The Root

In a sentencing memorandum filed Wednesday, federal prosecutors urged a U.S. District Court judge to sentence R. Kelly to a minimum of 25 years in prison. Last year, Kelly was convicted by a Brooklyn jury of racketeering, kidnapping, sex trafficking, sexual exploitation of a child and bribery.

Many questions remain regarding how the Uvalde police handled the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School that left 21 people – 19 children and two adults dead. A mother had to go in herself and rescue her two sons as police waited an hour for backup. In a special session, Texas state lawmakers stated they would…Read more...

I can’t be the only Black girl who’s sat in a room with a group of white people and thought you know what, I’m not sure why this is racist, but something about this feels pretty damn racist.Read more...

The Department of Justice announced they are launching a civil rights investigation into the Louisiana State Police Department. The investigation is to determine whether the police engage in a pattern or practice of violations to the constitutional law. More specifically, they will be looking into the department’s use…Read more...

Six Haitian men scheduled to compete in Orlando’s Special Olympic USA Games are missing, according to CBS News. Law enforcement is searching for them and put out a notice alerting the public of where they were last seen.

Back in March, we introduced you to Everything Legendary, a plant-based meat brand created by three friends on a mission to get Black folks excited about eating healthy. After a successful dip into the Shark Tank, they convinced Mark Cuban to invest $300,000 for a 22 percent stake in the company. Since their episode…Read more...

The 2022 Peabody Award winners are being revealed and The Root is proud to exclusively announce one of this year’s winners in the entertainment category: Prime Video’s The Underground Railroad!Read more...

The troll of all trolls, Azealia Banks went at basically any and everybody in a Twitter rant on Tuesday, speaking specifically on other female rappers.Read more...

In the ongoing fight against COVID-19, the White House is working to continue to vaccinate as many Americans as possible. With 220 million people already fully vaccinated and over 100 million people receiving booster shots, the Biden Administration has announced its plans to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to the…Read more...

Mike Tyson—one of the most fascinating people in the history of boxing—is the subject of Hulu’s eight part series “Mike.” It will premiere August 25 and stars Moonlight actor Trevante Rhodes as the legendary athlete. In a press release, Hulu described how the series will take an unprecedented look at Tyson’s life:Read more...

Game 3 of the NBA Finals was a heated one between the Boston Celtics fans and Warriors forward Draymond Green.Read more...

This chaotic video now has Rep. GOP nominee Blake Masters facing some heat as he campaigns for Arizona Senate. Remember, he claimed Black people are to blame for gun violence. Now, there’s a video circulating of him attacking a protestor at a GOP mixer.Read more...

Jordan Peele’s highly-anticipated new movie, Nope, has kept fans guessing since it was announced. In typical Peele fashion, all the footage that’s been released is very mysterious and shows absolutely nothing about the plot. Ahead of the film’s July 22 release, the latest trailer is finally giving audiences a glimpse…Read more...

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The Jan. 6th House select committee will reveal recorded testimony from former Trump officials and family members of the ex-president to display the scope of his involvement in stopping the transfer of power to President Biden in 2020's Presidental election, the Hill reports.Read more...

NBA legend Dwyane Wade unconditionally loves and supports his daughter Zaya. Unfortunately, he knows that the rest of the world won’t be so kind to her. Zaya, who is 15-years-old, came out as transgender in 2019. As anti-trans sports bans sweep through Republican controlled states, Wade called them “a joke” and spoke…Read more...

It looks like it’s about to be a City Girl summer for real. REVOLT just announced that Yung Miami, who serves as one-half of rap duo City Girls, is set to have her own talk show series on the network. The star, whose real name is Caresha Brownlee, will host “Caresha, Please” in which she will interview high-profile…Read more...

Until Tuesday, the saga of 24 sexual misconduct lawsuits against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson put little to no focus on the Houston Texans, Watson’s former employer in the city where most of the allegations occurred.

A suburban Pittsburgh police department has questions to answer after one of its officers was caught on camera verbally abusing a Black woman and slamming her onto the back of his police car while she was handcuffed.

More than 40 percent of adults in the United States live with obesity, a condition the CDC defines as weight that is higher than what is considered healthy for a given height. But while it is a common condition, it’s one people aren’t always comfortable with talking about. Rapper, actress and Cover Girl Queen Latifah…Read more...

The Deshaun Watson saga keeps getting uglier, but the newest details shed equal light not only on the NFL quarterback’s alleged sexual misconduct with massage therapists but but also calls into question what his former team, the Houston Texans, may have known and whether it—possibly unknowingly—helped facilitate the…Read more...

Two North Carolina homes belonging to the Judge family were set on fire this year, both while family members were inside. The property belongs to a beloved matriarch of Duplin County, 88-year-old Rebecca Judge, whose family is well known in the area for their community service. However, the incidents were met with a…Read more...

WNBA star Brittney Griner has received support from family, friends, teammates and fellow players. Now, someone who knows exactly what she’s going through is calling for her release from Russia.Read more...

