Sheryl Huggins Salomon with Kerry Washington at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner. via Twitter

Effective June 1, Sheryl Huggins Salomon will officially step down as managing editor of The Root. According to Richard Prince’s blog, Journal-isms, (he tweeted the news and it was retweeted by The Root), Salomon told the newsroom that she’ll continue as senior editor-at-large “focusing on The Root’s offerings about history and heritage.”

Salomon has been with the site for three years, starting as deputy editor. She joined the site after being laid off from AOL Black Voices. The Root has been around for five years.

The only reason given for the departure was “It’s just time.” Salomon says she’ll be taking some time off before jumping into her senior editor-at-large duties.

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The Root has made a major digital move. The Afrocentric news website has just launched “The Chatterati,”  a digital tool sponsored by Toyota Avalon, that presents up-to-the-minute information about the themes trending among Twitter’s black audience. Scroll down on the right side of the homepage to check it out.

This is significant because African Americans are a community that indexes higher than other groups in terms of digital connectivity. According to a recent Pew Research Center study of social media users, 26 percent of black people on the Internet who were surveyed said they used Twitter. This is compared to 14 percent of white users and 19 percent of Hispanics.

“The Root’s ambition has always been to shine a spotlight on the wide variety of views that African Americans bring to any subject,” said Donna Byrd, publisher of The Root, in a press statement. “The Chatterati fits right in with that mission, putting into clear focus what the black community is paying attention to on this critical social media platform.”

According to the Root, The Chatterati will cull the top hashtags, top stories, top retweets and the most favorite tweets among the black community on Twitter. Even further, the Root will showcase social news stories within The Chatterati, as well as highlight staff picks of Twitter’s best photos, most inspiring and funny tweets, and more, all being shared by black Twitter users.

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African-American TV viewers often complain of the negative images of black people on the tube. Well, ASPiRE has announced a truly positive new series.

The Root 100, an original series for ASPiRE, is a weekly show that will highlight the most influential black leaders under 45, selected by online news outlet, The Root. These honorees featured on the program appeared on this year’s Root 100 list. They include MSNBC journalist Melissa Harris-Perry, actress Gabrielle Union, NAACP president Benjamin Jealous, Sundance award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay, and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, among others. Journalist and Anchor Suzanne Malveaux hosts the new show, which will premier December 5.

There will be eight episodes in the series. Each one-hour episode focuses on three honorees discussing intimate moments, turning points in their lives, and their aspirations to affect change.

“THE ROOT 100 presents a fascinating look at two dozen diverse and extraordinary African-Americans, who are using their voices and platforms to fundamentally change our community and our world for the better,” said ASPiRE General Manager Paul Butler in a press release.

ASPiRE is a television network targeted to African-Americans and offers a programming mix of movies, series and specials featuring music, comedy, drama, faith/inspiration, theater/performing arts, lifestyle and news/information. The network was launched June 27, 2012 by Magic Johnson Enterprises.

What’s your Klout score? If you don’t know, you should, because potential employers are following the scores for job candidates.

For those who haven’t event checked their score yet, you should. Klout is a “company that provides social media analytics to measure a user’s influence across his or her social network.” Your score can range between 1 and 100 and is based on various factors such as  how many Twitter followers you have, how many retweets you receive, the number of “likes” on your Facebook status updates and recommendations on LinkedIn, among other things.

These scores may seem arbitrary, but employers are taking them into consideration when interviewing candidates. According to The Root, “San Francisco-based company Salesforce.com recently came under scrutiny for a job listing that required, among other things, a minimum Klout score of 35.” According to TechCrunch, Klout is reaching out to employers encouraging them to use Klout as a consideration when hiring.

To get your Klout score, you have to register and create a profile with Klout.com. The site even gives tips on how to boost your score.

Whether you’re popular in your virtual life seems to be an odd way to determine your capability of doing a job, and some have taken issue with just how scientific Klout’s measurements are. But this may be the wave of the future in this age of social media.

Legendary anchor for New York’s WNBC, Sue Simmons, was fired after 38 years as a broadcast journalist.

According the Root, Simmons’ contract wasn’t up to be renewed in June.

Originally from Harlem, Simmons has been at WNBC for the past 32 years.  She and her co-anchor Chuck Scarborough were well regarded within the media outlets in New York. The Daily News named the duo New York’s top anchor team in 2003.

Earlier this year, Simmons was placed into the 11 p.m. news shift, after being in the 6 p.m. slot with Scarborough for many years.

