Culture

Spike Lee, in a conversation with Henry Louis Gates Jr., The Root’s Editor-in-Chief, calls out the critics who predicted violence at the release of his groundbreaking 1989 film and clarifies what the “right thing” really was. ALSO: To read Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s thoughts on the movie and the director; find out why the Obama’s rarely…

In this vintage footage from 1990, film critic Armond White sounds off on the mainstream coverage of Do the Right Thing, dissecting how American racial angst affected the film’s critical reception. Arguably the country’s most famous black film critic, Armond White has served as staff film critic at the New York Press since 1994. He…

In our ongoing video series Bookmark, The Root talks to authors to find out the personal stories behind their talked-about books. Here, Walter Mosley talks about life after Easy Rawlins, the critically acclaimed hero of his noirish crime series. The novelist talks about the shift from looking at the black-and-white 1950s-era Los Angeles to the…

WATCH VIDEO of Bryant Terry’s recent book signing in San Francisco.

In a June 2008 recording, the historian and author ponders the possibility of seeing a black president in his lifetime. Franklin passed away on March 25, 2009 at age 94.

In our ongoing video series Bookmark, The Root talks to authors to find out the personal stories behind their talked-about books. Here, Tavis Smiley reveals the nail-biting process of preparing completely different versions of his new book, Accountable: Making America As Good As Its Promise. And of course, he promises to hold President Obama’s feet to the fire and…

‘A Raisin in the Sun’ opened on Broadway on March 11, 1959, rattling the theater world and the country. The Root’s Editor-in-Chief Henry Louis Gates Jr. visited with Ruby Dee at her home to reminisce about the play’s place in history and relevance today. Read the rest of The Root’s Raisin @ 50 coverage: Gates…

This is an example of Skip’s Soyinka interview.

Presidents Day at the museum has a whole new meaning, now that there’s a brother on the wall. Read the related article by Teresa Wiltz.