The Root is Black-owned once again.

Its History

The Root is a news and media website that “provides an unflinching analysis of issues in the Black community and engages diverse viewpoints,” a description on its Instagram landing page reads, as it relates to social, cultural, and political topics. Donald Graham, former chairman of The Washington Post Co., and Henry Louis Gates Jr., director of the W.E.B. DuBois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University, founded The Root in 2008, Colombia Journalism Review reports.

“The Root will be a 21st-century version of a national black newspaper,” The Post reported during its launch, according to CNN.

In 2015, The Root was sold to Univision, which housed several online brands and content producers, including the Gizmodo Media Group and The Onion. Four years later, Univision sold these assets to private equity firm Great Hill Partners, which merged them under a new company G/O Media, according to information on its website.

The Root Returns To Black Ownership

However, by summer 2024, The Root was the only remaining company under its umbrella, until now. CNN reports Democratic political strategist and CNN commentator Ashley Allison has acquired The Root through Watering Hole Media, a social impact media project she founded in 2024, which brings it back to Black ownership. Additionally, this marks Watering Hole Media’s first acquisition.

The Root “has always been about preserving culture and creating clarity in a world full of distractions. Owning the power to tell our own stories is a rich tradition The Root is committed to upholding,” Allison said, per CNN.

Gates acknowledged Allison “for returning The Root to its roots.”

Allison’s plans for The Roots’ future are to invest in video content, forge new partnerships with experts, and launch activations to engage readers further.

“This isn’t about making more content but rather about making meaning of this moment, when journalism is under attack and audiences are seeking independent sources for news,” Allison expressed, according to CNN.