culture
-
Beyond the Lights Opens Urbanworld Film Festival
It’s been 14 years since Love & Basketball came out, starring Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps. Now the writer-director behind that seminal film finally has another love story hitting the big screen. Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Beyond the Lights makes its U.S. premiere Thursday in New York City at the Urbanworld Film Festival. As one of Hollywood’s few…
-
When Black Men Mess Up, Do We All Feel the Shame?
Let’s all keep it 100: The past week of black-man antics hit us like a brick to the face. All the big trending copy, breaking news and talk show leads morphed into one hellacious week of brothers just messing up. Overnight, it felt as if we became poster kids and ad campaigns for some of…
-
What I Learned From Writing Race Manners
There’s no question from a reader this time. Just the bittersweet news that this is my last week at The Root and the final installment of Race Manners. I launched the column in March 2013, promising to “take on your toughest questions about the ethics and etiquette of racial interactions in a changing America.” At that…
-
Ferguson Grand Jury Has Until January to Decide Whether to Charge Officer
The grand jury convened in the case of the Aug. 9 shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., has been given an extension until Jan. 7 to decide whether to bring charges against police Officer Darren Wilson, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The jury had been due to end its four-month term last…
-
Officer Who Fatally Shot Rekia Boyd to Stand Trial
The Chicago police detective responsible for the death of Rekia Boyd is set to stand trial next month, reports the Chicago Tribune. Dante Servin claimed that he feared for his life the night he shot into a crowd of four people, killing Boyd. Cook County prosecutors disagreed and argued that Servin acted recklessly when he…
-
Watch: SC Sheriff’s Deputy Uses Taser Twice on Handcuffed Man
A Richland County, S.C., sheriff’s deputy has been caught on video using his Taser twice on a handcuffed individual, The State reports. According to the news site, the video, which was posted to YouTube, has been turned over to Internal Affairs for investigation. Sheriff’s Department spokesman Lt. Curtis Wilson said that the man being tased…
-
Actor Malik Yoba Shares the Roots of His Social Consciousness
The Root Live: Bring It the Table returns Wednesday, Sept. 17, with a dynamic discussion about the cost of social activism. The Root Live, sponsored by Prudential, is a weekly video series tackling financial concerns in the African-American community. In the second episode of the series, The Root contributing editor and host Harriette Cole is joined…
-
White House Voices Support of Police Body Cameras
The White House is all for law enforcement wearing body cameras, an official said, but there are many factors to take into consideration in the implementation of such a practice, which is not the cure-all for the mistrust between law-enforcement officials and their communities. It has been more than a month since Officer Darren Wilson…
-
Historic Unveiling of Frederick Douglass Portrait at Governor’s Mansion in Md.
When Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley first moved into the historic Government House in Annapolis, Md., something struck him: There were no portraits of black Americans who had influenced the nation among those of historic greats like George Washington. That was remedied Monday when the governor unveiled a portrait of Frederick Douglass—the first of an African…
-
Report: Adrian Peterson Accused of Beating Another 4-Year-Old Son in 2013
On Monday afternoon the Minnesota Vikings announced that they were reinstating running back Adrian Peterson after deactivating him one game because of child-abuse charges he faces for reportedly beating his 4-year-old son with a switch. By Monday evening a second report of alleged child abuse had surfaced, according to news station KHOU. According to the…