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The Root caught up with Newark, N.J. mayor Cory Booker at a screening of an episode of the new PBS series Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr. at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. Booker is featured in an episode of the series where Henry…

The Root was on location at a screening of an episode of the new PBS series Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr. at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. Before the screening, Gates told us the story of how he was bitten by the genealogy…

At the Million Hoodie March, a protest to end racial profiling, thousands flooded New York City’s Union Square Wednesday evening wearing hooded sweatshirts in honor of Trayvon Martin, a Florida teen who was unarmed and wearing a hoodie when he was fatally shot on Feb. 26. Rallygoers expressed their concerns and anger about the horrors…

The parents of slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin addressed hundreds of protesters gathered in New York City’s Union Square on Wednesday evening. We made an audio recording of their brief remarks to those gathered for what organizers called a “Million Hoodie March.” “George Zimmerman took Trayvon’s life profiling him. My son did not deserve to…

The Root’s Jenée Desmond-Harris was on the scene Jan. 14 at the taping of the 2012 BET Honors at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. She caught up with some of the who’s who of the black community, including former Secretary of State Colin Powell, singer Kelly Rowland and host Gabrielle Union. Hear what they…

Being one of the first members of your race to appear regularly on national television is pressure enough. Imagine carrying that burden at the age of 17. That’s what Leslie Uggams had to bear when she joined the cast of Sing Along With Mitch in 1961. “Because of that time period, when I was growing…

Don Cornelius, who died Wednesday morning of an apparent suicide, lived long enough to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his iconic show, Soul Train, last fall. In this September 2010 segment from the Tavis Smiley show, Cornelius reminisces about the challenge of producing live acts on television. He considered Soul Train to be on the…

They hail from Oxnard, Calif., to Portland, Maine, and several spots in between. They are scientists, artists, entrepreneurs and agents of social change. The Root’s 2012 Young Futurists are our future. After a nationwide search, The Root’s staff selected these 25 African-American innovators, ages 16 to 22, for its second annual list. This year’s Young…