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Black Valedictorians and Salutatorians: From Coretta Scott King to Richard Sherman
As W.E.B. Du Bois once said, “There is in this world no such force as the force of a person determined to rise. The human soul cannot be permanently chained.” Du Bois set himself apart from his peers with such self-determination, eventually becoming a class valedictorian and leader in his youth. Throughout history, African Americans…
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Grammy Red Carpet: Stars Shine on Music’s Biggest Night
Nicole L. Cvetnic is The Root’s multimedia editor and producer. The music industry’s biggest stars gathered in Los Angeles at the Staples Center on Sunday for the 57th annual Grammy Awards, and the red-carpet fashion did not disappoint. Check out who wore it best. Singer Rita Ora Ciara Actress Kat Graham Herbie Hancock Chrissy Teigen and…
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Bow Down: In Praise of Beyoncé
We all love Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and will take any opportunity to bow down to Queen Bey. With the Grammy Awards coming up on Sunday at 8 p.m. EST on CBS, we thought it was as good a time as any to lay out some fun facts about one of the greatest performers of all time.…
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Eye Candy From The Root’s Young, Fabulous and Female Event
Some of the women who attended The Root’s Young, Fabulous and Female event at the Long View Gallery in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday were questioning if and when they should quit their jobs and devote themselves full time to a startup idea. Others got super candid and described how they were in the middle of…
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White Celebrities Who Have Adopted Black Children
In the new film Black or White, opening Friday and starring Kevin Costner and Octavia Spencer, the two Oscar-winning stars play grandparents who end up in a custody battle for their biracial granddaughter, played by Jillian Estell. The film’s take on race and identity couldn’t come at a more perfect time, especially with transracial adoption…
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Black Films Are Buzzing at This Year’s Sundance Festival
Every year the Sundance Film Festival premieres some of the best independent black films around, and it looks as if 2015 will be no different. Viola Davis, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rick Famuyiwa, Zoë Kravitz and Stanley Nelson are just a few of the black actors and filmmakers attending the festival in Park City, Utah, from Jan.…
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Can You Guess How Many White Americans Have African Ancestry?
When I got the idea to do a PBS series about the roots of the African-American people, I was inspired by two sources: first, of course, by Alex Haley’s Roots; and second by the new science of ancestry-tracing through the use of DNA, to which I had been introduced by my friend Dr. Rick Kittles,…
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All of King’s Men: Actors Who Have Played MLK
David Oyelowo was recently nominated for a Golden Globes Award for his depiction of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, which opens nationwide Jan. 9. Directed by Ava DuVernay—who became the first black woman to earn a Globes nod for best director—the film has been buzzed about for years, and Oyelowo first…
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In Memoriam: A Tribute to the Ones We Lost in 2014
As we wind down 2014 and look ahead to 2015, we want to take a moment to remember the people who passed on this year. From celebrities to athletes to the list of unarmed black men whose deaths launched a movement, the lives of the people included here mattered, and we will never forget the…
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The Heroes of Selma and the Stars Who Play Them in the Movie
Selma, director Ava DuVernay’s much-anticipated film about the 1965 marches that led to the Voting Rights Act, hits theaters in selected cities Christmas Day and goes nationwide Jan. 9. DuVernay, who became the first black female director to earn a Golden Globe nomination, utilizes a cast of award-winning stars and up-and-coming actors to portray the…