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Rolling Down the Blues Highway
(The Root) — The music known as the blues was born in the Mississippi Delta, nurtured on the blood, sweat and tears of African Americans toiling in the fertile fields along the mighty river. Early blues legends such as Charley Patton, Robert Johnson and Willie Dixon took the sorrow and anguish of poor blacks in…
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Black Olympians to Watch in London 2012
Jeter, who is second only to legend Florence Griffith Joyner for the world record, is hoping to win the title of “fastest woman alive” in an event that was swept by the Jamaican team at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. She’ll also be a medal contender in the 200, where her teammate Allyson Felix will…
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Pastor, Chef and Robot Walk Into a Church
Harlem has long been known for its artists and literary figures who gave birth to the first Harlem Renaissance, in the 1920s. It was that creative legacy that inspired the organizers of the first-ever TEDxHarlem on Tuesday at Riverside Church. TEDx events are independently produced spinoffs of the exclusive annual TED conferences. Created more than…
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What If Trayvon Was Standing His Ground?
Why are investigators ignoring Trayvon Martin’s side of the story? Martin was the 17-year-old black teen who was shot and killed on Feb. 26 by George Zimmerman, the 28-year-old neighborhood watch volunteer in Sanford, a suburb of Orlando, Fla. Zimmerman, who is a white Hispanic, claims the shooting was self-defense; three weeks later, he hasn’t…
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10 Rappers Most Influenced by Biggie
The Notorious B.I.G.’s presence is still felt 15 years after he died at age 24 in Los Angeles. His silky flow and crafty lyrics became a blueprint for a generation of rappers. Most rappers today would say that he influenced them in one way or another, but here are 10 artists we think were most…
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17 Black Internet Pioneers
In the two-plus decades since the World Wide Web was born, a number of African Americans have helped shape the online realm that now connects, informs and entertains much of the world. Among the black pioneers of Internet innovation are 17 individuals who distinguished themselves by breaking new ground in a rapidly evolving medium where…
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Oscars 2012: Most Memorable Moments
The 84th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday night were turning into a rather predictable affair until one stunning moment near the end. That moment came when Meryl Streep beat Viola Davis for Best Actress. Davis, who was considered the front-runner for her role as maid Aibileen Clark in The Help, graciously kissed the actress on…
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Recap: Grammys Honor Whitney, Etta
There was a mix of the celebratory and the somber at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, a day after the world learned that music legend Whitney Houston had died. The ceremony was supposed to mark the triumphant return of retro-diva Adele, who was performing for the first time after career-threatening vocal-cord surgery, and…
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Top 5 Whitney Houston Performances
R&B legend Whitney Houston, who died on Feb. 11 at the age of 48, gave so many memorable performances, it was a challenge just to pick five. As we look back on the life of one of music’s greatest performers, here are our five favorite performances. “The Star Spangled Banner” —Jan. 27, 1991 At Super…
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20 Tech Game Changers in Black History
Anyone who owns a Playstation, Wii or Xbox should know Lawson’s name. He created the first home video game system that used interchangeable cartridges, offering gamers a chance to play a variety of games and giving video game makers a way to earn profits by selling individual games, a business model that exists today. Lawson,…
