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'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Hurts African-American Women the Most
Black women and other people of color have been disproportionately affected by the policy -- and as one woman's story illustrates, just the threat of discovery can take a terrible toll.
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The Root Cities: Out and About in Oakland
In the third of a series profiling the California city, The Root scopes out the happenings in Oaktown, from foodie havens to the club scene to the nation's first cannabis college. (Yes, really.)
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Blogging the Beltway: The Benefits of Being a White Ridiculous Candidate
Don't believe Christine O'Donnell is getting a pass from the media? Just ask Alvin Greene.
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The Scandal Is About More Than Bishop Eddie Long
Shifting sexual mores, racial anxieties and unresolved issues of gender and power are what really drive our fascination with the Georgia mega-church crisis, says a professor of religion.
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A Father-to-Be's Promise to Break the Cycle
Headlines might herald the antics of deadbeat dads like Howard Veal, father of 23; but meanwhile, one black father is making a promise to his unborn son.
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GALLERY: The Top 10 Racial Conspiracy Theories
Just because you think they're out to get you doesn't mean it isn't true ... sometimes. We look at some of the country's more notorious notions, separating fact from fantasy.
Plus, This Isn't a Myth: The Guatemala Syphilis Study's Tuskegee Roots
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GALLERY: Images of Oakland
As part of series profiling the Bay city, we take a look at some of the faces and scenes in the wonderfully diverse Oaktown.
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'The Root Cities' Series Looks at Oakland
All week The Root looks at the changes taking place in that other California city by the Bay, the one with a rich tradition of black culture and activism. Check out the feature page to access the entire series at one time, including articles and photos.
Ron Washington, the Reluctant Texas Manager
He didn't think of himself as a boss, but he's leading the Rangers into the playoffs for the first time in 12 years and could be the American League Manager of the Year.
In Defense of Teachers and Teachers' Unions
Contrary to what you'd think watching the new documentary Waiting for Superman, teachers and teachers' unions are not the spawn of the devil.
The Root Cities: Oakland's Economic Power
In the second of a series profiling O-town, The Root takes a look at who's holding the purse strings in the city once called the Detroit of the West.
The Root Cities: Oakland's Political Power
It was once known as a black city, but shifting demographics are changing Oakland's complexion. The Root looks at who's really got the power now. Will Ron Dellums be the California city's last black mayor?
Will the Supreme Court Stop Prosecutorial Misconduct?
Last year, district attorneys who fabricated or withheld evidence avoided a high-court decision on paying damages to their victims. It's time the justices told them there are consequences for sending innocent people to prison.
The Guatemala Syphilis Experiment's Tuskegee Roots
Recent revelations that the U.S. government knowingly infected Central Americans with syphilis in the 1940s have eerie echoes to the infamous 40-year experiment with 400 infected black men in Macon County, Ala. As it turns out, this is no coincidence.
Progressives Prescribe 'Tea Party Antidote' With 'One Nation' Rally
Civil rights and labor groups gathered thousands on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to show that conservatives aren't the only ones energized this election season.
Debt-Collector Abuse: One Woman's Harrowing Tale
The racist voice mail messages received by one California woman illustrate the abusive practices that Sen. Al Franken and other lawmakers are hoping to end.
Martin Luther King Jr.: the Mercedes Salesman?
The civil rights leader is one of the unlikely stars of a new ad for Mercedes-Benz. Is it inappropriate?
Baroque Pop, Gospel-Flavored Roots Music and Non-Gangsta Gangsta Rap
The Root listens to Lightspeed Champion, Lizz Wright and Tricky.
'One Nation' for Whom?
The Oct. 2 rally sounds good in name, but let's call it what it really is: an attempt to unite liberals in time for the November elections.
Why Colbert and Stewart Aren't So Funny to Progressives
Publicity around the comedians' Oct. 30 rally has overshadowed the real "One Nation" march this Saturday.
Jay Pharoah, and Beyond, at SNL
With a dearth of minority writers on Saturday Night Live, and an absence of black women, the young comic's addition to this iconic fixture of late-night TV is a necessarily wait-and-see thing.
The High Price of Education
Substandard, "urban" public schools vs. expensive, lily-white private schools? What's a middle-class (bourgie) black parent to do?
Single-Minded: On Willow Smith and Whipping It
Is this leopard-print-wearing, hit-single-making, gum-chewing, fifth-grade fashionista too grown for her own good -- or can mature women learn a thing or two from her?
Post-Oil Spill Recovery: Who Benefits?
This week, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus released his plan for coastal-restoration efforts, which includes a Gulf Coast Recovery Fund to pay for the cleanup. Progress, right? Maybe. And maybe not.
Child Nutrition Bill, a Priority for the First Lady, Stalls
Find out why some anti-hunger advocates don't think that's such a bad thing.
Black Quarterbacks Are Almost Ho-Hum
There are signs that equal opportunity has finally reached the most glamorous -- and racially charged -- position in professional football.
Waiting for School Reform
Thanks to the highly hyped documentary Waiting for Superman, and President Obama's recent plug for education, making over our country's troubled schools is the topic du jour. Problem is, there's no one formula for success.
The Root Interview: The DNC's Tim Kaine on the Midterms
The party's chairman told The Root why he believes Democrats will retain both houses of Congress in November, at a time when enthusiasm is down even among black voters.
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The Panorama of Preachers in Trouble
There is a long history of black church leaders who have found themsleves in the middle of controversy, from Creflo Dollar to Jeremiah Wright.
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Wyclef Jean Named Visiting Fellow at Brown University
The singer and former Haiti presidential hopeful heads to the Ivy league.
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Oscar Grant Killer Wants New Trial
Ex-BART cop Johannes Mehserle's attorney says that prosecutors misled jurors.
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National Sex Study: Condom Usage Among Black and Hispanic Men Significantly Higher Than for White Men
Study debunks common myths about various populations, including teens, who, it turns out, use condoms more often than adults do.
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President Obama Holds First Summit on Community Colleges at White House
The president wants to produce an additional 8 million graduates by 2020.
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Study Finds Hundreds of Cases of Prosecutorial Misconduct in California
Researchers found 707 cases of prosecutorial misconduct, yet only six prosecutors were disciplined.
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Wynton Marsalis Hits Cuba for History-Making Jazz Concerts
The relaxed visa policy under President Barack Obama has cultural benefits.
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The Largest Tea Party Convention to Assemble in Richmond, Va.
Rep. Ron Paul, former Sen. Rick Santorum and former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs are expected to be in attendance.
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Statue of King Tut's Grandfather Discovered
A statue of Ahmenhotep III surfaces at the site of a temple in Luxor, Egypt.
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R&B Crooner Lyfe Jennings Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison
The man who vowed to stay out of prison does just the opposite.
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Seton Hall Shooting: Police Capture Second Man
The man who allegedly provided the gun that killed Jessica Moore is arrested.
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Van Jones: Today's Backlash Is Response to Yesterday's Victories
Progressives come together to discuss just what that word really means.
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Bishop Eddie Long to Congregation: Won't 'Be Pulled Into a Street Fight'
Once again the embattled pastor uses the pulpit to address, if indirectly, the lawsuits against him.
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Charlayne Hunter-Gault Remembers a Great Teacher
When she faced a wall of hostility as the first black female student at the University of Georgia, a white teacher reached out to her.
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