expenses-paid trip to Israel in another bid by an American Jewish group to influence the United States’ growing Latino population. “We welcome to Israel a group of prestigious journalists, publishers and reporters from the U.S. Hispanic Community,” proclaimed the New…