the root tv
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Watch: This Black Doctor Gave Us the Blood Bank and Saved Thousands of Lives
Dr. Charles Drew was both a revolutionary in the medical field and a pioneer for black rights. And we’re honoring him this February for Black History Month.In 1940, Drew became the first African American to receive a doctorate in medical science from Columbia University in New York City. He then went on to revolutionize the…
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Watch: Shirley Chisholm for President
Shirley Chisholm is a history-making black woman.Chisholm first made history in 1968 when she became the first black woman to be elected to the U.S. Congress, representing the 12th Congressional District of Brooklyn in New York City. Chisholm was also a founding member of both the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Women’s Caucus.Chisholm had…
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Judge of Characters: It’s a Woman’s World
We all know it’s a white man’s world, but through our magic, women of color manage to make this world ours. From Black Panther being an ode to black women, to women of color taking over the 2018 Winter Games, it’s hard to deny the power of women right now. One of the most powerful…
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Watch: These Future Attorneys Are Skipping Law School
Many industries lack racial and gender diversity, but the legal profession arguably ranks as one of the worst. About 85 percent of lawyers are white, according to the American Bar Association (pdf), and the majority are male (pdf). Crippling debt (pdf) and shrinking numbers of job prospects can make the idea of law school feel…
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Watch: How to Play a Villain With Black Lightning’s Marvin Jones
When it comes to playing a villain, some of us have got it—and, well, some of us don’t. Actor Marvin “Krondon” Jones III? Yep, he’s got it. Jones is Tobias Whale on the CW’s Black Lightning. He’s an ex-politician-turned-underworld boss of the fictional city of Freeland, and his gang is the 100. “We all have…
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Watch: Viola Davis Says Nobody Talks About Poverty
It’s no secret that Viola Davis came from meager beginnings. It’s also an understatement to call the brilliant actress’s upbringing meager. Davis has said it before and says it again, “I always say that I was a rung lower than poor; I was ‘po.’” Davis opened up about poverty at the Women in the World…
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Watch: When Denzel Met Pauletta: Did He Pursue Her 1st?
We’re constantly celebrating black love on The Root. And we just so happened to be lucky enough to sit down separately with #BlackLoveGoals couple Denzel and Pauletta Washington as each of them promoted their latest work. At the time, Deputy Managing Editor Yesha Callahan interviewed Denzel as he was making press rounds for Roman J.…
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Watch: This Is What It’s Like to Be a Black Girl in a White Ballet World
Isabella Soto has big dreams of becoming a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre. “I saw The Nutcracker when I was 2 years old and I said I really want to do this,” said the 11-year-old. By age 5, Isabella had already realized there weren’t many dancers who looked like her in the world…
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Watch: You Have a Black Man to Thank for Your Video Games
All right, listen up, gamers. Gerald Lawson is the pioneer of games you almost never hear about. In the mid-’70s, he perfected the game cartridge, making it possible to play multiple video games at home. As a teenager, the electronics genius operated a radio station from a housing project in the Jamaica neighborhood of New…
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Watch: Everything You Need to Know About Black Panther, Explained
Where is Wakanda? Who is T’Challa? Can a woman be Black Panther? I have so many questions about this comic book-turned-feature film, so I consulted with play cousins to The Root who are both staff writers for i09: Charles Pulliam-Moore and Evan Narcisse (who happens to be one of the brilliant writers of the Rise…