The Root

It looks like the dawn has finally arrived for fans of The Weeknd who have been patiently waiting for the followup to his wildly successful 2021 album After Hours.Read more...

In Hazlehurst, Mississippi, Officer Laquandia Cooley responded to a shooting in the city, according to WLBT.Read more...

Illinois Rep. Bobby Rush announced that he is retiring from Congress and will not seek a 16th term in an office he’s held for 30 years. Rush held a news conference Tuesday to announce his retirement at a place fitting for a civil rights legacy he’s trailblazed: Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ, where Emmett…Read more...

Another day, another Broadway delay.

When it comes to the 2022-24 election season, the Democrats face an uphill battle. The incumbent President almost always has a bad outcome historically regarding midterms. There’s an avalanche of anti-voting rights bills and redistricting, which will adversely impact communities of color. Looking at the midterms and…Read more...

Mr. West had a busy year in 2021, but it looks like he’s in for another one in 2022.Read more...

Despite their amazing chemistry throughout black-ish’s eight seasons, Anthony Anderson admits Tracee Ellis Ross wasn’t always his biggest fan.

New year, new updates on the forthcoming Janet Jackson documentary—or however the saying goes!

Some of the critiques (and I use that word loosely) go as follows:Read more...

Tariq is getting a new professor in Season 3 of Power Book II: Ghost. Deadline reports, Keesha Sharp will join the Starz hit as a series regular.

A city that already gets an unfair rep for being known more as violent than anything else just reached a disturbing milestone. In 2021, Chicago went through one of its deadliest years in the last quarter-century. The medical examiner’s office handled more than 1,00 homicides last year: 836 were in Chicago alone, the…Read more...

Within his first days of being sworn in as New York City Mayor, Eric Adams went on a “we are staying open” tour-de-force right to welcome us into the new year. This included stops at MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and ABC’s “This Week.” The message was clear–despite NY hospitalizations topping 2021 levels, New York is open for…Read more...

Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene rang in the new year with a permanent Twitter ban and a 24 hour suspension from Facebook. The bans follow repeated violations of both platforms’ COVID-19 misinformation policies. Greene was suspended from Twitter twice for the same violation over the summer.

Looks like The View is going to be a little more chaotic than usual, as host Whoopi Goldberg tested positive for Covid-19, and won’t return until next week.

This past Friday, Louisiana judge, Michelle Odinet quietly exited the bench after a video that surfaced earlier this month displayed Odinet and people in her home using racial slurs.Read more...

Wakandans, rejoice! A petition to recast Black Panther’s T’Challa is gaining traction. While Marvel announced in late 2020 that the character would be retired upon the death of the late, great Chadwick Boseman, fans are calling for the role to be recast as a tribute to his legacy.Read more...

Fall back, Ryan Seacrest, Don Lemon is coming to take over NYE television screens for the 2022. This past Friday night, during CNN’s New Year’s Eve broadcast, Lemon was passed a few too many—leading to a full on rant, popping out of a lemon cake, and a good bit of on-air twerking.Read more...

After the 2017 White Nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, the state began removing Confederate statues– first with Charlottesville’s own Robert E. Lee monument. Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker said in a speech that taking the statue down is a step toward helping the city and country “grapple with the…Read more...

It appears things are about to get a bit “slippery” when it comes to Migos rapper Quavo and his legal woes.Read more...

Pensole founder D’Wayne Edwards had a mission to re-open the Lewis College of Business. It was a Detroit-based historically Black college and university founded by the late Violet T. Lewis that sadly closed in 2013. Thankfully, after proposing draft legislation back in October to re-open the school, Governor Gretchen…Read more...

Farewells have never been my forte. In fact, I’m better known for the French (or Irish, or English, etc.) exit: make a big entrance, help get the party going, then quietly slip out before the evening loses its luster (after paying your share of the check, of course). Though some may find it rude, the art of the French…Read more...

In 2021, a total of 132 people received exonerations: 81 of them were Black. Just a decade ago in 2011, only 40 Black people were exonerated. Since 1989 there’s been a 1,057 percent increase in the number of Black people released from prison because they were wrongfully convicted. Of the high-profile exonerations in…Read more...

A sheriff’s office in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana settled on federal civil rights lawsuits over the death of 22-year-old Keeven Robinson, who was choked during a tussle with undercover narcotic officers, according to NOLA.com.Read more...

New year, new name?Read more...

Well, here’s an NBA face-off we didn’t anticipate this holiday season: NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had words for his equally iconic fellow Laker LeBron James after the latter posted to his Instagram page a version of the popular pointing Spider-Men meme equating COVID-19 with the flu and common cold.Read more...

