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16 Black Firsts at the Olympic Games
On Thursday, Aug. 2, at the 2012 London Olympics, 16-year-old gymnast Gabby Douglas became the first black Olympian to win the women’s all-around gymnastics competition. Haitian-born French rugby player Constantin Henriquez de Zubiera became the first black person to compete in the Olympics at the 1900 Paris Games. U.S. hurdler George Poage became the first…
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Michael Kiwanuka's Satisfying Soul Music
(The Root) — British soul crooner Michael Kiwanuka has garnered quite a following with his throwback tunes and melodic vocals, and after the release of two EPs in 2011, Kiwanuka is finally hitting the main stage with his debut studio album, Home Again. While Home Again has been available in the United Kingdom as well…
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Groups Team Up to Stop Voter Discrimination
Voter ID laws, legislative redistricting, misinformation and other tactics have led to what advocates say is black voter disenfranchisement. And, as the campaign season reaches its boiling point – and Nov. 6 swiftly approaches, three advocacy organizations are partnering to ensure that blacks and other minorities have a voice at the polls this Election Day.…
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Jennifer Hudson Family Killer Gets Life Term
More than two months after a jury convicted William Balfour of killing three members of singer-actress Jennifer Hudson’s family, he was sentenced on Tuesday to life in prison in front of a Cook County, Ill., judge, according to Time magazine. Hudson’s mother, brother and nephew were found slain at the family’s South Chicago home in…
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Less Sex, More Condoms for Today's Black Teens
A new survey suggests that black teenagers are having sex at exceedingly lower numbers than they did 20 years ago, according to U.S. News & World Report. While the numbers of Latino and white teenagers who report being sexually active has remained relatively stable over the past two decades, the percentage of black teens who…
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Why DC's an Apt Host for Global AIDS Meeting
(The Root) — In Washington, D.C., whose residents include the leader of the free world, there’s an interesting juxtaposition. The ornate and imposing buildings that house our federal government stand tall over streets battered by a crushing epidemic. And, in a city all too familiar with power and authority, the rampant HIV/AIDS problem in the…
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Banks' 'Bittersweet' Is a Story of Triumph
Author Sheila Banks delivers the difficult yet inspirational story of one women’s trek to find life’s value and meaning in Bittersweet. In the novel, Banks offers the story of a young protagonist named Ellie, who trudges through the racial adversities of the early 20th century and learns the importance of healing and forgiveness. With equal…
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The Root's Healthy Cities: Houston
(The Root) — Texas is hardly the first thought in one’s mind when it comes to healthy living. Of course, Austin is the Lone Star State’s irrefutable champion in the healthy-eating and active-lifestyle arenas, but what about the state’s largest, most sprawling metropolis? Houston, a stretched-out town of 2 million, exemplifies everything that is big…
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Raspberry Service Scheduled for National Cathedral
Funeral services for William Raspberry, the retired Washington Post columnist who died of prostate cancer Tuesday at age 76, have been scheduled for Thursday, July 26, at 10 a.m. at the Washington National Cathedral, according to journalist Walt Swanston, a family friend. A reception is to follow from 12:30 to 3 p.m. at the Washington…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
