The Root

On Wednesday night at Phillips Auction House in New York, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s 1982 Untitled painting sold for a record-breaking $85 million. It was estimated to be worth around $70 million. The seller of Untitled, billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, originally purchased the painting at Christie’s in New York back in 2016…Read more...

New BET+ series Kingdom Business explores the very un-Christian world behind gospel music. Superstar Yolanda Adams stars as “Queen of Gospel” Denita Jordan. Despite the fact that Kingdom Records is struggling financially, Denita is determined to keep her crown away from up and comer/former stripper Rbel, played by…Read more...

The Justice Department is utilizing a variety of steps, such as releasing $5 million for states to establish hotlines to report hate crimes, NPR reports. This initiative will provide additional funding to states that report hate crime data. Local law enforcement agencies are not required to submit their data to the…Read more...

Earlier this month, we crossed the grim milestone of over one million people lost to COVID-19 in the United States. Whether we want to believe it or not, this fatal virus is still affecting hundreds of thousands of people on a daily basis and has taken many lives in the last two years.Read more...

During the past two years, the last thing a person would’ve considered doing is saying something racially trivial on social media. People were getting fired from companies and universities left and right, including Dr. Charles Negy. The University of Central Florida fired him for making a racially insensitive tweet,…Read more...

In the days following the tragic mass shooting in Buffalo, President Biden referred to white supremacy as poison. An investigation is also being launched to examine the social media platforms the alleged shooter used before and during the attack. Now, the NAACP is preparing to propose a plan in other to protect Black…Read more...

The man who allegedly tackled Dave Chappelle on stage at the Netflix Is A Joke Festival faces criminal charges for an attack—but this time it has nothing to do with the controversial comedian. On Thursday, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced that Isaiah Lee, 23, has been charged with…Read more...

During a conversation at the 75th annual Cannes Film Festival, Oscar, Emmy and Tony-award winning actress Viola Davis opened up about the time she was miscalled by a director during the early days of her career.Read more...

In this crazy, weird modern world we live in, everyone knows the first signs of an impending breakup is the social media unfollow. ESPN goes into a frenzy anytime a high-profile athlete unfollows their team or teammates. Now the hip-hop world is experiencing the same madness, as fears of a possible Migos breakup have…Read more...

Vice President Kamala Harris is not here for the restrictive abortion laws several states around the country are trying to put in place. And she recently voiced her concern for one of the newest and most restrictive pieces of legislation coming out of Oklahoma, calling it “outrageous.”

The three last living survivors of the racist Tulsa Massacre of 1921 have gotten a $1 million donation from an unlikely place: a wealthy, white New York philanthropist who’s half their age, has no ties to Tulsa and only recently became aware that the tragedy even occurred.

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Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump vowed on Thursday to hold everyone who was an accomplice to the Buffalo supermarket shooting accountable, per National Review. Crump stood alongside Rev. Al Sharpton and the families of the victims in front of Antioch Baptist Church to condemn the hate-fueled incident and announce…Read more...

Earlier this month, Florida rapper Rod Wave, who just scored his first number 1 album on the Billboard 200 a year ago, was arrested and faced charges of battery by strangulation for allegedly choking his ex-girlfriend in front of his children.Read more...

The 18-year-old white male accused of killing ten people at Tops supermarket in a predominately Black neighborhood in Buffalo has been indicted by a grand jury on charges connected to the shooting after he appeared in court on Thursday, CBS News reports.Read more...

Ava DuVernay never stops. Queen Sugar may be wrapping up its run, but the always busy writer/director has already set up her next TV series at Starz.

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An appeals court reinstated a New York City law prohibiting officers from using excessive restraint during an arrest. It reversed the lower court ruling which labeled the measure as unconstitutionally vague, per The Associated Press.

Multi-hyphenate star and Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx will be starring in an upcoming action film set to begin production this month.Read more...

Coach Prime ain’t having it.Read more...

Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has expressed interest in a run for Congress. Seats have opened in Brooklyn and Manhattan as a result of a redistricting plan, prompting the politician to possibly seize the opportunity.Read more...

As the country waits for the Supreme Court’s decision on whether or not to overturn Roe V. Wade, the Department of Homeland Security is warning that the decision could lead to widespread violence around the country.

While the Biden administration and Democratic representatives work together to find the proper amount and method to cancel student loan debt for 43 million Americans, Republicans have decided to try to block it. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), along with four other Republican senators, have introduced a bill to stop any…Read more...

Lil Nas X is going to need an extension on his trophy case. In the past year the “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” singer has won Grammys, Billboard awards, iHeart Radio awards and GLAAD Media honors. Now he’s being recognized for his songwriting talent.

