The Root

“My first words were ‘Are you serious?’” recalled The Root 100 and Time 100 honoree Ibram X. Kendi upon learning that he’d also been chosen as a 2021 MacArthur fellow—and the recipient of one of the foundation’s “Genius” grants.Read more...

On Monday, disgraced R&B entertainer Robert Sylvester Kelly, known to most as R. Kelly, was found guilty on all nine counts of racketeering and sex trafficking in violation of the Mann Act.

Dylann Roof’s ass gon’ die. Eventually.Read more...

There is an open secret that most of your favorite activists know, even if they never mention it during their television appearances:

If you make it to Montgomery, Ala., you’ll want to pay a visit to the state’s newest monument dedicated to three Black women whose bodies were experimented on by a 19th century doctor best known for advancing women’s health.

Alberto Friedmann, a professor at the National University of Health Sciences, has resigned after being charged with multiple felonies for allegedly yelling racial slurs and spitting on a Black woman with her child outside of a grocery store.Read more...

When we last checked in with the powerhouse known as Issa Rae (born Jo-Issa Rae Diop), she was celebrating her marriage to longtime love Louis Diame in the south of France. But if you thought planning her dream wedding would slow the super-producer down, as she tells Self magazine, it was also a missed opportunity to…Read more...

It appears the ongoing “prank wars” between Nick Cannon and Kevin Hart have reached new heights—literally.Read more...

In recent months, there has been a lot of chaos at ESPN.

Gather ‘round, cowpoke and cowpoke-ettes!Read more...

An outrageous amount of audacity, gall and gumption are apparently unwritten requirements for joining the boys in blue.Read more...

For the first time in two years, the NBA kicked off its preseason with media day Monday, which is kinda like picture day for grown-ups—since your “parents” still pick out your outfits—but way cooler. As the name suggests, aside from taking a few pics in your flyest new threads (or jerseys in this instance), it’s also…Read more...

It only took nine days for America to get rid of some 4,000 Haitian migrants, including hundreds of families and children, without any chance for asylum because America has a velvet rope around it and bouncers have instructions not to let anyone in, especially people from Haiti.

“Black Lives Matter” signs have been drawing unwanted attention to businesses and family homes, making many supporters of the movement very viable targets.Read more...

Even though people of color have made up 95 percent of the state of Texas’ growth over the last 10 years, the GOP’s proposed congressional map would reduce the number of districts in which they make up the majority of eligible voters, according to the Texas Tribune.Read more...

On Tuesday, Black America’s forever President Barack and forever first lady Michelle Obama will break ground on the 44th president’s unique library, and as with most amazing things attached to the Obama legacy, it is not without controversy.

On Monday, Andrea Martin, the talented singer-songwriter who wrote for a handful of our favorite R&B artists, died at the age of 49. The cause of death is still unknown.Read more...

University of Massachusetts Amherst has launched an investigation into the origins of a racist email sent to Black student organizations on campus. The email encouraged students to “consider doing the human race a favor and getting sterilized.”

In August, mixed-martial artist Tyron Woodley suffered a fate worst than death: He lost in a split decision against serial idiot Jake Paul—yes, that Jake Paul—in his first-ever boxing match.Read more...

Imagine you are a teenager applying for a job, and you end up getting arrested for trespassing before your resume is even considered.Read more...

Will Smith is opening up and sharing his truth in his most revealing interview to date.Read more...

A racist FedEx driver who could no longer hide his racism went on social media and declared that he would no longer be delivering packages to homes that show support for Black Lives Matter, President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris.

After 11 seasons, two marriages and countless dustups and business ventures, Cynthia Bailey—now Cynthia Bailey-Hill since marrying Mike Hill last October—is laying her Real Housewives of Atlanta peach to rest. On Monday, the longtime cast member announced on social media that she’s departing the franchise, writing on…Read more...

I remember sitting in an elementary school classroom while my teacher showed the class photos taken during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.

In an interview with the Cut, Olympic champion Simone Biles made a powerful admission: “If you looked at everything I’ve gone through for the past seven years, I should have never made another Olympic team.”

