under REconstruction
We’re a Culture, Not a Costume: Ohio University Students Teaching What NOT to Wear
Fed up with the annual parade of white folks in blackface, "Indian squaws," and other culturally insensitive Halloween costumes on their campus, a group of students at Ohio University decided to do something about it. Members of the campus club STARS (Students...
“Curvy” Ballerina Speaks on Being American Ballet Theatre’s First Black Soloist
The image most of us have of mainstream classical ballet is one of stick-thin white women who got their start in the world of dance back when they were toddlers sporting baby ballet slippers and tiny tutus. Prepare to revamp that image now that Misty Copeland has...
Malik Yoba’s New SyFy Show Alphas is “The Wire Meets X-Files”
UPDATE: Alphas is five episodes in, and the show is awesome. And, for those who say black folks aren't into SciFi, check out this vote of confidence I found over at allhiphop.com with the thread title: Please tell me y'all niggaz are watching Alphas. :-/ Rumor has it...
Zero Tolerance Public School Policies Are Pre-Criminalizing Black and Brown Children
The United States of America makes up 5 percent of the world’s population, but houses 25 percent of the world’s prisoners. No country in the world, not a dictatorship or a communist, Islamic or facist country anywhere on Earth imprisons more of its citizens than...
Black Mothers Are Least Likely to Breast-Feed … Is a Breast-Feeding Doll the Solution?
A recent CDC report found that non-Hispanic black women in the U.S. were least likely to breastfeed compared to other racial groups, despite the fact that breast milk provides superior nutrition, natural immunity, and possible allergy prevention for babies who receive...
Restaurant Servers Want a Tip? Serve Black Customers Better
According to a recent poll by The Root on attitudes and habits regarding tipping, African Americans are much more likely than whites to tip as a "reward for good service." These findings were among a number of differences in tipping habits across cultural lines...
Black Graduate Forced to Share Valedictorian Honor With White Student Who Did Not Earn It
A black teenager named Kymberly Wimberly who had a baby during her junior year, yet managed to earn the highest grade-point average at her high school, is suing an Arkansas school district, contending she was discriminated against when she was not allowed to be sole...
Amy Winehouse’s 15-Year-Old Goddaughter’s Soulful Show Must Go On
Two hours after learning that Amy Winehouse’s voice had been forever silenced, her goddaughter and protégé, Dionne Bromfield, took to the stage to perform. Though the 15-year-old made no mention of the tragedy, nor sang any of her godmother's songs during her...
‘Ebony,’ ‘Jet’ Publisher John H. Johnson Immortalized on Black Heritage Postage Stamp
In the wake of recent news that family-owned Johnson Publications has sold a minority share of the business to JPMorgan Chase & Co., the U.S. Postal Service is announcing that it will include the publishing company's founder, John H. Johnson, in their Black...
Abandoned at Birth Now an AIDS Activist: Hydeia Broadbent’s Life a Testament to Early Diagnosis and Treatment
Born HIV-infected to a crack-addicted mother and diagnosed with full blown AIDS at age 3, Hydeia Broadbent was not expected to live past the age of 5. More than 20 years after receiving that death sentence, this beautiful young woman blogs, tweets and travels the...
Mexican Beer Ad Implies African Women Are Animals
I was driving down Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood and had to circle the block for a second look at this bus bench poster. What the hell? This is just wrong on too many levels to believe, but the most glaring offense is the negative message it sends about African women....
Does Your Toddler Have Bad Credit?
With the rise in foreclosures, bankruptcies, long-term unemployment and other recession-related financial disasters, some desperate people have resorted to stealing the identities of children to apply for credit. It is estimated that as many as 400,000 kids per year...
White Hate Crime Convict Scheduled to Die July 20; Bangladeshi Victim Wants Him Spared
When terrorists attacked America on 9/11, Mark Anthony Stroman went on a murderous rampage to, as he put it, “exact some measure of equality and fairness for the thousands of victims of September 11.” With specific intent to kill Middle Eastern-looking men, Stroman...
