June gets back in touch with his roots

(Mark Gail / THE WASHINGTON POST)

After retiring from the NFL, Cato June has returned to his alma mater, Anacostia, where he is committed to rebuilding athletics at the Southeast school.

Family of man falsely accused of rape can sue, Va. Supreme Court rules

Family of man falsely accused of rape can sue,  Va. Supreme Court rules

Edward Coker Jr. can overturn his original conviction and be removed from the state’s sex offender list.

Obama volunteers target Virginia

Obama volunteers target Virginia

The Obama campaign has hosted 6,500 events in Virginia, all to win this important battleground state.

An eyewitness to black history

An eyewitness to black history

LUNCHLINE | Before he went blind, photographer Ray Wilson captured historic African American firsts.

Living mostly in the shadows

Living mostly in the shadows

Montgomery County says it is focusing efforts on homeless people with complicated needs.

Volunteering in the D.C. area

Volunteering in the D.C. area

Tutor Ward 6 residents in subjects like writing, social studies and science to prep for the GED with the Academy of Hope.

Things to do Mar. 1-15

Things to do Mar. 1-15

“Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai,” the story of the Nobel Peace Prize Kenyan woman screens at the Alexandria Black History Museum.

Photo Galleries

A night for black women

Howard University and The Washington Post host panel on black women in America.

Perceptions of blackness

Media outlets Urban Cusp and Very Smart Brothas hosted the panel “Black Identity and Culture in Mass Media.”

‘Cookin’ with the Deltas’

The D.C. alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority hosted ‘Cookin’ with the Deltas.’

Alpha Kappa Alpha honors scholarship recipients

Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Inc. hosted a scholarship awards party.

Howard hosts benefit concert

Howard University hosts a benefit concert for Somali famine victims.

Whitney Houston dies at 48

The singer once reigned as pop music’s queen.

‘Dandy Lion’ redefines style

The ‘Dandy Lion’ exhibit in Baltimore hosted an opening reception on Feb. 2.

Annual Ford Black College Quiz Game Show

"Jeopardy!"-style televised game show at Howard University.

Sartorial swag

‘Dandy Lion’ explores young black men redefining their fashion identity.

Forty UNDER 40

Celebrating Pr. George’s emerging leaders.

Fela! returns to D.C.

Tony Award winning play Fela! is back in D.C. for a limited time.

Message to young girls: Focus, stay positive

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and Tatyana Ali hosted a young women’s self-esteem building workshop at Howard University.

Lutheran church has diverse disciples

Peace Lutheran Church is an international hub.

A night out with Words, Beats Life

Words, Beats Life celebrates 10 years of serving D.C. communities.

Slave images unearthed

Historical images from the “Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello” exhibit at the Smithsonian.

The age of Michelle Obama

Black women say it’s a good time to be a black woman in America.

Black women discuss race, marriage, family

VIDEO | Howard University and The Washington Post hosted the ‘Black Women in America’ panel that blended humor, insight and statistics to illuminate the state of black women in the country today.

Hard look at food inspection in U.S.

Hard look at food inspection in U.S.

FDA and contractors inspected only 6 percent of the 421,000 facilities under agency’s watch in 2010.

Swapping mega-churches for tiny ones

Swapping mega-churches for tiny ones

Preachers and parishioners who have swapped a “big-box” church for a tiny one said they sought a more intimate bond.

Girl Scouts’ anniversary marks century of change in girlhood

Girl Scouts’ anniversary marks century of change in girlhood

The group, which is turning 100 this month, has charted the history of what it has meant to be young and female in America.

BET shifts to scripted television

BET shifts to scripted television

Gabrielle Union will star in the new BET sitcom ‘Single Black Female.’

Basketball Wives: Season four, ep. two

Basketball Wives: Season four, ep. two

Evelyn, Shaunie and Tami talk about Jennifer behind her back and Royce refuses to get a real job.

Visit The Root, our national site

The Root is the leading online source of national and international news and commentary from an African-American perspective.

Your Voices

My Chucks and me

ESSAY | They weren’t just any pair of Chuck Taylors, they were my first foray into freedom.

Forget the Medicare, pick up an instrument

ESSAY | Adrienne Cannon muses that perhaps music, not Medicare, is the prescription to staying healthy.

Starting over with Lady Liberty

ESSAY | Lauren Zauzig looks back on her father’s journey from the Polish Army to a life in America.

Gone, and slowly going

ESSAY | A man suffering from Alzheimer’s disease can’t remember his brother’s death.

Everyone wins at beanbag

ESSAY | A mom introduces her children to the joys of Kangaroo Bean Bag Hop.

Lessons learned

ESSAY | A family tale helped Marie Thomas understand the difference between empathy and compassion.

Fatal attraction of lunch

ESSAY | Veronica Cummings recalls how her love affair with lunch started.

‘Mom loved animal prints’

ESSAY | January W. Payne’s mother, who died in 2010, loved animal prints. Now the author collects them to honor her mother.

Our summer treehouse

ESSAY | D.C. native Donna Lewis Johnson reminisces her summer trips to North Carolina enjoying her childhood treehouse.

An impatient gardener

Essay | Katherine Dudley Hoehn lost her father in 2002, but always remembers the generosity and love he had for his family.

A century of memories

ESSAY | Stephanie Scott pays homage to her childhood home in Takoma Park, that will turn 100 years old in November.

