photos
-
50 Gift Ideas From 50 Black-Owned Businesses
In Swahili the term for cooperative economics—to build and maintain black institutions—is “Ujamaa.” In an age when many black-owned businesses have been forced to shutter, there isn’t a better time to support them than now. And why deal with all the Black Friday craziness when you can just hop online and find the perfect gift?…
-
Color-Blind Casting: Black Actors in Traditionally White Roles
Quvenzhané Wallis is set to grace movie screens across America starting Friday in her Golden Globe-nominated role in a remake of the classic film Annie. In the original film, released in 1982, Little Orphan Annie was a curly-coiffed redhead played by Aileen Quinn. Of course, this isn’t the first time a black actor has portrayed…
-
2014’s Most Popular Twitter Hashtags
Black Twitter was a force to be reckoned with in 2014. We saw the calling out and subsequent firing of people who posted racist tweets, as well as meaningful calls to action in which social activists created viral campaigns that brought attention to issues and incidents that captured global headlines. First lady Michelle Obama joined…
-
The 15 Best Works of Fiction by Black Authors in 2014
Hope Wabuke is a Southern California-based writer and a contributing editor at The Root. Follow her on Twitter. How do you speak when you speak of our literature? Do you say “African-American authors” and leave out the brilliant work of Zadie Smith, Helen Oyeyemi and countless others who are African but not American? Do you…
-
13 Albums to Get You in the Christmas Spirit
Maybe it’s Boyz II Men’s “Let It Snow” or the Jackson 5’s “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” that immediately makes you want to pull out your Christmas decorations. To help you put together a festive playlist, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite Christmas compilations, from classic albums to a few contemporary picks. The…
-
Black Comic Book Characters on the Big Screen
Nicole L. Cvetnic is The Root’s multimedia editor and producer. When Marvel Studios announced that Chadwick Boseman would be playing the Black Panther—the movie studio’s first solo lead of color—the actor joined Michael B. Jordan, Dwayne Johnson and Ray Fisher on a list of black actors who are set to appear in upcoming comic book…
-
The Best 15 Nonfiction Books by Black Authors in 2014
Hope Wabuke is a Southern California-based writer and a contributing editor at The Root. Follow her on Twitter. How do you measure the worth of scholarly research and analysis versus the worth of telling one’s life story? The musicality of language versus tone and voice? These are some of the questions that one is faced…
-
Call of Duty: 17 Top Black Military Officers
For Veterans Day, we wanted to recognize some of the top African-American military officers in the U.S. armed forces who are serving their country with distinction, even as black officers in the military’s upper ranks remain a rarity. Last year Army Gen. Austin became the 12th commander of Central Command—and the first African American to hold…
-
Lounging at The Root 100 Gala
Amtrak, the presenting sponsor of The Root 100 2014 gala at Espace in New York City, provided a warm space for honorees to relax during the reception where they could take photos, charge their devices or do a bit of networking before the dinner program began. Amtrak’s Darlene Abubakar (front row, center) is surrounded by…
-
Photos From The Root 100 2014 Gala: Turn Down for What?!
This year’s cohort of honorees basked in one another’s company at The Root’s annual gala, held Thursday night at Espace in New York City, honoring the most impactful African Americans between the ages of 25 and 45. The Root 100 honorees Tamron Hall and Van Jones, The Root Editor-in-Chief Henry Louis Gates Jr., and host…