-
Watch: Soul and Funk Icons Who Stood Tall for Black Empowerment
You could say that music usually reflects where we are as a society. The height of soul and funk music ran roughly parallel to the civil rights movement in America, from the 1950s to the ’70s, a period that was highly charged with political and social commentary. In today’s climate, it seems fitting to remember…
-
Watch: The Jazz Legends Who Fearlessly Fought for Freedom
Jazz has always been one of the soundtracks of black people’s journey toward freedom in America. Artists like Nina Simone and Gary Bartz became the fearless messengers of African-American protest. In honor of Black Music Month, we pay tribute to some of the most political artists and moments in jazz music.
-
Watch: Have We Been Lied to About Drugs?
Should all drugs be decriminalized? Is tobacco more addictive than crack cocaine? Are we being misinformed so that the “war on drugs” can stay alive? The controversial neuroscientist Carl Hart, who has been researching drug use and addiction for more than 25 years, shares drug facts vs. drug myths. He is the author of High…
-
Watch: Angela Bassett Fights for Her Sweetheart
Legendary actress Angela Bassett hopes to raise awareness of the connection between Type 2 diabetes and heart disease with her campaign For Your Sweetheart. Her mother, Betty Jane Bassett, was diabetic and passed away from heart disease in 2014. Since then, Angela Bassett has been working steadily to raise awareness. Heart disease is the most…
-
Watch: Star of Broadway’s Aladdin Keeps Getting His Wishes Granted With New Roles in Hamilton
James Monroe Iglehart won the Tony in 2014 for his role as the Genie in Broadway’s Aladdin. Earlier this year, he moved on to join the cast of Hamilton, where he plays both the Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, roles that earned original cast member Daveed Diggs both a Tony and a Grammy. Iglehart…
-
Tupac’s Godfather, Jamal Joseph, on His Journey From Panther to Political Prisoner to Film Director
Writer, director and activist Jamal Joseph was a member of the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army. At 16 years old, he was arrested in the Panther 21 case along with Afeni Shakur, the mother of rapper Tupac Shakur. The Panther 21 case was designed to wipe out the New York Black Panther…
-
Watch: The Notorious B.I.G. Quiz: How Well Does Brooklyn, NY, Know Biggie’s Music?
Things done changed in Bed-Stuy. It’s now one of the most gentrified areas in Brooklyn, N.Y., affecting everything from voting to schooling. Fancy coffee, avocado toast and almond croissants are on every corner. It’s an everyday struggle for longtime residents to pay the unbelievable rents. The Root hit the streets of Bedford-Stuyvesant without warning to…
-
Watch: Black Women Dive Headfirst Into the Future With Virtual Reality Project
NeuroSpeculative AfroFeminism is an art installation and virtual reality experience recently featured at the Tribeca Film Festival. The project, which seeks to put women of color in the virtual reality space, was created by Hyphen-Labs, a collective of women from diverse backgrounds. “We worked with character modelers, animators and developers to create an empowering experience…
-
Watch: Artist Lina Iris Viktor on the Misconceptions of Blackness in Art, and Painting With Pure Gold
Artist Lina Iris Viktor is known for creating works using a palette of black, majorelle blue and pure 24-karat gold, but she refuses to be tied down to any particular aesthetic. She has a background in film, photography and performance art, so her work is expressed across multiple media. When we spoke, she was intensely…
