The Root

We are always going to celebrate Black music because that’s just what we do on a daily basis, but President Joe Biden issued a proclamation early this week officially recognizing June as Black Music Appreciation Month.Read more...

Two years after stepping down from their positions as working members of the British Royal family, Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex made their first public appearance in the UK.Read more...

A pandemic program allowing waivers for schools to provide free breakfast and lunch to up to 10 million additional students is set to expire on June 30. Currently, Congress has not provided a solution to extend the program to the dismay of many advocated, Salon reports.Read more...

After three long years and multiple delays, the murder trial for late rapper Nipsey Hussle is finally set to begin.Read more...

A new study, published by The Journal of the American Medical Association on May 31, revealed that pulse oximeters overestimated the blood oxygen levels in Black, Hispanic, and Asian COVID-19 patients.

The recent shootings in Buffalo and Texas have led to renewed calls for “common sense” gun control measures in America. President Biden called on Congress to act on several proposals in a Thursday night primetime message, The Hill reports. Some of which are banning assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines and…Read more...

Young Thug will have to continue Pushing (P)enitentiary with fellow rapper Gunna.

I hope you’re ready for more Black lady courtrooms, crazy puppet shenanigans and Dr. Hadassah conspiracy theories because HBO is bringing back all your favorite A Black Lady Sketch Show characters.Read more...

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott announced Wednesday that the city plans on taking legal action against Polymer80 Inc., a Nevada-based gun manufacturer. Polymer80 Inc. is the country’s largest producer of “ghost guns,” untraceable, build-it-yourself weaponry that have become popular in Baltimore.Read more...

Prosecutors have decided not to charge ex-cop Joseph Mensah for the shooting and killing of Jay Anderson Jr., according to NBC News. Anderson was 25 when he was killed while sitting in his car. The judge said a newly-released police dash camera video showed Mensah had reason to fear for his life.

American tennis phenom Coco Gauff continued her amazing French Open run with a dominating performance in the semi-finals. She defeated Italy’s Martina Trevisan 6-3, 6-1, and now heads to her first-ever Grand Slam final.Read more...

While there’s no denying the cultural impact of the popular STARZ series Power, as it continues to rise in prominence with every new sequel show that follows, what folks may be surprised to find out about is just how little lead actor Omari Hardwick was getting paid the entire time.Read more...

When the New York Yankees’ Josh Donaldson called Chicago White Sox pitcher Tim Anderson “Jackie” just before a bench-clearing scuffle last month, it was racist.Read more...

Snoop Dogg, Raekwon and Mary J Blige are just a few of the celebrities who have found their way into the business of wine-making. Now, ten-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony is preparing to join their ranks with his brand, VII(N) – The Seventh Estate.

Florida’s Supreme Court refused to consider a challenge to congressional maps endorsed by Gov. Ron Desantis and the state’s GOP heavy legislative branch, the New York Times reports. Now, it is highly likely that the maps challenged by outside groups who allegedly violated the state’s Fair Districts amendments by…Read more...

One day it’s Draymond Green, the next day it’s Stephen A. Smith. Kevin Durant is willing to go at any and everybody on social media, even if it’s the most recognizable American sports television personality.Read more...

On Wednesday, a civil lawsuit against Bill Cosby by Judy Huth commenced. Huth claims she was sexually assaulted by the comedian in 1975, which would make her just 16 years old at the time. She originally sued Cosby in 2014, but the case was paused while he was being criminally prosecuted for other sexual misconduct…Read more...

NeNe Leakes has found herself in an embarrassing situation.

The alleged killer in the country’s latest high-profile mass shooting was a Black man who allegedly blamed his doctor for chronic pain following a recent surgery, the Washington Post reports.

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The US Postal Service is being sued by a screen printer from California for seizing boxes of Black Lives Matter masks. The mask were being sold to demonstrators, according to NBC News. Plenty of BLM merchandise was being shipped around the country as people geared up for the 2020 protests. The Movement for Black Lives…Read more...

Kendrick Lamar is making history, but maybe not in the way he wants to.Read more...

Warning! Spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi “Part III” ahead!Read more...

Although June is recognized as Pride Month in the United Staes, Black members of the LGBTQ community are often left out of the conversation and are even further marginalized. But there are plenty of brilliant Black authors who are giving a voice to the LGBTQ community. This Pride Month, we are showing love to some of…Read more...

When Mo’Nique called out D.L. Hughley last weekend during her performance at Detroit’s The Comedy Explosion, she informed the audience that Hughley threatened to pull out of the event if he wasn’t the last one to grace the stage. The actress explained the situation during her opening monologue:

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced his office filed a hate crime complaint against a mother and son accused of harassing their Black neighbor, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The harassment in question was the hanging of a black-faced mannequin by a noose in their yard. The two could face fines of…Read more...

