culture
-
George Zimmerman Accused in Fla. Road Rage Incident
Police in Lake Mary, Fla., are investigating an allegation that George Zimmerman threatened to kill a motorist during a road rage incident, CBS Miami reports. A man who identified himself only as “Matt’ called police Tuesday to report that a truck pulled up alongside him and a passenger yelled, “Why are you pointing a finger…
-
Vikings’ Peterson Booked and Released in Child-Injury Case
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was booked into jail and released on $15,000 bail early Saturday morning after he was indicted on a felony charge of reckless or negligent injury to a child, ESPN reports. Peterson reportedly beat his 4-year-old son earlier this year with a small tree branch as a form of punishment,…
-
Education: By Any Means Necessary
Howard Fuller, the renowned educator and co-founder of the Black Alliance for Educational Options, has fought for equal education rights for decades. He also believes that America lies to its children. “I think we tell a big lie in America and we say that our children are our most important gift, but that’s not really…
-
Watch: What Are the 50 Greatest Black TV Shows of All Time?
On Monday The Root will give readers the chance to vote for the greatest black TV shows of all time. For the next three weeks, readers will choose from a roster of shows—from comedies to dramas, old and new—that captured the collective experiences of being black in America. The top 50 shows that readers choose will be…
-
Meet Michael Che, the 1st Black Co-Host on SNL’s ‘Weekend Update’
In season 40 of Saturday Night Live, which begins Sept. 27, viewers will witness history when 30-year-old stand-up comedian Michael Che becomes the co-anchor of “Weekend Update,” the first African American to hold the position. Che may be familiar to fans of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, where he had a short run as…
-
Howard vs. Morehouse: A Rivalry for the Ages
It is a battle for pride. It is a battle of honor. It is a battle for bragging rights, and really, that is what is most important here: bragging rights. One of the longest-standing rivalries between two of the oldest HBCUs will be settled with pigskin, pads and helmets, and the winning team and its…
-
‘Straightwashed’ No More: Black LGBT Influencers Are in the Spotlight
It was only 50 years ago when the architect of the March on Washington, Bayard Rustin, a black gay man, stood next to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as he recited his famous “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. While Rustin’s sexual orientation was known within his activists’ circles, it…
-
We Can’t Let Star Athletes Like Oscar Pistorius and Ray Rice Off the Hook
Celebrated South African Paralympian Oscar Pistorius has been convicted of culpable homicide. He was found not guilty of premeditated murder on Thursday but later found guilty of the lesser charge for firing four shots into a locked bathroom door, killing his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, last year on Valentine’s Day. Now Pistorius faces five to…
-
Pastor in SC Gets Jail Time for Praising the Lord
South Carolina pastors, take heed: Praising the Lord to your fullest capabilities might gain you favor in heaven, but it probably won’t on Earth. According to WLTX, Pastor Johnnie Clark of the Rehoboth United Assemblies Church in Columbia, S.C., was sentenced to two weeks in jail following a ruling over a long-standing dispute between neighbors and…
-
Black Is Beautiful: In Memory of Bantu Stephen Biko
On Aug. 18, 1977, South African police stopped a car carrying Bantu Stephen Biko and a friend. They had no idea that Biko was in the car, but they were looking for him. Biko, who founded the Black Consciousness Movement in the late 1960s, had been banned some years earlier for his work to end apartheid.…