This particular young blogger said she was following the family tradition. As a child, she wrote, her father scoured the Sunday newspaper pointing out notable stories and reporting at the breakfast table whether anyone black had gotten married or died that week. Most Sundays, none were reported by the newspaper. One Sunday, he gushed: “Oh my gosh a black man died this week!”

Ah, to be acknowledged, if only in death.

Everyday, somebody has a dance recital. A couple celebrates 50 years. A social club holds its annual youth cotillion. Often these events don’t get a mention anywhere except on listserves and in newsletters targeting those communities.

Enter 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.

Sometimes, it’s as simple as something happened in your life that you want acknowledged. That’s what this space is about. You got an event? It has a place here. We might not be able to cover it ourselves. But if you send us photographs and captions, we will highlight it. Got a rant to get off your chest? Send that too and we’ll do our best to find a space for it. Of course, there will still be news but there will also be daily listings, profiles of regular people and features about faith, dating, cooking and more. Sure, you get that sometimes in other places. But here you can expect it everyday.

For this to work, we need your help. Tell us what you like, what you don’t like and how we can better meet your needs. Borrowing from the Department of Homeland Security slogan, “If you see something, say something.” Better yet, send us something.

This space belongs to you.

Looking forward to the journey.

Robert E. Pierre,
Editor