Employers Prefer White Felons Over Blacks With No Criminal Record
You may remember the 2003 University of Chicago study by Devah Pager that sent young white and black "testers" with randomly assigned “felony convictions” to apply for low-wage jobs. The study found that whites with felonies were more likely to be called for...
Where Does John Singleton Stand on that Spike Lee / Tyler Perry Thing?
Director John Singleton, who is at the American Black Film Festival in Miami celebrating the 20th anniversary of his film, Boyz n the Hood, sat down with The Root to chat about black film. Asked about his views on the negative comments that have gone back and forth...
Oprah Rumored to Top Short List to Host 2012 Academy Awards
It has been almost 25 years since Oprah Winfrey didn’t get an Academy Award for her critically-acclaimed portrayal of Sophia in the Spielberg-directed film, The Color Purple, and right about now the folks at the Academy have to be hoping she’s not holding that against...
‘Under My Skin’; Exclusive Interview w/ Malika Haqq
STUNNING, is the word that instantly came to my mind when Malika Haqq walked into our recent interview casually dressed and wearing no makeup. If you've caught any of the episodes of E! Network's Khloe & Lamar (another new spin-off of the hit reality show Keeping...
Two Years After His Death the Spirit of Michael Jackson Keeps Brazilian Kids Out of Trouble
In memory of Michael Jackson on this, the 2nd Anniversary of his death, a little something that would make him smile: [embedplusvideo height="298" width="480" standard="http://www.youtube.com/v/3-XsLT2K1to?fs=1"...
Week Before Airport Police Arrested Black Man for Sagging Pants, This Half-Naked White Guy Flew With No Problem
How is it that a 20-year-old Black man with his pants sagging low enough to expose his boxer shorts made US Airways flight attendants feel the need to correct his fashion choice, yet this passenger flew with no problem on the same airline a week before--despite the...
Teen Slaves in New Jersey Forced to Braid Hair Made $4Million for their Captors
Imagine you are looking to get your hair braided and you find a salon where the price is low and the quality of the braids is high. You sit for hours in a chair, while a young girl who could be the same age as your sister or daughter works her artistry on your hair....
‘Black Like Me’ White Author Darkened His Skin to Write About “Being Black”
Today is my birthday. And Tupac's Too. Another June 16th human being I really love is John Howard Griffin. I hope you already know all about this man, but if not, he was a White anti-racist who grew up in the South and wanted to do something to reach the hearts and...
Happy Birthday Tupac
Yes, I am aware of the news that broke yesterday about Dexter Isaac confessing to shooting 'Pac back in 1994. But, I don't feel like writing a story about that today. Not today. Instead, Happy Birthday Tupac... "And my AIM is to spread more smiles than tears Utilize...
Bret Lockett Should Apologize to Kim Kardashian and Admit an Impostor Duped Him
If you've paid any attention at all to entertainment news channels over the last few days, you have heard that football player Bret Lockett is calling Kim Kardashian a cheater and a liar. He adamantly swears he has carried on a five-month telephone sex affair with the...
Tupac’s Godfather Geronimo Ji-Jaga: The Definition of Tragedy Turned Triumph
Geronimo Ji-Jaga died Thursday, June 2nd in Tanzania, Africa. [embedplusvideo height="387" width="480" standard="http://www.youtube.com/v/iqgdF2foAA0?fs=1"...
Dove Body Wash Will Turn Brown Women White!
So, several bloggers around the web have been commenting on this Dove VisibleCare body wash advertisement, saying it appears to them to be (unintentionally) racist. *Blink* Um. I don't think I'm gonna hop on that band wagon. It seems pretty clear to me that the before...
Scott Heron’s Music ‘Reflected Black Anger’ (WTH ?!) I Can’t…
On Friday, May 27th, 2011, Gil Scott-Heron died, and it was up to the rest of us left here on Earth to decide whether that mattered much. Within hours, the Internet began buzzing about his life, his incredible talent, and the impression his words and music left on the...
Lauren London Exclusive Interview: ‘Under My Skin” (Part 2)
After we got most of the serious topics out of the way last week in part one of this interview, the beautiful actress and model Lauren London responded candidly to my barrage of not-quite-so-deep questions: You are stranded on an island for the weekend. Name three...