culture

As the eyes of the nation turn to Alabama this week to mark the 50th anniversary of the historic civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, it gives us a moment to reflect on the progress we’ve made since that time, including the election of the nation’s first African-American president, and the work that remains…

John Ridley is at the top of his game. The Academy Award-winning screenwriter of 2013’s critically acclaimed film 12 Years a Slave is helming the highly anticipated ABC drama American Crime, which premieres March 5. Featuring an all-star cast including Timothy Hutton, Felicity Huffman, Benito Martinez and Regina King, American Crime explores the complexities of…

On Monday President Barack Obama, surrounded by members of his President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing—created in the wake of last year’s grand jury decisions in the police killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner—announced policy recommendations to local law enforcement as a response to the outrage generated by a nationwide epidemic of police…

The Root has officially launched the National Black Calendar, an events-listing website that will capture goings-on across the nation of interest to an African-American audience. Whether you’re looking to plan the perfect date night with your beau, curate an itinerary for a bachelorette weekend in Las Vegas, track down professional conferences relevant to your industry or…

Imagine the president of the United States calls you and asks that you reform more than 17,000 independent government agencies throughout the country, with no oversight, no federal authority and not much of a budget. And, by the way, you have to do it in 90 days. That’s essentially what happened when President Barack Obama…

President Barack Obama’s administration is continuing a focused push to get more African Americans into the technology and energy sectors. The Department of Energy launched the Minorities in Energy Initiative in 2013 during National Hispanic Heritage Month, and on Wednesday the department sponsored a Minorities in Energy Initiative event at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum…

Pittsburgh Police Chief Cameron McLay was praised across the nation when he was photographed on New Year’s Eve holding a sign that said, “I resolve to challenge racism @ work #EndWhiteSilence.” It provided stark contrast to the incompetence of cops in Ferguson, Mo., the belligerence of police unions in New York and the hostility that many departments were…

Duranord Veillard knows a lot about longevity, but Saturday is a milestone for the record books. USA Today reports that not only is Veillard celebrating turning 108, but he will also celebrate 82 years of marriage to his wife, Jeanne, who is 104. The husband and wife are believed to be the oldest couple in…