culture
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Man Arrested in Deaths of Kansas Mom and Kids Still Not Charged
It’s been a week since David Cornell Bennett Jr. was taken into custody, but charges have not yet been filed against the 22-year-old, who is being held on a $5 million bond, the Associated Press reports. Bennett was arrested on Nov. 26 at gunpoint in connection with the deaths of a young Kansas mother and…
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White College Students File Racial-Discrimination Complaint
Three white male students have slapped a black female Minneapolis Community and Technical College professor with a racial-discrimination complaint, causing the professor to be formally reprimanded by school officials for creating a “hostile learning environment,” Salon reports. Shannon Gibney was teaching her class, Introduction to Mass Communication, when the students reportedly reacted in a hostile…
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Elle France Beauty Editor Apologizes for Blackface
You may remember Elle France Beauty Editor Jeanne Deroo, who infamously wore blackface a few weeks ago, complete with an Afro wig. Well, Deroo has since come forward to apologize, via Twitter, International Business Times reports. “I realise how much the fact of painting oneself brown is an offensive act. I didn’t realise the seriousness…
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Obama Pledges 100,000,000 for HIV/AIDS Cure
President Obama is redirecting $100 million in pursuit of finding a cure to HIV, the Associated Press reports. “The United States should be at the forefront of new discoveries into how to put HIV into long-term remission without requiring lifelong therapies, or better yet, eliminate it completely,” Obama said Monday at a White House event…
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George Zimmerman’s Money Troubles Continue
George Zimmerman’s wife and attorney have settled a lawsuit with CMR Associates, the firm hired to provide security for Zimmerman and his family while he stood trial for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The former neighborhood-watch volunteer refused to settle the lawsuit with the private investigation firm that provided…
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The Root Exclusive: Shot, Paralyzed by Cops, Leon Ford Tells His Story
In an extraordinary exclusive interview with The Root, Leon Ford speaks publicly about his life since the shooting on a Pittsburgh street a year ago that left him paralyzed from the waist down. As reported by The Root’s Janell Ross: On Nov. 11, 2012, just before 10 p.m., Leon Ford Jr. looked in his rearview…
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Texas Cops Take White Teen From Black Guardians
An Oklahoma dance trio—two black men and a 13 year-old white girl—traveled to Houston to spend a weekend dancing and training with some industry professionals. Exhausted after a night of practicing at the studio, they pulled into a gas station to check the GPS and find the hotel. That is when Emmanuel Hurd began to…
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‘Sharkeisha’ Video: The Real Tragedy Is How Many Enjoyed Watching
It took me most of last Wednesday to figure out who or what a “Sharkeisha” was and why it was the leading trending topic on Twitter. I mistakenly guessed that it was a jab at the infamous Sharknado movie on the Syfy Channel, where an unprecedented number of people unexpectedly tuned in to watch sharks…
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Perfect Gifts for the Gardener in Your Life
Beware of a woman bringing gifts for the garden—not! Really, if you are a gardener or pretend to be a gardener or just know someone who is a gardener, gifts in the general direction of that sacred entity are more than welcome. They are a pleasure, and more often than not, they are a necessity.…
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Watch The Root 100 on Aspire TV: ‘The Progressives’
Aspire TV host Jamal Simmons calls the Rev. Howard-John Wesley “inspiring” and “courageous” for addressing tough personal issues in his wide-ranging interview, airing this week on Aspire TV’s The Root 100. The Alexandria, Va., pastor joins CNN’s Crossfire host Van Jones and LGBT-rights activist Danielle Moodie-Mills in this season’s second episode. “The Progressives” airs Wednesday,…