The 2022 BET Award nominees were revealed on Wednesday and to the surprise of many, hip-hop’s “Industry Baby,” a.k.a. Lil Nas X, didn’t make the list.Read more...

Heading into the 2022 midterm elections, Americans must contend with the many voting restrictions passed in Republican-led states. A Senate push earlier this year to pass the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act failed with no revision in sight. However, New York has passed a version that borrows many of the…Read more...

For the first time in history, Black folks in the UK are organizing to tackle the issue of systemic racism in their country. Created by Black leaders from various industries, including business, law, arts, and social justice, the Black Equity Organization (BEO) is looking to be in the UK what the National Association…Read more...

“Cash rules everything around me, C.R.E.A.M., get the money, dollar dollar bill y’all.”Read more...

Following the passing of long-time host Alex Trebek, Jeopardy! producers began a far-reaching search for a new host. One of the public’s most popular choices to become the new host was Reading Rainbow legend LeVar Burton. Who else besides a man who taught generations of children to love reading could take over the…Read more...

Marion Barber III, a onetime starting NFL running back known for his bruising style of gaining yards, died yesterday. He was 38 years old.

It’s safe to assume that our next election period will bring some more “voter fraud prevention” foolery. However, some GOP members in Michigan have gone beyond just election poll police. They plan to take the polls into their own hands. According to a POLITICO report, video recordings of GOP members and grassroots…Read more...

The Biden administration will officially announce today that it would be canceling $5.8b in student loan debt for former Corinthian Colleges students, first reported by The Hill. It will be the largest discharge of student loan debt in the U.S. Department of Education’s history.Read more...

Peyton Gendron, the man allegedly behind the May 14 racially-motivated Buffalo massacre that left 10 dead, is now facing 25 charges. On Wednesday, the grand jury in the case indicted him on: 10 counts of first-degree murder as a hate crime, 10 counts of second-degree murder as a hate crime, three counts of attempted…Read more...

Derek Chauvin, murderer of George Floyd, sits in federal prison, where he’ll be for at least the better part of the next two decades. He belongs there, for obvious reasons that we don’t need to rehash in this space. He no longer has the badge, gun and impunity afforded violent cops like him, which he used to snuff out…Read more...

On Wednesday, a jury in Virginia decided that actor Johnny Depp had been defamed by ex-wife Amber Heard and her 2018 op-ed published by The Washington Post. Depp was awarded $15 million in compensatory and punitive damages but could only legally receive up to $10.35 million.Read more...

We use terms like game-changer and trailblazer a lot but let’s be honest: it doesn’t always apply. True trailblazers don’t wait for a convenient time to demand change, they just get up and do it. For Oscar-nominee Aunjanue Ellis, now is the time to stand in her truth and make some waves. In an interview with Variety,…Read more...

Stacey Abrams is officially making her comeback as the Democratic nominee against Gov. Brian Kemp is Georgia’s gubernatorial race. She raised the heat in her first campaign ad coming for Kemp’s stances against gun laws and abortion, per The Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Fans of Alabama football are showing that, besides money, perhaps the biggest difference between HBCU sports fans and those of big college football programs is sanity.

As NBA fans wait patiently for the matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, we are relegated to watching players on social media go back and forth on the amount of double-teams a player had to deal with… five years ago.

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In the last year, the White House lost 21 Black staffers and more are planning to leave, per a POLITICO report. Many began leaving after Vice President Kamala Harris’ senior adviser Symone Sanders left for MSNBC. Now it seems the diversity of the White House staff may be in dwindling.

The timing of this story could not be any more spot on.

California’s first-in-the-nation task force on reparations released a nearly 500-page report detailing the harms perpetrated by the state against African Americans and recommending steps to address those wrongs, according to ABC News.Read more...

From the second we’re introduced to Tom Swift, it becomes clear the theme of the series is Black Excellence.Read more...

The cast of the classic Fox sitcom “Martin” will come together on June 16 for “Martin: The Reunion” airing exclusively on BET+. The special, hosted by comedian Affion Crockett, will discuss the cultural impact of “Martin” as well as pay homage to the late actor Thomas Mikal Ford. Ford portrayed the character Tommy…Read more...

The 2022 BET Award nominations are in and like every year that came before it, the competition is filled to the brim with a plethora of our favorite talented actors, artists, athletes, and projects!

Jade Mathis knows what it’s like to be a Black woman living with depression. Mathis, 36, the oldest child of the famous syndicated TV Judge Greg Mathis, was diagnosed with depression and ADHD in 2006. After years of struggling, Mathis has found a way to survive and thrive in spite of her diagnosis. She completed her…Read more...

This story references graphic imagery that could be offensive or disturbing to some readers.Read more...