the root tv

  • How Stalking Sheryl Lee Ralph on Social Media Got These Men 2 Musicals

    Who knew that stalking Sheryl Lee Ralph on social media would spawn two much-needed musicals: Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical and An Evening With Phyllis Hyman? The shows’ creators, Kendrell Bowman and Anthony Wayne, sure didn’t! But when they thought of the concepts behind the stage shows, they knew they had something special, and…

  • Watching These Kids Interview Their Moms Will Be the Highlight of Your Mother’s Day

    There’s no denying how special Mother’s Day is. It’s a holiday set aside for us to show our mothers just how much they mean to us. These are the women who carried us, nurtured us, taught us and continue to love us unconditionally. Showing these women gratitude is the least we can do. We asked…

  • Words of Comfort for the Motherless on Mother’s Day

    While many of us celebrate Mother’s Day by honoring our mom with gifts, breakfast in bed, movie dates and all-around pampering, there are many people in the world who no longer have their mothers. This tragedy makes acknowledging this holiday difficult. Ty Alexander of Gorgeous in Grey has released her debut book, Things I Wish…

  • Whoa, Baby! Kelly Rowland Really, Really, Really Loved Giving Birth

    Having a baby is more than having a baby (even though the act of having a baby seems like a process no one would willingly call upon her body to do). But having a baby means making. a. human. Babies are adorable, but that only lasts but so long, and then that kid grows up…

  • Watch: Laila Ali Knows What She Wants and Will Break Down Any Barrier in Her Way   

    To be clear: There is no ambiguity about what Laila Ali wants and the path she is willing to take to get there. Nearly two decades ago, Ali wrapped up her knuckles, slipped on boxing gloves and stepped into the ring. She made a life-changing decision—going from being a nail-salon owner to a pro boxer—and…

  • Watch: Black Women Dive Headfirst Into the Future With Virtual Reality Project

    NeuroSpeculative AfroFeminism is an art installation and virtual reality experience recently featured at the Tribeca Film Festival. The project, which seeks to put women of color in the virtual reality space, was created by Hyphen-Labs, a collective of women from diverse backgrounds. “We worked with character modelers, animators and developers to create an empowering experience…

  • Watch: LA Riots: Then and Now

    Los Angeles looks a lot different than it did in 1992. The smoke and shattered glass are long gone, but the memories of the Los Angeles uprising, commonly known as the “L.A. riots,” have had lingering effects on black Angelenos. Twenty-five years ago, four white Los Angeles police officers were acquitted of beating Rodney King.…

  • Chirlane McCray on ‘the Invisible Disease’

    The saying goes, “Healthy mind, healthy body.” But how often do we tend, acknowledge and nurture our mental health? Mental illness shouldn’t be dismissed as something to simply “walk off.” Nor will “manning up” do the job. And being pegged as “crazy” is worlds away from resolving the problem. Mental illness is a disease that…

  • Watch: Hashtag Revolution: Break the Silence for Black Women and #SayHerName

    Hashtags have defined pop culture. You spot them all over social media, and now many of them have become popular phrases, especially when they highlight blackness: #BlackBoyJoy, #BlackGirlMagic, #GrowingUpBlack and the list goes on. Usually these hashtags are met with laughter and reflection on relatability in blackness, but there’s one hashtag that serves not only…

  • Watch: Author Nicole Dennis-Benn on Giving a Voice to Jamaica’s Working Class

    Here Comes the Sun, the stunning debut novel by Jamaican author Nicole Dennis-Benn, offers readers a different view of the island paradise. The book follows a mother working as a prostitute to make ends meet for her two daughters in a town strongly dependent on tourists. Many issues are brought to the surface: sexism, colorism,…