new york city

  • 5 Guards at NYC’s Rikers Island Convicted in Brutal Beating of Inmate

    A former chief for security and four other officers at New York City’s Rikers Island jail complex have been convicted of felony charges in the brutal beating of an inmate, CBS News reports. Former Assistant Chief for Security Eliseo Perez and officers Alfred Rivera, Tobias Parker, Jose Parra and David Rodriguez were convicted Tuesday of charges,…

  • Man Suspected in NYC Shooting of 16-Year-Old Baby Sitter Surrenders to Police

    The man suspected in the shooting death of a teen baby sitter surrendered to cops at a police station in New York City’s Brooklyn borough Thursday with the help of his lawyer, the New York Daily News reports. Taariq Stephens, 24, is accused of using a .40-caliber submachine gun to shoot 16-year-old Shemel Mercurius while…

  • Can Black People Be Gentrifiers?

    While I was not born in the United States, I spent the bulk of my formative years in Harlem. I went to elementary school on the north end of Amsterdam Avenue and middle school on Convent Avenue. While my mom was still getting comfortable speaking English when I was younger, she found solace in the…

  • Celebrating Being Young, Fabulous and Female in NYC

    Every young black woman who’s fabulous, ambitious and committed to her growth was in attendance for The Root’s Young, Fabulous and Female event in New York City. Professional women from every level of their respective careers gathered to hear the stellar panel give its advice on everything from managing relationships to networking, building a brand,…

  • How To Be Unapologetically Black

    On Tuesday, I was at Google’s New York City office for a panel titled “Breaking Through The Noise: Making Our Voices Visible, Scalable And Impactful.” For roughly 90 minutes, David Wilson (founder of The Grio), Tiffany Warren (Senior VP, Chief Diversity Officer at Omnicom Group/Founder & President, ADCOLOR®), Lilly Workneh (Black Voices Editor at Huffington Post)…

  • Dear VH1, The Breaks Was Dope, But You Played Me.

    Last night, VH1 finally premiered The Breaks, a “movie” they’ve been promoting for the better part of the past two months. Why did I put “movie” in quotes? I’ll tell you why. It’s because VH1 is rude as fuck and played my life, b. Let’s start at the beginning: The Breaks is a “movie” based…

  • What A Difference A Year Makes: On Battling And Beating Depression

    If I had moved to New York last fall as intended, you would be surely be referring to me in the past tense today. I wasn’t ready, mentally, financially or emotionally to give up my chill yet scatterbrained and spiraling life in Panama to write and power-walk for a living in the City That Never…

  • Things That Happen When You're The First Born Daughter Of East African Parents In America

    Being a firstborn daughter in a relatively sizable extended family of East Africans* certainly has its benefits. I’ve been taught to experience rice as a food group, I have family scattered across the world (which can really cut down on hotel costs whenever I get a case of wanderlust), and generally speaking, the comfort of…

  • Ask Agatha: Regretful Threesomes And Why Men Should Never, Ever, Ever Take Selfies

    Andre from Patterson, NJ asks: What are the worst mistake guys make on Social Media? Taking selfies. There is nothing masculine about a man alone in a bathroom trying to find his best light. Natasha from Brooklyn, NY asks: My boyfriend talked me into a threesome. I’d never been with a girl before and I…

  • Hood And Bodega Snacks, Ranked

    As someone who grew up in Harlem in the 90s, a very large part of my life is defined by the following: 1. Dipset Mixtapes 2. Sneaking top quality snacks from the bodega into a Magic Johnson movie theater, because fuck those inflated ass prices. 3. That horrible time when everyone’s auntie was reading their…