culture
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How Do I Track Deep South Roots?
(The Root) — “I have been tracing my husband’s African-American family for a while now, and am stuck in the same place after 80-100 hours of research. What I’d like to find out are more details on Alford/Alfred Anderson (who was born in 1854 in Tennessee, according to census records) and his wife Tinie Smith (who may have…
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Jason Collins: Unsigned Because He's Gay?
(The Root) — To much fanfare, Jason Collins told the world last spring that he was gay by writing a cover story for Sports Illustrated. The first NBA player to come out, he won widespread praise and apparent support for helping to knock down barriers in the world of professional sports. At the time the…
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Benjamin Crump Takes Kendrick Johnson Case
(The Root) — In the months since the body of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson was found rolled up in a mat in the gymnasium of Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Ga., nothing has seemed to add up. The initial explanation that investigators gave to Johnson’s parents, Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson, was that their son died in a…
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PBS to Air Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s New African-American Documentary
(The Root) — On Wednesday evening, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., The Root’s editor-in-chief, Henry Louis Gates Jr., hosted an illustrious panel and screening of his 13th documentary, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross. Gates sat down to discuss the monumental six-part, six-hour series with Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), journalist Charlayne…
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Cory Booker Cancels Public Events After Father's Death
(The Root) — Just days before New Jersey voters are slated to head to the polls in a special election to select a new senator, Democratic front-runner Cory Booker canceled campaign appearances late Thursday to mourn the death of his father. Cary A. Booker passed away Thursday after a recent stroke, according to a news…
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Black Women Celebrate Fathers in New Book
(Special to The Root) — Bet on Black: African-American Women Celebrate Fatherhood in the Age of Barack Obama is a collection of 20 essays by black women about their father-daughter relationships and the positive influences their dads provided in their lives. Hillary Crosley, a contributing editor to The Root, also participated in this book, which…
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Was Kwame Kilpatrick's Sentence Too Harsh?
(The Root) — It is a sentence more associated with murder than political corruption, but many in Detroit say former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick deserved the 28-year sentence he got for kickbacks, bribery, extortion and fraud, which cost the city millions. Even though a contrite and remorseful Kilpatrick pleaded with the judge for leniency, his detractors…
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Los Angeles Sheriff's Dogs Bite Only Blacks and Latinos?
(The Root) — During the first six months of 2013, 100 percent of the people bitten by dogs in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Canine Services were black or Latino. That’s 100 percent. As in every single one. The data comes from a report by the Police Assessment Resource Center, a nonprofit organization that…
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Why the NFL Should Tackle Domestic Violence
Professional football should join forces with domestic violence advocacy groups, as it does for breast-cancer awareness, Jessica Danielle argues at Ebony, to put the spotlight on an issue that’s often swept under the rug. If you’ve been watching football for the past two weeks, you’ve probably noticed the plethora of pink items the players are wearing in…
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'Acting Black': The Evolution of the Comedy Sketch
Gene Demby serves up snark in NPR in a piece about the evolution of black actors having to “act black” onstage and in Hollywood. He tackles the issue through the prism of a recent comedy-troupe production by the Upright Citizens Brigade. It’s an old, hardy comedy trope: A black person has to turn up the…