Politics

(The Root) — Whether or not we want to admit it, Americans are finally engaging in a national conversation about race and democracy. But it’s not happening in a single town hall forum televised on C-SPAN or through a Twitter chat hosted by President Obama, with millions tuning in. No, this conversation has been happening…

(The Root) — When I first heard Attorney General Eric Holder’s plan to change Justice Department charging policy regarding low-level, nonviolent drug offenders, my initial reaction was that the Obama administration finally was taking an affirmative move that would benefit the black community, just as President Obama had for other groups — women, gays and…

(The Root) — One of the unexpected stars of the New York mayor’s race is 15-year-old Dante de Blasio, son of New York City public advocate-turned-mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio. Dante, who is black, became an overnight sensation after starring in a television ad for his father’s campaign in which he argues that his father,…

Actress Stacey Dash has been in the news for her controversial comments on political matters, ranging from endorsing Mitt Romney for president in 2012 to favoring voter ID. Her commentary continues as the actress used Twitter to condemn Oprah Winfrey on Friday for her statements about Trayvon Martin and President Obama, the Huffington Post reports.…

(Special to The Root) — It is 50 years since the summer of 1963, when civil rights and labor activists were putting the finishing touches on the plans for a mass march on Washington, D.C. That march, as we all know, culminated in a key turning point for the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King…

(The Root) — New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg had a tough week. At least, tough compared to most weeks for the white, straight male billionaire who runs one of the world’s leading cities, and by most accounts has led a fairly charmed life that usually involves getting his way — even if that means…

(The Root) — “I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.” That, of course, was Alabama Gov. George Wallace, who’d run on a platform opposing black voter registration, in a speech delivered in 1963 — the very same year as the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. This month, events commemorating the landmark civil…

(The Root) — With just 11 days left on the calendar before the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, thousands, if not tens of thousands, of Americans are busy readying themselves to converge on the nation’s capital. Kim Moore, 28, is a consultant who lives in the San Diego area.…

Michelle Obama recently sat down with Parade magazine in a short but wide-ranging interview about the significance of having the first African American in the White House. Children born in the last eight years will only know an African-American man being president of the United States. That changes the bar for all of our children,…

(The Root) — On Monday, federal Judge Shira A. Scheindlin ruled that the New York City Police Department’s stop-and-frisk practices were unconstitutional, but to thousands of the city’s black and Latino men, that wasn’t news. The real headline for many in New York’s black and brown communities was how attorneys convinced a federal judge that…