Henry Louis Gates launches “The Root”, online magazine with news discussion and geneology
Categories: African-American, Media
Written By: Shawn Williams
On Monday, author/scholar Henry Louis Gates launched a new website called The Root. The site will be an online magazine, featuring thought-provoking commentary from a variety of black perspectives—including a blogroll that links to African-American themed sites.
Harvard Professor Henry "Skip" Gates is editor-in-chief of the site. Former New York Times reporter Lynette Clemetson and Terence Samuel of AOL Black Voices also lead the editorial team. You can expect to read articles from contributors including Malcolm Gladwell, Thelma Golden, William Julius Wilson, John McWhorter and Charlayne Hunter Gault.
In addition to news and views, the site will have a section on genealogy, allowing the black community to trace its ancestry and create family trees. This feature differentiates The Root from most other black webmags that already exist.
To find out more, visit www.theroot.com
September 10th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Hello my name is Earrick L. Miller. My question for Dr. Gates is I recently purchase my AfricanDNA test to discover my roots. And I was wondering if a person can get educational assistance, if he/she discover their ancestors fought in the Revolutionary war, WWI and WWII. Thank you so much
July 25th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Hello Professor Gates. I need your help. I am an attorney in San Francisco and have been treated differently by a Judge (particularly because of my race as she would not do a non-African American attorney in this manner, who is upset that I am appealing a decision that may implicate that she has committed grave error as it relates to her dealings with a class action race discrimination lawsuit. I have practiced for appx 16 years and have been known as a good trial lawyer. This Judge Susan Illston is trying to tear down my credibility in the community and ruin my business because of my appeal implicitly blowing the whistle on her actions. Can you help or direct me to someone who can.
waukeen mccoy, esq.
mccoylawsf@yahoo.com
By the way, thanks for speaking out, I saw the same fight you have in me when you were speaking with Soledad on CNN about a cause you believed in.
July 26th, 2009 at 1:28 am
Gates - your a joke. Am I supose to feel bad for you for being an Ahole to the police that were trying to loo out for your property. You and Obama set back race relations ten years with your crying wolf crap
July 27th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
What happened when the white professor got arrested ? Do you think you should be treated different because of your skin color.
July 28th, 2009 at 11:28 am
The Gates arrest is still being played out in the local media, inspite of the attempts of all the parties to resolve the matter. One realizes that Obama’s apology to the Cambridge Police force and the officer does not seemed to have pleased those who were anxious for anything they could use to “vent”. What surprises one is the manipulation one sees of the 911 and subsequent calls. A reporter in the Daily News casts doubt on Ms. Whalen’s denial of what the police officer wrote regarding her comments; accusing her of changing her story because … One saw the whole report on the news, and in earlier papers, now it is being sliced and diced and manipulated to support the reporter in the Daily News or New York Post’s agenda.
I personally am still trying to figure out why Crowley did not, when Gates told him who he was, get in touch with the campus police and verify Gates assertion. Here is an elderly man, (I am assuming the taxi driver had left at this point) another angle that is missing from all the accounts; having travelled all the way from China, exhausted, especailly since he uses a walking stick; finally gets into his home. All he wishes to do is do what we all do after having had a long journey by air, and to relax. Instead he goes through a third degree. Why did Crowley ask for the cars to “keep coming?” Why didn’t he ask for the campus police?
It is not Gates who is the joke, Ken Most, it is the Americans who refuse to accept the fact that racism is alive and infact, with Obama’s presidency, fueled by the fire of their hatred of the fact that a black man is President, and now, take it out on anyone, and especially those like Louis Gates who represent all that they are angry about.
It is the era of the “angry white men” that created the nightmare that has become a legacy of that era not just for America but for the whole world. It is the reaction to the policies that the “angry white men” supported that brought a black man Barak Obama to the White House. When will America grow up?
July 30th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Why has the legal issues not been addressed ,,after ID’ng Gates the police were required to leave the residence,In your home, talking back to a cop is not disorderly conduct,,Crowley executed a false arrest,,the state supreme court has ruled on this type of case and you can do a google on Massachusetts Disorderly Conduct and you will see what Gates did is not illeagle,,In fact the cop did the illeagle,,Gates should sue this Cop and the city,,Its not a black and white issue,,it’s a case of
a cop comminting a crime
July 31st, 2009 at 12:51 am
Well could it be that some real progress could be the end result of this incident?
Having been married to a beautiful woman of mostly African decent and being a mostly Irish American myself I would first point out we are all blended.Thank God for that and making humans such a diverse and crazy bunch, makes life interesting.