Video Gallery

Words of 1861 resound at Frederick Douglass home (1:56)

Words of 1861 resound at Frederick Douglass home (1:56)

The winners of the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site's oratorical competition performed their speeches at the 194th birthday celebration on the grounds of the Douglass home. Brayden Wood, 8, of Upper Marlboro, Md., delivered Douglass's 1861 speech, "Fighting Rebels With One Hand." (Feb. 16)
Michelle Obama's uneasy road to popularity (1:32)

Michelle Obama's uneasy road to popularity (1:32)

Michelle Obama is seen very favorably among black women, according to a new poll conducted by the Washington Post and Kaiser Family Foundation. The Washington Post's Krissah Thompson talks about the first lady's uneasy path to popularity, and how it may help her husband's re-election campaign. (Jan. 23)
Metrobus mishaps: Failure to yield (0:12)

Metrobus mishaps: Failure to yield (0:12)

(Editor’s note: May contain graphic language.) This video, obtained by a request from WTOP, shows a traffic incident caught by a Metrobus dashboard camera.
Aquille Carr: 'Crimestopper' is basketball's next big thing (1:50)

Aquille Carr: 'Crimestopper' is basketball's next big thing (1:50)

Patterson High School junior Aquille Carr--a basketball phenom--has grown into an inner city legend, garnering the nickname 'Crimestopper' because admirers say crime stops in Baltimore during his games at Patterson. An undersized guard, Carr has set out to disprove his doubters. (Jan. 11)
Mitt Romney criticizes Obama's leadership

Mitt Romney criticizes Obama's leadership

Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney campaigns in Conway, South Carolina. The state holds its Republican primary on January 21st. (Jan. 6)
3 FAMU students charged with hazing

3 FAMU students charged with hazing

3 Florida A&M Marching Band members are charged with hazing a fellow student, sending her to the emergency room. The alleged hazing occurred three weeks before another Florida A&M student died after a suspected hazing on board a marching band bus. (Dec. 14)
Pro boxer Lamont Peterson down, but never out

Pro boxer Lamont Peterson down, but never out

Professional boxer Lamont Peterson grew up on the streets of Washington D.C. and in foster care as a child. On Dec. 10, he'll fight for a world title.
Olympic gold medalist gives nutrition advice

Olympic gold medalist gives nutrition advice

Olympic Gold Medalist Dominique Dawes, co-chair of the President Council's on Physical Fitness, gave a talk at Howard University Hospital on portion control. (Nov. 29)
Rev. Jesse Jackson and Prof. Michael Eric Dyson at Occupy D.C.

Rev. Jesse Jackson and Prof. Michael Eric Dyson at Occupy D.C.

Rev. Jesse Jackson and Georgetown University professor Michael Eric Dyson visit the Occupy D.C. camp in McPherson Square.
Chess grandmaster plays 30 games simultaneously

Chess grandmaster plays 30 games simultaneously

Thirty students from the District, Maryland and Virginia played against Maurice Ashley, the first African-American chess grandmaster, at the same time. The exhibition was part of a fundraiser for the U.S. Chess Center in D.C.
Anacostia's Easton beat death, now enters UFC

Anacostia's Easton beat death, now enters UFC

Mike "The Hulk" Easton, a native of Anacostia, was born a fighter as a premature baby at two pounds, three ounces. On Oct. 1, the mixed martial arts fighter will make his debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Verizon Center -- the sport's first pay-per-view event in the D.C. area. "I'm fighting for DC, I've got a chip on my shoulder to prove to the world that I'm the best," Easton said.
Obama tells CBC to 'stop crying'

Obama tells CBC to 'stop crying'

President Barack Obama told blacks on Saturday to quit crying and complaining and "put on your marching shoes" and help him fight for jobs and opportunity. (Sept. 26)

Editor's Choice

The future of D.C. schools

OPINION | Whether its public or charter, the quality of the school is what matters.

The rewards of giving back

OPINION | Why African-American parents should encourage their children to volunteer.

Exploring sartorial style

The ‘Dandy Lion’ exhibition in Baltimore explores young, black men redefining their fashion identity.

After 20 years, saying farewell

Jeffrey Chapman’s future remains uncertain as his unit at Cameron Glen nursing home is set to close.

Boughie and proud

Why boughie shouldn’t be a dirty word in the black community.

“College isn’t for everyone.” Wrong!

OPINION | Stop telling poor children that college, and success, isn’t for them.

BET honors to air in February

Breaking down what made the the star-studded BET Honors in Washington unforgettable.

‘Dark Girls’ beyond skin deep

Q&A with filmmaker Bill Duke on his new documentary ‘Dark Girls,’ a film exploring issues dark-skinned women face today.

‘America’s Supernanny’ parents differently

Star of ‘America’s Supernanny’ is changing the face of African American parenting.

Battle brews over future of Anacostia

Community leaders fight a homeless women’s shelter backed by councilmember Barry.

D.C. guard: No breastfeeding in public

A D.C. attorney and mom shares her frustrations of being barred from breastfeeding in public.

Fuqua’s racist legacy remains?

America is forever looking for the one thing that finally lets us get past our racist legacy.

Tray Chaney life after ‘The Wire’

Maryland native actor Tray Chaney talks to The Root DC about life after HBO’s ‘The Wire.’

Farewell black radio

Natalie Hopkinson tell us why she banned D.C.’s two FM hip-hop radio stations, WPGC 95.5 and WKYS 93.9 in her house.

Recall Mayor Gray, D.C. council

OPINION | The only way to promote ethics change is to recall Mayor Vince Gray and D.C. Council members.

What is The Root DC?

It’s a new space that’s all about acknowledgement and conversation, a place to laugh and cry and argue. Oh, and did I mention, to see yourself. This site is meant, in part, to address one of the most persistent criticisms of journalism that I have heard over the past two decades: it doesn’t focus on what matters to you.

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 Robert E. Pierre