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: Michael Eric Dyson Explains How Having White Skin Is the Biggest Handout in History

    Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America is Georgetown University professor Michael Eric Dyson’s 20th book—and it was his most difficult to write. Inspired by a July 2016 New York Times essay responding to the shooting deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, Dyson uses Tears We Cannot Stop as an opportunity to…

  • ,

    No Journalists of Color Made the Cut When the White House Blocked Outlets From Press Briefing

    “CNN and other news outlets were blocked on Friday from attending an off-camera White House press briefing that other reporters were hand-picked to attend, raising alarm among media organizations and First Amendment watchdogs,” Dylan Byers, Sara Murray and Kevin Liptak reported for CNNMoney. The hand-picking included right-wing news outlets but no journalists of color, Lauren…

  • Watch: I Love My Black Friendships

    For Black History Month, The Root is celebrating blackness in a new The Root TV series called I Love My Blackness. In the series, we celebrate black skin, black style, black friendship and black love. Our first video of the series celebrated our love of our black skin and the understanding that black is gold.…

  • ,

    1st Amendment Not for Whites Only

    Donald Trump’s demonizing of the news media affects African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and Native Americans, too, although you might not realize it from some of the conversations about the First Amendment taking place in the media and other public spaces. “The American press is stronger than any demagogue but President Trump’s attacks do present…

  • Watch: Spotlight on Black History’s Storytellers

    The video below was published in partnership with Peabody Spotlight, a digital series produced by the Peabody Media Center at the University of Georgia in commemoration of Black History Month. Each part of the series draws from the vast Peabody Awards archives, the third-largest repository of audiovisual materials in the United States. Peabody Spotlight will…

  • Watch: My Black History: Underground’s Aisha Hinds Learns Power of Art Through Nelson Mandela

    Editor’s note: During Black History Month, the focus is usually on historical figures who loomed larger than life, paving the way for the progress we experience today. But black history isn’t just about telling stories of our past. History is being made every day and has been made throughout our lives; it’s not just in…

  • Watch: I Love My Black Love

    For Black History Month, The Root is celebrating blackness in a new The Root TV series called I Love My Blackness. In the series we celebrate black skin, black style, black friendship and black love. Our first video of the series celebrated our love of our black skin and the understanding that black is gold.…

  • Watch: In Focus With Moonlight Director Barry Jenkins, Who’s Vying for Oscar on Sunday

    Editor’s note: In Focus is a video series showcasing the new wave of black filmmakers. Earlier this year, before Barry Jenkins’ critically acclaimed film Moonlight went on to earn eight Academy Award nominations—including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay—the writer-director sat down with The Root to discuss how he got involved with the…

  • ,

    It’s OK to Discuss Trump’s Mental Health

    Some in the news media didn’t need President Donald Trump’s amazing news conference on Thursday to ask health professionals whether they thought Trump was mentally sound. News Conference Only Heightened Questions The news conference simply reinforced what many were already thinking. David Brooks wrote Friday in the New York Times, “President Trump’s mental state is…

  • Watch: In Focus With Director Justin Tipping, Whose Film Kicks Challenges Our Perception of Manhood 

    Editor’s note: In Focus is a The Root TV series showcasing the new wave of black filmmakers. Justin Tipping is the writer and director of Kicks, a story set in Oakland, Calif., about a young teenager whose dream is to own a pair of fresh Air Jordans. Soon after he gets his hands on them,…