I would offer both the Professor and the Policeman a couple of pointers.
First Mr Professor remember whenever you encounter the Polic
e treat them with the top level of respect. Reason being they have a tough job and may have been having a rough day, but most of all they carry a gun and have handcuffs and the power to make an arrest .Also all humans do deserve respect until they prove they don’t.For the Policeman, watch over that Irish temper.I know, I have one. Got me in a spot more than once. Also has helped me take control in a critical situation where there was no time for debate, that can be a lifesaver in the streets.
To both of you good luck and working together the two of you may be able to lift race relations to a higher level.Lord knows we need to. do better
.
July 31st, 2009 at 10:41 am
Note to Mr. Gates: As a proud West Virginian, I disown you for your insincere statement and your inability to meet Officer Crowley and Pres. Obama halfway in an effort to get past the fracas you caused at your home.
I’m so ashamed that you would pull the race card. You should have thanked Officer Crowley for responding to a vigilant neighbor who was interested in protecting you and your neighborhood. You are as bad for blacks as Jesse Jackson. The two of you persist in drawing negative attention to race relations in this country. Get real or shut up.
- QUOTATION OF THE DAY -
“We hit it off right from the beginning. When he’s not arresting you, Sergeant Crowley is a really likable guy.”
- PROF. HENRY LOUIS GATES JR., during the get-together over beer at the White House.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/31/us/politics/31obama.html?th&emc=th
August 3rd, 2009 at 4:58 am
Everyone should be taught the same when it comes obeying the law. I and everyone I know has been taught to the following when police ask:
1- give drivers license or ID when requested
2- Stop if running, or you could get shot
3- Do not move - if you reach in your pocket for a comb you could get shoot
And do not give the officer a hard time or you could be locked up for disturbing the peace–and if you shout or get out of control you need to go to anger management–it could save your life.
I and everyone I know teach our children this simple common sense thing. If we all could learn it (this could be a teaching opportunity) it will save a lot of lives each year. Also it should be taught not to shoot a the police–another common sense item.
January 16th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
I want to know how you go about picking the people in the Roots program? Is it just stars or can anyone be considered
February 3rd, 2010 at 2:30 pm
DEAR DR. GATES, I’M VERY MUCH IMPRESSED WITH YOUR ROOTS PROGRAM.I’M JUST AN AVERAGE WORK EVERYDAY PERSON. I’M ALSO VERY INTERESTED IN MY GENEOLOGY. I DON’T HAVE ALOT OF MONEY, BUT WOULD BE HONORED IF YOU’D DO MY FAMILY TREE. IF THERE IS A FEE FOR YOUR SERTVICES, I’D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THEY ARE. IF I CAN AFFORD IT, I’D LIKE FOR YOU TO TRACE MY ANCESTERY, OR PUT ME ON THE PATH AS TO HOW I CAN DO IT MY SELF. A RESPONE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANK YOU.
February 25th, 2010 at 10:12 am
Mr. Gates:
My name is Salome’ Ollangg.
My family and I know nothing of it’s orgin.
While reading an article about Peru I read about
an area called OLLANTAYTAMBO and this was the nearest
I have ever gotten to OLLANGG.
You work is wonderful.
Could you kindly direct me for further research.
Do you only work with famous people?
Most Grateful for a reply.
Salome’ Ollangg
February 28th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
Thank you, Dr. Gates, for your wonderful PBS program. It has inspired me to look further into my heritage.
It’s sad that people should come to this website to rehash the arrest issue. It’s even sadder that many of them think that the Sergeant was in the right. So you blew off some steam, rightfully I believe. No one should be arrested for talking back to a police officer. That’s not resisting arrest. That’s about the officer’s ego.
The world will be a much better place I think when officers like Crowley start watching PBS and are able to recognize scholars like yourself on sight rather than football stars and the like.
March 20th, 2010 at 4:56 am
A family tree can wither if nobody tends it’s roots
July 31st, 2010 at 5:31 pm
mr. gates,
i’m not a celebrity, but I wanted to know if you would geneology for me for a price of course. I’m a nurse in the city of Houston, texas, I have a very interesting family. I’m a distant relative of the famous poet,James Whitcomb Riley, my great,great grandfather was Dr. john Slick Riley was his uncle. He came to Texas from Mississippi after serving in the Mexican and CivilWars, locating first in Burleson county, from there he came to Cooke County. He passed in 1915 at the age of 101yrs and 6mos. I have a lot of information but get confused and can’t find any other information.
Sincerely,
Cheryl D. Mays