Culture

Michelle Obama On How That Famous 2008 New Yorker 'Fist Bump' Magazine Cover Changed Everything

Michelle Obama On How That Famous 2008 New Yorker ‘Fist Bump’ Magazine Cover Changed Everything

In a new interview with Jonathan Capehart, Michelle Obama talks about the moment she decided she needed to tell her story before anyone else could.
The Root's Ultimate Guide to Holiday Dos and Don'ts

The Root’s Ultimate Guide to Holiday Dos and Don’ts

Don’t make a holiday party mistake you’ll live to regret. Check out our list of
How to Show Up For Someone Who Is Grieving This Holiday Season

How to Show Up For Someone Who Is Grieving This Holiday Season

Here are a few practical ways to let someone know you’re there for them when
  • Watch Out Loud: What Was It Like the 1st Time You Were Called the N-Word?

    When I asked a few of our readers to come in to The Root’s offices and share their personal experiences of being called the n-word for the first time, I knew I’d get a lot of stories steeped in ignorance. I didn’t realize that a lot of the stories would sound like shared experiences with…

  • Watch: Atlanta’s Brian Tyree Henry’s Emmy Mixtape

    The first black actor Brian Tyree Henry saw on television was Jasmine Guy, in A Different World. Henry was absolutely enamored. Decades later, the idea that Henry might be the first black actor some children are seeing on television means the world to him. “Representation is really key, because I don’t think I’d be anywhere near…

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    Trump Campaign Video Attacks April Ryan 

    ‘Sad day I am singled out as an enemy of the White House’ Trump Shamed Into Calling Out Racists ‘Haven’t You Spread A Lot of Fake News Yourself, Sir?’ ‘The Hardest Part of My Job. . .’ Kaepernick Dilemma Deserves Black Cultural View NABJ, NAHJ Announce Joint Convention in 2020 Maynard Institute Plans Education, Pipeline…

  • Watch: The Making of Auntie Maxine

    Some might say that Maxine Waters’ career in politics was a prophecy. In high school, Waters was named most likely to be the speaker of the House of Representatives. The rest is history. Politically, she got her start in 1976 with the California Assembly. There, she led a seven-year fight for legislation that would remove…

  • Watch: Climate Gentrification in Little Haiti

    Climate change affects the world in more ways than one. For residents of Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood, rising sea levels could bring on a new kind of gentrification. As developers begin to invest in properties on higher ground to avoid flooding, historically black neighborhoods could suffer the consequences of rising sea levels as current residents…

  • Everything Is Bigger in Texas, so of Course The Root’s Young, Fabulous and Female Event Slayed in Dallas

    The Root’s Young, Fabulous and Female event has traveled all over the United States, hitting cities like Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City, Chicago and now, Dallas. Everything truly is bigger in Texas because the beautiful black women showed up and showed out. The Young, Fabulous and Female event is presented by Toyota (#ToyotaCHR)…

  • Loretta Devine Says Division for No Reason Is a Problem

    Black and Proud is a video series on The Root that focuses on the pride that our favorite black celebrities, tastemakers and thought leaders feel about being black. Many of them talk about our resilience and strength throughout history, and some talk about our undeniable talents, while others mention our dance skills, dopeness and more.…

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    Black Journalists, ‘The World Needs You’

    April Ryan, Charles Blow Sound Alarms at NABJ A ‘Hot Mess’ at NABJ, With Ed Gordon, Omarosa White House reporter April P. Ryan declared that “for the last seven months, I’ve been under attack,” and New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow said that the Trump administration’s threats to press freedom “may be existential”—central to…

  • Judge of Characters: Is Being Fat Worse Than Spreading Herpes?

    This week, we get all up in Usher’s sexual health with the revelation that he paid someone $1.1 million after she claimed that the singer allegedly knowingly passed along herpes. Since that suit became public knowledge, more alleged victims have surfaced. One victim, Quantasia Sharpton, has been fat-shamed since her press conference with high-profile attorney…

  • Watch: Is Double Dutch a Traditionally Black Sport?

    In 1974 and over the next 10 years after that, the American Double Dutch League hosted citywide competitions at New York City’s esteemed Lincoln Center. Two New York City police detectives—double Dutch founder David A. Walker and Ulysses Williams—helped to create the competition for purposes bigger than winning golden trophies; it was a space for…