Scarborough’s contract was also up; however, he was able to renew his contract for another three years.

Both Simmons and Scarborough are the same age.

At 68, many people would say Sue Simmons has had a career most journalists wish they could say they have.

As a native New Yorker, I grew up with Sue Simmons and she was an idol of sorts. One of the few black female broadcasters, I really admired her. It will be sad to see her go.

Do you think it was time for Sue Simmons to leave? Do you think the network decided to cut her loose her because of her race, gender, or age?

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When the congressional super committee charged with reducing America’s deficit failed to reach an agreement on what cuts should be made in 2013, some assumed HBCUs, of which their presidents and supporters warned were being targeted, were off the hook. But an article on The Root says not so fast.

Unless a new deal is struck, Historically Black Colleges and Universities could still lose more than $20 million per year in federal support through across-the-board cuts, or they could lose as much as $85 million per year through the normal appropriations process.

“This needs to go at the top of the ‘Must do — now!’ list of everyone who cares about HBCUs,” Michael Lomax wrote in his editorial, encouraging supporters to make their local congressional leaders accountable to the members of their jurisdiction who care about this issue.

Citing the more than 47,000 college graduates produced by HBCUs each year, the 180,000 jobs HBCUs represent, and their $13 billion dollar impact to the nation’s economy, Lomax says this is not the time for the government to back out on its long-standing support of these institutions, particularly as minorities grow in this country.

But do people—specifically the people in power—still want to support HBCUs? Some still hold the view that these institutions promote segregation and question the need for them now that America has become so “racially integrated,” others cite poor graduation rates as proof that HBCUs aren’t serving its students. Unless HBCUs receive large endowments from private parties, it seems unlikely that they won’t at least have to swallow the $20 million losses, further restricting their resources and their ability to adequately prepare its graduates for the work force. And then what will that do to representation of African Americans in the work place?

Do you support HBCUs? Do you believe they are a necessary part of the education system? Do you think the government will eventually try to phase out HBCUs by weaning federal support?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Do you watch the T.O. show? If not you should check out this very emotional moment the star had about a close friend of his stealing his money. Check out the video over at
Hello Beautiful

The question of whether HBCUs are still relevant has been circulating around for some time now. What do you think?
theGrio.com

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You’ve heard about NBC’s “The Playboy Club” but check out an interview with the first black playmate
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Did you know the controversial and discriminatory practice of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” was repealed today? Get the story and the significance of this decision over at
The Root

You’ve heard Jackie Christie talk extensively about her mother’s long time battle with cancer. Well Christie revealed on the Tom Joyner Morning Show that her mother passed away. Get the full story over at
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You’ll be seeing some familiar faces on your TV screen this Fall. Check out the list of some of our favorites over at
Uptown Magazine

People in St. Louis, Missouri are disgusted at the fact that vandals struck the childhood home of Miles Davis. Get the rest of the story at
theGrio.com

Now that you’ve seen Tanya in action on Basketball Wives L.A. find what she has to say about why she’s laying low on the show.
Black Voices

Common recently released a new memoir, “One Day It’ll All Make Sense”. In it the rapper details his childhood growing up on the Southside of Chicago, his past relationships and how his daughter has changed the way he looks at people, particularly women. Take a look at a review of the book over at
Hello Beautiful

So maybe you can’t partake in the fabulousness that is New York Fashion week but you can catch some of the pictures at
the Grio

Naturi Naughton, former 3LW member and “Notorious” actress, is certainly making a name for herself. The singer is set to star in NBC’s new drama “The Playboy Club”. The rising star recently sat down for an interview. See what she had to say over at
Black Voices

Do you date online? What things have you seen on a dating profile that were an immediate turn off? Compare your list to one over at
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Randall Kennedy appeared on Tavis Smiley’s PBS show to discuss Barack Obama’s presidency and black support for the first African American president, pre and post election. See what both Kennedy and Smiley had to say to one another at
The Root

Rapper The Game is catching praise and criticism for his remarks regarding the gay community. See what he had to say over at Black Voices

Are you a woman of your word? When you promise someone you will do something, do you deliver? Find out how you can get better at this over at Uptown Magazine

The number of Americans living in poverty has almost doubled since last year according to the Census Bureau. Get the details behind the numbers over at theGrio.com

What would you do if your husband claimed he hated you–but you still felt he loved you? Get some advice on this question from the Gay Best Friend at Hello Beautiful

Do you have a bucket list? Is Washington D.C. on the list? It should be! Check out what you should see if and when you’re ever in chocolate city. The Root