We did it, Joe. We made it through another grueling year of a global pandemic (and white supremacy, and celebrity shenanigans, and all manner of political nonsense)...and all we got were these matching sweatsuits. So with a new year swiftly approaching, it’s understandable if you’re looking to hit “refresh” on this…Read more...

A Black attorney with a record of voting-rights advocacy was just named to the top elections post in Pennsylvania, a state where the GOP-controlled legislature might stir up lots of trouble during next year’s critical midterm elections.

Married at First Sight season 12 alum Ryan Oubre is finally speaking out about the difficult decision to divorce his now ex-wife Clara Berghaus.Read more...

Sigh.Read more...

As of right now, almost half of the prison population is comprised of those found guilty of drug offenses. A total of 51% of inmates are at a minimum or low-security prison. Given the ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks occurring in places such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and New York, it makes sense to have some home…Read more...

Despite Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers’ insistence that the wonderful world of sports is a “colorblind meritocracy,” I regret to inform you that no, it’s actually not. In fact, it’s very much the complete opposite.Read more...

Turns out America really loves sports, particularly football.Read more...

Donald Trump wants the U.S. Supreme Court to help him dodge the Congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 insurrection, and he’s trying to use the words of the investigation’s chair, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, to help his case.

“Dominic Toretto” often quips that there’s nobody stronger than family in the Fast & Furious franchise, but it seems a rift between Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Vin Diesel might be giving that statement a run for its money.Read more...

Regardless of how you feel about Kyrie Irving’s stance on the COVID-19 vaccine, or the Brooklyn Nets’ decision to reverse course and welcome him back with open arms after Omarion Omicron did the Bankhead Bounce all throughout the league, the seven-time NBA All-Star is primed to return to a court near you (not in the…Read more...

A week ago from today, former Minnesota officer Kim Potter was convicted of first- and second-degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright on April 11th. The jury deliberated over the decision for about 27 hours over four days. According to Newsweek, the decision wasn’t easy. However, we now have some…Read more...

Add LL Cool J to the list of performers sidelined by Covid-19. Variety reports, the rapper/actor has canceled his performance on ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2022.

It’s approaching the time of the year when millions of us are consumed with crafting some well-intentioned New Year’s resolutions, perhaps the same one for the fifth year in a row (or maybe that’s just me?). But before you dive headfirst into fashioning this “new year, new you” version of yourself, I have some advice:…Read more...

The City of Inglewood, Calif., is arguing in court for the right to destroy records that could shed light on misconduct in its police department.Read more...

The name is fitting: Heart and Soul Hospice. The new hospice agency in Nashvillle wants to improve the comfort of families at the end of a loved one’s life, according to NPR.Read more...

When he’s not giving medical advice to Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers or UFC President Dana White, podcast host Joe Rogan makes political predictions for 2024. Rogan stated on the Christmas Eve edition of his Joe Rogan Podcast that if Michelle Obama runs for the presidential nomination, she will win against former…Read more...

As is the norm when it comes to dissenting discourse on social media, folks are “alwayz into something.” Today, the question of why Faizon Love and Chris Tucker never returned for any of the Friday franchise sequels once again appears to be the topic of conversation.Read more...

To say Amanda Gorman has had a big year would be an understatement. In January, America’s first Youth Poet Laureate took the dais—and stole the show—at Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration with her poem, “The Hill We Climb.” But that was just the beginning; within a week, she was signed by IMG Models and confirmed to…Read more...

Remember all those folks who swore Colin Kaepernick disrespected the military by taking a knee in defiance of racism?

A painting depicting George Floyd laying in the arms of Mother Mary has angered students attending Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. I mean angry, so much so that the painting was stolen from its spot outside the law school chapel twice and students started a petition to make sure it never goes back…Read more...

Have you ever had a white friend? Apparently lots of us have, and that’s probably to the shock of Rhode Island state Rep. Patricia Morgan, who we have to thank for the hashtag #iHadAWhiteFriend.Read more...

On Tuesday, fans of the late rapper DMX were given a special gift: more insight into his oft-mentioned, unreleased dual album, Walk With Me Now and You’ll Fly With Me Later.Read more...

The post-holiday streaming choices aren’t always the best. Networks roll out all their big titles in December, then save the rest for February to get awards traction. We did the hard work of sorting through the racks of options so you can just set your calendar. Disney+ brings another Marvel blockbuster to the small…Read more...

If you thought something as insignificant as a COVID-19 mandate in New York City that requires people to provide proof of vaccination in order to enter arenas, gyms, restaurants, and other indoor venues would keep a seven-time NBA All-Star in his prime from playing a single game of NBA basketball this season let me…Read more...

At the start of 2021, our country made a major historic political stride when Kamala Harris was sworn in as the first Black and Asian woman vice-president. As millions watched on TV and in person, we were reminded of how far we’ve come in the political landscape, but also how far we must go. The 2020 election was…Read more...