Today would have been the 97th birthday of Civil Rights icon Malcolm X. The man was a strong advocate for Black empowerment and people in the Black community protecting themselves.Read more...

Summer days are made for reading. There’s nothing better than spending a sunny afternoon in the park or at the beach with your favorite book. Fortunately, there are lots of great reads coming to a bookstore or library near you. From historical fiction, to rom-com, to gripping memoirs, there is something for everyone.…Read more...

On Thursday, the three leaders of Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation addressed the controversy that has surrounded the organization over the last month. When it was revealed in April by New York Magazine that BLM founder Patrisse Cullors secretly purchased a $5.8 million mansion in Southern California,…Read more...

Congratulations are in order to ANTI singer Rihanna and boyfriend and rapper A$AP Rocky who have reportedly welcomed their first child together!Read more...

Once Payton Gendron walked into Tops Supermarket with firearms and military gear, an assistant office manager hid behind the counter and did what any person would do in that instance: call 911. Instead, the dispatcher hung up on her and now they might lose their job for mishandling the call, per The Buffalo News.

Kendrick Lamar has not wasted any time since releasing his fifth studio album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers last week.Read more...

In a case of an actor taking their role way too seriously, BMF star Demetrius ‘Lil Meech’ Flenory Jr. found himself in legal trouble after failing to make payment on a luxury watch.

Actress/comedian Mo’Nique has had a long and varied career. From stand up to TV to movies, she’s done it all. While there have been some very public bumps along the way, she’s never let that stop her from delivering a great performance. Now that her career is back on the rise, it’s time to take a look at how far she’s…Read more...

Well it’s “about damn time!” A brand new documentary detailing the life and career of Lizzo will be headed to a small screen near us soon.Read more...

New York Attorney General Letitia James will investigate the role of social media companies played in the wake of the Buffalo shooting, Axios reports.Read more...

A war of words happened between Lil Wayne and Mark Cuban on Twitter, leaving folks both shocked as well as highly entertained. It all started on May 8 when NBA teams the Phoenix Suns and Cuban’s Dallas Mavericks faced each other in a seven- game series where Weezy sat courtside.Read more...

It looks like rappers and singers might now have some breathing room when writing lyrics for their music.Read more...

On May 18, former U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown put a charity fraud case behind her after pleading guilty to one of the charges she faced. The Florida congresswoman was convicted on 18 counts back in 2017 and sentenced to five years in prison. She served two years before being released out of concerns for her health due to…Read more...

Late Wednesday night, the House passed the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act after a push from Democrats seeking to curb extreme domestic terrorism after the Buffalo shooting, the Associated Press reports. The bill went through with a 222-203 vote, almost along party lines—the only Republican who voted yes was Rep.…Read more...

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced she is taking greater measures toward gun control following the racially motivated Buffalo mass shooting, per The Associated Press. Hochul plans to introduce bills that will keep people like Buffalo shooter Payton Gendron, from being able to access guns.

From now on, it’s Dr. Kaepernick to you.Read more...

Warning! If you haven’t seen the Season 7 finale of The Masked Singer stop reading now!

When it comes to women of color, what we need in the workplace often depends on our age. How we relate to our coworkers, the qualities we need in an effective manager and how we respond to negative situations vary across generations. Google wanted to better understand these differences. So the tech giant sponsored the…Read more...

Loyal fans of 1883—the offshoot of the ever-popular series Yellowstone—will have a new hero to root for in the forthcoming season: the iconic Black marshal from the wild, wild, West, Bass Reeves, played by Selma star David Oyelowo.Read more...

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It’s been nearly a day since polls closed in critical primary elections in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, but at least one race involving a Black woman running for Congress still doesn’t have a winner.

New details about an encounter between Deshaun Watson and one of the women suing him for civil assault came out in leaked testimony from last week’s deposition in the case.

On a sunny day at The Boathouse, a Santa Barbara restaurant, a Karen decided to cause an unnecessary ruckus. In a five-minute video recording of the incident, the woman confronts the person recording, a Black man, and takes things to another level.

After a long and public battle, the U.S. Soccer Federation has finally decided to use some common sense and pay the men’s and women’s soccer teams equally.

This Saturday, May 21st would have been legendary and iconic rapper The Notorious B.I.G’s 50th birthday. Although he’s not here anymore, New York City is going all out to honor and make sure we remember the MC’s contributions to music and the city of New York.Read more...

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) stated that he will meet with President Biden today to advocate for a student loan forgiveness amount “that would make a difference,” The Hill reports. After an April meeting that the President had with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, he said his administration was looking into various…Read more...