It took an actual decade, but Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is finally entering the comic book world. The action hero stars in Black Adam as the title character, an anti-hero whose only goal is to remain free.Read more...

Last week, it was rumored that Lori Harvey split from actor Michael B. Jordan for whom she dated for over a year. Although a source close to the couple told People on June 4th that the pair called it quits, neither star has confirmed the breakup. That didn’t stop the internet from losing its collective mind when they…Read more...

There are a lot of potential Supreme Court decisions coming within the next month that will shape how Americans experience abortion, gun control, and climate change. That said, today’s ruling regarding border patrol agents could shape how authority figures slip out of accountability. CNN reports that the Supreme Court…Read more...

Despite the claims that Jack Harlow is a mediocre rapper that benefits from white privilege, he’s giving a huge amount of credit to Black women for his mainstream success.Read more...

As the country awaits the Supreme Court’s decision on overturning its landmark Roe V. Wade decision, several states are working overtime to push through legislation that would make it nearly impossible for women to access safe and legal abortion care if federal protection goes away. Louisiana is close to passing…Read more...

Texas has been making strides for a while now to “protect” children from anything and everything LGBTQ+ related. But instead of drafting gun laws to protect kids from school shooters like in Uvalde, lawmakers have proposed new legislation to ban drag shows, according to NBC News.

The heartbreaking fallout of the Michigan State University-USA Gymnastics sexual abuse scandal continues for the victims. Seeking consequences for another institution that failed to protect them, over 90 gymnasts are suing the FBI for mishandling the investigation.Read more...

The Governors Ball Music Festival, which is set to take place this weekend from June 10-12, will see some changes in its lineup.Read more...

Doug Mastriano, Republican nominee for Pennsylvania governor and leader of Stop the Steal campaign, is urging everyone in the state to reregister to vote, according to Yahoo! News. He claims this is the only way to gain America’s trust in voting and that there is a large amount of “phantom voters” who may jeopardize…Read more...

Columbus City Council approved changes on Monday limiting police in Ohio’s capital in how they use force against protesters, according to the Associated Press. The ordinance also limits police from using tear gas, wooden or rubber bullets, batons, flash-bang grenades, and other items on nonviolent protesters on…Read more...

Proud Trump supporter and rock musician Kid Rock made an unsurprising appearance on Tucker Carlson Originals Monday. In the episode, in which the the artist was interviewed by the racist white replacement theorist, Kid Rock spoke about his viral 2019 rant in which he disparaged women talk show hosts—including Oprah…Read more...

When Oprah Winfrey talks, people listen. And when she chooses books for her book club, people read them. The “Oprah effect” has helped authors like Tayari Jones and Colson Whitehead become household names and convinced people to go back and give some of the books they should have read in their high school English…Read more...

Whether he’s in the NBA Playoffs or not, LeBron James continues to make moves and a difference.Read more...

If you thought Lil Nas X was going to let the BET Awards off the hook for not nominating him in a single category, you clearly haven’t been paying attention. In response to the snub, the “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” artist tweeted out a teaser of his new song “Late to Da Party” with the caption “Fuck BET.”Read more...

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Go Mary! On Tuesday, it was revealed that recent Billboard Icon Award winner Mary J. Blige received the key to Atlantic City!Read more...

Garnell Whitfield Jr., son of Ruth Whitfield, who was among the ten Black victims of the mass shooting in Buffalo a couple of weeks ago, gave passionate testimony at a Tuesday Senate Judiciary Committee hearing concerning domestic extremism, according to ABC News. Whitfield called on Congressional leaders to “yield…Read more...

A North Carolina Sheriff’s office announced a $3 million settlement in the lawsuit filed by the family of Andrew Brown Jr., according to The Associated Press. Brown Jr. was shot and killed in his car by sheriff deputies and his killing led to days of protests in northern North Carolina.

From the moment the first trailer for Marvel Studios’ Black Panther was released, we knew we were getting something special.Read more...

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Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles, signed a proclamation on Monday that makes Juneteenth an official holiday in the city. During the signing ceremony, Garcetti stated that the recognition of Juneteenth is a necessary step in dealing with America’s racist history.Read more...

We’ll see just how proud they are now.

There’s a category of people I loathe writing about. They’re newsworthy only by virtue of committing a despicable act or spouting an awful ideology, and they’re happy to capitalize on that infamy by seeking attention at every turn. This is a quagmire for writers: professionalism demands following stories wherever…Read more...

In case you missed the memo, it’s Black Music Month.Read more...

Travis Scott continues his return to live performing with his first U.S. festival appearance at the upcoming Day N Vegas, taking place September 2-4 at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds.

Whew, festival season is in full effect and if your pockets are light, you might miss out on some of these performances because the tickets are not cheap.Read more...

The idea that everything is back to normal is tempting. Politicians on both sides of the political aisle have encouraged folks to toss off their masks, leave their vaccine cards at home, and push their way into crowded subway cars and return to equally crowded office spaces.Read more...