culture

Howard University President Wayne A.I. Frederick is considering auctioning WHUT—the university’s public television station, and for 35 years the only black-owned public television station in the United States—to the Federal Communications Commission for anywhere between an estimated $100 million and $500 million, according to a universitywide memorandum released Friday. The channel’s broadcast spectrum, containing both…

I vividly remember the day my homegirl announced that she was marrying a maintenance worker. We were all enjoying a nice dinner, and then it was as if a hush had fallen over the crowd. She has a master’s degree and had purchased a house, while he was not bringing the same to the table.…

President Barack Obama is known for his singing mic drops. Remember “Amazing Grace“? And Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together“? But who knew that first lady Michelle Obama had singing skills, too? Never mind that it was just the “Happy Birthday” song—they performed an awesome duet. The two recently surprised R&B crooner Usher with a birthday…

“Belief is a heart project” —Oprah Winfrey Very few of us can connect people the way Oprah can. She has a gift for helping the rest of us look deep within and challenge ourselves. She has the ability to push us to go higher. To dig deep within. And to want to live more authentic…

Lamar Odom’s condition continued to improve Saturday, days after he was discovered unconscious in a legal Nevada brothel with cocaine and other substances reportedly in his system. The former NBA athlete was making steady improvement, a person close to Odom, but not authorized to speak publicly about his condition, told the Los Angeles Times. Odom,…

Nearly a year after a vehicle crash left him with a critical brain injury, Tracy Morgan returned to host Saturday Night Live to cheers and a reunion with his 30 Rock cast members. “I’m back and better than ever,” the former SNL cast member proclaimed during his monologue, which featured appearances from 30 Rock co-stars…

Editor’s note: The spelling of the ethnic term “Coloured,” used within the context of South African history and culture, reflects the writer’s preference. October 2015 marks the 30th anniversary of the death of one of the world’s great novelists, arguably the greatest Africa—let alone South Africa—has ever produced, a man who was not only a prodigiously…

The black-British acting invasion hasn’t slowed, and Cush Jumbo, who popped up in the season premiere of The Good Wife on CBS, is the latest import. In her native England, Jumbo distinguished herself on the theatrical stage, winning awards and nominations for performances in Shakespeare’s As You Like It and the all-female version of Julius…

On the evening of April 31, 2012, someone broke into Ashley Overbey’s home in Northeast Baltimore. When Overbey returned from work and noticed her home was awry, she called the police. The responding officers were rude, according to Overbey. They told her, “You live in Baltimore; what do you expect?” She called to file a…

Yesterday Ebony magazine debuted the cover of its November issue. It features a picture of the Huxtables from The Cosby Show behind shattered glass, with the glass’s most prominent crack directly over Bill Cosby’s face. Naturally, this explosive cover sparked another round of conversation about “the Cosby legacy”—something The Root’s Senior Writer Kirsten West Savali examined in a…