culture

This was a good year for black women. From Emmy nominations to elections, music to movies, black women dominated 2013. The Root has gathered a list of the black girls who won in 2013. Sasha Obama Sasha caused a unicorn sweater shortage this year. After she was spotted wearing this ASOS sweatshirt, it promptly sold…

Editor’s note: You can read part 1 of this conversation here and part 2 here. When the creators of a drama that would bring Solomon Northup’s 12 Years a Slave to the big screen needed a historical consultant, Henry Louis Gates Jr., who edited a recent edition of the memoir, was a natural choice. Gates,…

Crazy as it sounds, actor Idris Elba tells The Root, his first hesitation when approached about portraying South African leader Nelson Mandela in the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom was, “He’s light-skinned and I’m dark-skinned!” It was a trivial concern when weighed against the greater challenge of taking on the role of what Elba…

Dear Readers, As 2013 comes to an end, The Root would like to thank all of you for your continued support. We are committed to providing honest, thought-provoking journalism as well as strong opinion and analysis, and we would like to think of the work we do as the beginning of a broader conversation about…

For many of us—hapless, shopping-till-we-drop souls duped into endless Black Friday specials, last-minute mall runs and online discounts—the holiday never ends until well after the New Year. That’s when the sticker shock of credit card bills and drained checking accounts sets in like a street mugging. And in a few weeks, many stressed American families—who…

Editor’s note: You can read part 1 of this conversation here. When the creators of a drama that would bring Solomon Northup’s 12 Years a Slave to the big screen needed a historical consultant, Henry Louis Gates Jr., who edited a recent edition of the memoir, was a natural choice. Gates, a Harvard history scholar,…

Editor’s note: How many times in your life have you heard some version of the words “go get a job” from well-meaning parents, teachers, friends or spouses? But has anyone ever told you to “go start your own company”? Does that seem too scary, too tough or impractical? Yes, it can be hard. And, yes,…

For the sake of Christmas and our happiness, let us pretend Santa Claus does indeed exist. And in our imaginations Santa Claus is black. But that’s as far as we go. We are not going to act like Santa Claus, black or otherwise, is omnipresent. The man has one job: to deliver toys all around…

On the eve of the celebration of Jesus Christ’s birthday, the Associated Press has published a story via ABC News on the race of the son of Christ. Was he black, white—or even human? It’s tough to say, but the piece aims to cut through a broad and rather dubious debate that has been going…

Nailah Winkfield is a mother first. As a mother, she is fighting for her daughter’s life, which doctors believe ended once she was declared brain-dead after tonsil surgery this month. Winkfield isn’t sure what the new court-appointed doctor will determine about her 13-year-old, Jahi McMath, but as her mother she plans to keep fighting. “I’m…