Here at The Root, I’ve written extensively about the inevitable showdown between the NBA and players who refuse to get vaccinated, local coronavirus guidelines in cities like San Francisco and New York City that will prohibit unvaccinated NBA players from playing in home games, and how COVID-19 has impacted members of…Read more...

Well, that was fast. Arguments in R. Kelly’s New York case were put to rest on Friday with outlandish closing arguments from his defense team, but on Monday afternoon, the jury delivered a verdict. The seven men and five women who comprised the jury found the disgraced entertainer guilty on all nine counts in Brooklyn…Read more...

So, I don’t look into white supremacy that often. I mean, I used to watch the NFL, and I accidentally saw this song back when MTV played videos, but I don’t often wade in the “not all white people” pond.

The View cohosts Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro were back at the table healthy and in good spirits on Monday.

A Black product manager at Google says he was riding his bike around the tech giant’s campus when he was approached by security. According to Angel Onuoha’s Sept. 20 tweet, someone there apparently didn’t believe he was an employee. In a Sept. 22 tweet following up on the incident, Onuoha said his badge was taken away…Read more...

Officials announced Thursday that a Rochester, N.Y., police officer faces departmental charges in the case of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died following his arrest last March.Read more...

Despite a well-publicized “racial reckoning” and ample nominations, Black talents are still struggling for recognition in the mainstream awards circuit. This disappointment has been well evidenced by the recent outcomes of this year’s Academy Awards and, more recently, the 2021 Emmys, which has a record number of…Read more...

A white woman has been fired from her job after being caught on video harassing a Black couple at a dog park in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn on Saturday night, telling them to “Stay in your hood.”Read more...

Oh, there was football this weekend? Let’s talk about it.Read more...

The 74th annual Tony Awards took place on Sunday, with a fully vaxxed, in-person ceremony airing live across CBS and Paramount+.

A conservative nonprofit group has created materials to train people on how they can fight the teaching of critical race theory in their communities, because how dare anyone learn about systemic racism’s hold on our society?

Here’s something you might not have expected to hear this weekend: during one of his seemingly never-ending rallies, former President Donald Trump suggested that Stacey Abrams might have been a better governor than Republican Brian Kemp.

A Texas school board has voted to move forward with a process that could end with the firing of James Whitfield, a Black principal that became embroiled in controversy over critical race theory allegedly being taught at his school.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is launching a commission dedicated to rectifying the agency’s history of discriminating against Black farmers.

Activists in Bethesda, Maryland are working to prevent the sale of an asphalt parking lot that was once a historic Black cemetery and preserve the bodies of several freed slaves and their descendants that may lie below.

Jacob Brown, a former Louisiana state trooper who was caught on body camera footage as he struck Black motorist Aaron Larry Bowman 18 times with a flashlight, has been indicted by a grand jury for a civil rights violation.

It seems things are starting to look up for Wendy Williams!

From exposés written on police brutality to the influx in racial hate crimes, everything going on in America right now has made me a lot more suspicious of white antics. Some things are genuinely a misunderstanding, but most times Black people are right to assume something sinister is happening.Read more...

While Gov. Ron DeSantis is completely botching the state’s COVID-19 response, other Republican lawmakers have their eyes set on ruining their constituents’ lives another way.Read more...

It’s been almost a year since we’ve seen superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on the football field. And barring any last-minute setbacks, he’ll be making his season debut for the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, according to ESPN.Read more...

What, and I cannot stress this enough...the hell?

On Wednesday night, Robyn Rihanna Fenty hosted a viewing party for the Savage x Fenty Vol. 3 movie that premiered today. The party started at 9:30 p.m. on a Wednesday and featured caterers walking through the party with cajun style shrimp, chicken and waffles, mini-burgers and towers of chocolate.

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are having a moment. This happens every so often, usually after some period of social unrest where racial divisions divide and the desire for safe spaces becomes not only a need, but a must. In the wake of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis…Read more...

On Friday morning, Vice President Kamala Harris joined the ladies of The View where she discussed among other things, the current Haitian migrant crisis and Texas’ anti-abortion law.Read more...

Earlier this month, we reported that due to newly imposed coronavirus guidelines in New York City and San Francisco, this upcoming NBA season could lead to players for the Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks being forced to sit out home games should they decline to receive the COVID-19 vaccine:Read more...