Michelle Obama On How That Famous 2008 New Yorker ‘Fist Bump’ Magazine Cover Changed Everything
Atlanta Nightlife Insiders Respond to 21 Savage’s Claim That the City’s Club Scene ‘Grooms’ Children
The Root’s Ultimate Guide to Holiday Dos and Don’ts
How to Show Up For Someone Who Is Grieving This Holiday Season
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Watch: Color Complex: Questioning Beauty Standards as a Biracial Woman
Skin color both unites and divides us. Whether you live in India, East Africa or Japan, the color of your skin shapes your identity and opportunities. Color Complex is a narrative series that explores how people of color around the world struggle for visibility and learn to navigate the prejudices and social hierarchies associated with…
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Watch: The Natural-Hair Movement Keeps on Growing
For centuries, black women have been measured by a white standard of beauty. Lighter skin was preferred to dark skin, willowy figures preferred to curves, straight hair preferred to curly hair; and the list goes on. “I was born in Senegal, and relaxing your hair is, like, as normal as waking up and brushing your…
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Time Inc. Looks to Sell Essence
CEO: New Investor Might Expand Events Business Jim Vance, Inveterate Smoker, Died of Lung Cancer Trump News Saps Attention From World Disasters Somali Americans, Media in Fraught Relationship Glen Nishimura Dies, Editor of USA Today Columns Short Takes Twelve years after Time Inc, assumed control of Essence Communications Partners, ending Essence magazine’s status as a…
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Watch: James Monroe Iglehart Says the World Takes Notice of Black People
We get the chance to chat with a lot of our favorite black celebrities, tastemakers and thought leaders, so we decided to start asking them about their pride in being black. Many of them talked about our resilience and strength throughout history, some talked about our undeniable talents, while others mentioned our dance skills, dopeness…
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Watch: Growing Pains: Nicole Paultre Bell Learns How to Move Forward After Sean Bell’s Death
Nicole Paultre Bell became a household name—but not from success or fame but because of the infamy of her fiance Sean Bell’s death on Nov. 25, 2006, the night before their wedding. Fifty shots rang out that night, claiming Sean’s life and severely wounding his two friends Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman. Each officer involved…
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US Army’s Toxic Smoke Billows Over Black Town
Every Day, Hazardous Waste Is Burned in Open Air Jim Vance, Longtime D.C. Anchor, Dies at 75 O.J. ‘Not Looking to Be Involved With the Media’ Rights, Media Groups to Help Citizens Record Police Writer Alarmed by A&E’s Live Version of ‘Cops’ Artist Shows That News Is a Matter of Perspective Spicer Should Have Expected…
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Judge of Characters: Oh God, Wait … Am I a Hotep?
This week, besides having to scroll through all things Rumi and Sir Carter, I learned that Madame Tussauds doesn’t care about black people, particularly Beyoncé, Prince, Denzel Washington and any other black wax figure they’ve made. Dr. Umar Johnson may just be a doctor after all. It took some digging from The Root’s Michael Harriot,…
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Journalists, Musicians ‘Co-Signed’ R. Kelly
Reporter Alleges More Exploitation of Black Women Raleigh Paper Drops Columnist After 24-Year Run Sports Columnist Kawakami to Edit Online Startup Chicago Sun-Times Calls Out Institutional Racism Reporting Finds Lead Still Contaminates Urban Soil Ebony Owner Pledges Payments by Month’s End Pushback on Trump Backers’ Attacks on Journalism Statue Honors ‘Willpower Over White Power’ C-SPAN…
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Watch: The Power of Representation With Matthew A. Cherry, the Creator of ‘Hair Love’
Representation matters. We know this and still, representation is missing from the media we consume. For Matthew A. Cherry, seeing other black directors in action assured him that filmmaking was an attainable goal after he transitioned from the NFL. Now Cherry is making it his mission to normalize natural hair and black fatherhood in the…
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Girls Trip Is the Most Hilarious and Heartfelt Dive Into the Complexities of Black Girlfriends
The bonds between black women are not something you can watch on reality-TV shows or easily catch on any TV shows right now, except maybe Insecure. (Shoutout to Issa and Molly!) Black women’s friendship is more than boozy brunches, epic catfights and screaming “Yasss Queen” to one another. I mean, don’t get me wrong—all of…