culture

Dr. Donald E. Grant Jr., writing at Ebony, lists five ways that educational institutions can help black men graduate from college once they get there.   In fact, according to a 2011 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation report, 45% of Black men over the age of 25 have attended college. Unfortunately, the rate at which these men go on…

(The Root) — Oct. 1 marks the start of the official countdown to Halloween, and already the month is off to a frightening start, a promise of sorts of what’s all wrong about what’s to come on Oct. 31. Yesterday the ladies at popular parenting site Rookie Moms sent out an odd tweet to parents…

The first time Jay Z appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair, in 2001, life was remarkably different for the rap icon and businessman, who graces the cover of the glossy’s November issue. For one, there is the difference in wardrobe choices. Back then he wore a Yankees jersey, jeans (presumably from his clothing line,…

For adopted children, researching their paternal family history can be as emotional as it is enlightening. For Jennifer Teege, her research was downright frightening. The product of a brief affair between a German woman and a Nigerian student, Teege was put up for adoption by her mother, Monika, whose own life was also the result…

There are legends, and there are stars. The former term can be used to describe Cicely Tyson, who recently won a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway play A Trip to Bountiful; the latter, Kerry Washington, the Emmy-nominated actress who is headed into her third season as Olivia Pope, the complex heroine in…

(The Root) — This image is part of a weekly series that The Root is presenting in conjunction with the Image of the Black in Western Art Archive at Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research. After being hidden from view for nearly two millennia, this engaging view of an exotic religious rite was unearthed…

Dash Harris, writing at For Harriet, describes her surprise that the media have taken an interest in the story of Jakiyah McCoy, a 7-year-old Afro-Latina beauty-pageant winner who had her title revoked because pageant officials wanted her to prove that she was Latino. Since when has mainstream media ever cared about Latinos of African descent…

In Al Sharpton’s new biography, The Rejected Stone: Al Sharpton and the Path to American Leadership, the reverend gives his life story a much-needed update since his first biography was published in 1996. Sharpton has evolved from a fiery civil rights activist with a flashy perm to a still-controversial but arguably more respected public figure, who…

(The Root) — In late August it was revealed that Merrill Lynch, one of the nation’s oldest financial institutions, would settle a class action lawsuit brought by African-American employees alleging discrimination. By settling, the firm became one of the few major players on Wall Street to acknowledge something that has been whispered about for years…