Events
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Welcome to The Root Institute, Featuring Interviews With Stacey Abrams, Cory Booker, Taraji P. Henson and Many More
It’s happening! A gathering of the minds—from politics featuring Stacey Abrams and Ayanna Pressley to entertainment and culture with Ava DuVernay and Lee Daniels to health and wealth with Taraji P. Henson and Cory Booker to social justice with Tarana Burke of #MeToo. It’s time to sit down and talk about how we can take…
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Naturally, the Oprah Winfrey Network Wants You to #OWNYourVote, Launches Voting Initiative for Black Women
You’ve probably heard it countless times, but it can’t be said enough: 2020 is an extremely pivotal presidential election year. As such, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) has launched “a bipartisan registration and get-out-the-vote campaign partnering with national and local grassroots and voting rights organizations to provide tools and resources that will empower Black women…
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The Root Institute Is Coming This August and Stacey Abrams, Ava DuVernay, Lee Daniels, Tarana Burke and Ayanna Pressley Will Be There
Black people make things happen. We not only create the culture—we move the culture forward. We not only influence politics—we push for real change in our lives. Without justice, there truly is no peace, and we’re about enriching our minds and bodies as much as our communities. With this in mind, body and spirit, The…
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Should Black Voters Form Their Own Party? Too Late, Someone Already Did
“Aight, bet.” While that colloquialism may seem innocuous to many people, in Black communities across America, those two words are both a threat and a promise. It is the most acceptable answer to the question “What are you gonna do about it?” and is roughly translated as: “I can show you better than I can…
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![Taraji P. Henson to Take on Mental Health, Health Disparities at The Root Institute [Updated]](https://www.theroot.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/rbgttg4qnkig6etxmv1b-300x168.png)
Taraji P. Henson to Take on Mental Health, Health Disparities at The Root Institute [Updated]
The Root Institute, a virtual convening around the future of Black America in 2020 and beyond, features some pretty heavy hitters—from Stacey Abrams to Ava DuVernay to Lee Daniels—examining politics, art and activism, but what about the health of our minds? We have just the speaker for that. During week three of The Root Institute,…
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Black Athletes Donate $100,000 to Help Pay Debts of Former Felons in Florida So They Can Vote in 2020
Black athletes and entertainers are standing up in a major way to make sure the voices of Black people matter in this year’s elections. More Than A Vote, a group founded by LeBron James and others in June to fight against voter suppression, says it will donate $100,000 to help pay the outstanding debts of…
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The Root Institute Is Coming This August and Stacey Abrams, Ava DuVernay, Lee Daniels, Tarana Burke and Ayanna Pressley Will Be There
Black people make things happen. We not only create the culture—we move the culture forward. We not only influence politics—we push for real change in our lives. Without justice, there truly is no peace, and we’re about enriching our minds and bodies as much as our communities. With this in mind, body and spirit, The…
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Honoring a Nation’s ‘Conscience’: How Will Lawmakers Pay Tribute to Rep. John Lewis’ Legacy?
It is hard to sum up civil rights icon and longtime congressman John Lewis’ legacy—much less find suitable ways of honoring it. But as the country grapples with losing one of its most esteemed public servants, ideas have poured forth on how to properly pay tribute to the life and deeds of a man frequently…
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Mississippi to Vote on Changing Jim Crow Era Voting Law
Voting laws in this country are generally crafted to favor white people at the expense of everyone else. Whether it’s gerrymandering districts to the point where a court has to step in or closing down polling stations in predominantly Black areas, it’s sadly not uncommon to see the Black vote undermined. In Mississippi, voting rights…
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Michael B. Jordan's Outlier Society and Amazon Studios Launch Nostalgic Drive-In Series Highlighting Black and Brown Films
I am totally one of those people who believe the movie theater experience is special. Other than the primary fear and worry about my health and the health of my family and friends, I’ve been struggling with the fact that movie theaters aren’t currently accessible to me. Though the concept has largely been phased out,…