culture

As the Oklahoma State game against Texas Tech wound down to its final seconds Saturday night in Lubbock, Texas, Marcus Smart reportedly tussled with a Texas fan, ESPN reports about the incident that is under review.  It was not clear what prompted the incident before hundreds of stunned spectators and it’s still being determined whether…

If Justin Bieber were Michelle Obama’s son, she “would pull him close,” she said in an interview with Univision, when asked how she would aid the embattled teen pop star if she were his mom, according to Politico. Bieber has grabbed national attention recently, but not for his art. The teen was reportedly arrested in…

Blame an attack of conscience, and black Twitter, for the TKO of the “celebrity” boxing match planned between George Zimmerman and the rapper DMX, the promoter says. In his first interview after canceling the fight on Saturday, Damon Feldman, owner of Celebrity Boxing, told The Root he felt surprised and overwhelmed by the opposition on…

Every tale of struggle and triumph has its soundtrack, and African Americans’ fight for freedom in the U.S. is no different. From spirituals with roots in Africa to songs with hidden messages for those fleeing slavery to brave civil rights anthems, these works of music are more than art—they’re the sound of our history.  1.…

Damon Feldman, owner of Celebrity Boxing, generated outrage among civil rights activists and social media users when he announced plans to host a match between George Zimmerman and rapper DMX on what would have been Trayvon Martin’s 19th birthday. Feldman, who earlier this week billed the event as one of the biggest celebrity boxing matches…

Raleigh, N.C., is bracing for what is expected to be a large-scale demonstration by civil rights leaders and others over policies of the Republican-led state house, the Associated Press reports. The rally is expected to top the turnout of last year, when more than 900 people were arrested during the annual march during some dozen…

Evangelical conservative personality Bryan J. Fischer acknowledged National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on his radio show Friday by urging for homosexuality to be outlawed because it’s decimating the African-American male population, according to a transcript from Right Wing Watch. “If you care about black people, and we do…it’s the people who do not care about…

With a name like Universal Knowledge Allah, it might be reasonable to expect the man to know better. But the Milwaukee barber and gun licensee reportedly was involved in a highly publicized theft of a 300-year-old Stradivarius violin and tried to escape “in an older maroon minivan,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Allah, 36, and…

“Niggardly.” Go on, I dare you. Say it. Savor those syllables. Let your tongue caress those consonants. If you’re black and reading this, you may well have just laughed, smiled knowingly, been confused or even taken offense, depending on the size of your vocabulary. If you’re white and reading this, you will probably have just…

The Young Lawyers Division of the National Bar Association is a collection of young lawyers of color from across the country and around the world. Our eyes are fixed on the trial of Michael Dunn, the man accused of killing 17-­year-old Jordan Davis. As a group of legal professionals, we are trained to look at…