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