culture

How might President Barack Obama’s pending executive order on immigration affect black unemployment? And isn’t that a question black leaders should be asking right now? Even if you’re pro-immigration reform, the answer should be a full-throated and resounding, “Yes.” Obama’s executive order will allow more than 4 million noncitizens previously here without immigration status to obtain work…

While the world awaits the Ferguson, Mo., grand jury decision as to whether police Officer Darren Wilson will be charged in the shooting death of unarmed teen Michael Brown, CNN’s Reliable Sources reports that several prominent news anchors have met in private with Wilson in hopes of securing the controversial officer’s first on-air interview. According to…

It looks like evidence used by the Ferguson, Mo., grand jury to decide whether to criminally charge Officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown may not be made public, according to a St. Louis County Circuit Court official, Yahoo News reports. Under normal circumstances, grand jury evidence remains sealed after…

Editor’s note: We asked several honorees of this year’s The Root 100 to share the things they are most thankful for this holiday season. Here’s what they had to say. Feminista Jones, Writer, Blogger, Activist I am thankful for the opportunities I have had to make connections with other people who want to make the…

Sentenced to death based on the testimony of a single juvenile witness, two Cleveland men have maintained their innocence for 40 years. Now someone has finally listened. The two Ohio men, Ricky Jackson and Wiley Bridgeman, walked out of prison as free men last week after the state’s witness in the case admitted that he…

Updated Sunday, Nov. 23, 12:26 p.m. EST: A 12-year-old boy holding a toy gun when he was shot by police outside a Cleveland recreation center died early Sunday morning, a police-union official confirmed for Cleveland.com. The youth, whose name has not been officially released, was shot in the stomach at Cudell Recreation Center, at Detroit…

The administrative relief measures that President Barack Obama announced Thursday will benefit an estimated 4 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. This long-awaited measure came several months after the president promised to take executive action in the absence of any cooperation by an obstructionist Congress to pass legislation. What some, including The Root’s…

Still deciding whether to indict Ferguson, Mo., police Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown, a St. Louis County grand jury is expected to reconvene Monday, Yahoo News reports. Downtown STL Inc., a  civic group that promotes St. Louis businesses, told members in an email Saturday that the grand jury will reconvene…

One of the hidden secrets behind the Great Recession is the role different generations have played in the downturn. There are about 78 million baby boomers and about 82 million millennials tweeting away, but Generation X? A paltry 58 million. In other words, the generation now in its prime earning years is too small to keep…

Most African Americans are surely aware of the worsening obesity rates in this country, especially among poorer and underserved communities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, African Americans are the most overweight racial group, with 47 percent classified as obese—defined as a body mass index of 30 or higher. But less often…