photos

Betye Saar. Black Girl’s Window, 1969. Assemblage in window. 35 3⁄4 x 18 x 1 1⁄2 in. (90.8 x 45.7 x 3.8 cm). Collection of the artist. Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York. David Hammons. America the Beautiful, 1968. Lithograph and body print. 39 x 29 1⁄2 in. (99.1 x 74.9 cm). Oakland…

Michael Arceneaux hails from Houston, lives in Harlem and praises Beyoncé’s name wherever he goes. Follow him on Twitter. For every well-made remake of a classic film (think 2010 Oscar bait True Grit), there’s a clunker (2005’s Guess Who springs to mind). With a spate of movie redos in the works, including Steel Magnolias, Annie and Sparkle,…

Ralph Bunche Albert Luthuli Martin Luther King Jr Anwar el-Sadat Sir William Arthur Lewis Desmond Tutu Wole Soyinka Derek Walcott Toni Morrison Nelson Mandela Kofi Annan Wangari Maathai Barack Obama Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Tawakkul Karman, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee

The execution by lethal injection in September of Troy Davis still reverberates through the criminal-justice system. With a string of prosecution witnesses recanting their testimony and Davis professing his innocence to the very end, many still wonder: Did the state of Georgia execute an innocent man? No one can say for sure, but there were…

The Root takes a look at black celebs with Jewish roots. While some are Orthodox, practicing Jews, and others descendants from a Jewish lineage, they each lend credence to the relationship between black and Jewish communities. Check out 20 black celebrities with connections to Judaism (and here’s a little parody to put it all in…

The Gullah people, sometimes known as Geechee, are a group of descendants of African people in enclaves scattered around Georgia and South Carolina and into Florida around the coastal plains, and in sea-island towns such as Bluffton, Daufuskie and Hilton Head. This unique subpopulation of African Americans has retained the customs, traditions and mores of…

The grand mansion, which the great orator and abolitionist called home in the late 1800s, offers a close-up look at his important role in black history. It’s a good start for a tour of Anacostia, one of D.C.’s most colorful black neighborhoods. Captions by Gary Lee Unveiled on the National Mall in the summer of…

This painting is one of three works from the late, great artist that are featured in the exhibit. The Washington, D.C., native is inspired by Japanese ganguro culture, hip-hop and fashion. Cave, a performance artist, dancer and fabric sculptor, is best known for the elaborate garments he makes from found materials. Known for his use…

On Thursday, Sept. 22, The Root and Impact hosted a party at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Conference. Guests mingled downstairs, while upstairs the Corcoran offered a sneak peek at the “30 Americans” exhibit, which opens Oct. 1. Managing Editor of The Root Joel Dreyfuss,…

The Turkish Embassy hosted an exclusive soiree honoring the chiefs of staff of the Congressional Black Caucus members. The reception was held after the annual CBC gala dinner. Two of the most influential chiefs of staff on the Hill, Tracie Pough, chief of staff to Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.), and Yebbie Watkins, chief of staff…