The Root

In improv comedy, there’s a rule-of-thumb in which comedians introduce an idea that subsequent participants expand upon. This concept is known as “Yes, and…” because you’re never supposed to say, “No” or “This is a terrible-ass idea.” You’re supposed to encourage this free-spirited creative process by going with the…Read more...

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is the answer to the question: Where’s the merit in Critical Race Theory? Because for an academic study that examines how race affects American structures such as our legal system, Parson’s method for how he decides who’s worth his official pardon would make for a perfect case study.Read more...

As previously reported by The Root, the long-awaited trial for R. Kelly is set to begin this month.Read more...

There are few progressive voices on the left wing of the Democratic Party more respected and admired than Nina Turner. Her devotion to Sen. Bernie Sanders during his 2016 and 2020 races and outspokenness against the moderate voices of the party establishment empowered her standing on the far left, but weakened her…Read more...

On the same day we learned that both Simone Biles and U.S. shot-putter Raven Saunders suffered personal tragedies during the Tokyo Olympics—Biles’ aunt died just two days prior to her competing in the balance beam event; Saunders lost her mother shortly after she won the silver medal in the shot put—came the news that…Read more...

Over the weekend, actor, director and martial artist Michael Jai White (Spawn, Black Dynamite, Arrow) confirmed his eldest son had died of COVID-19 at the age of 38. In an interview with VLAD TV, the 53-year-old actor revealed that his son—who was a father of 6—died “a few months ago,” following a lengthy stay at the…Read more...

Sean Combs has entered the “Love Era.”

Lil Nas X is claiming his space.Read more...

In May, we learned that Shaqir O’Neal, son of NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, would be taking his talents to Texas Southern University to play for the men’s basketball team. Now comes the news that Shaq’s daughter, Amirah, will be following in her brother’s footsteps to play at the same HBCU.Read more...

On Tuesday, voters in Northeast Ohio headed to the polls to elect a Democratic candidate for Congress. The hotly contested race between Cuyahoga Councilwoman Shontel Brown and former state Sen. Nina Turner has made headlines for the amount of intra-party shade thrown between the campaigns. Political pundits,…Read more...

The Caramel Curves, an all-Black women’s motorcycle crew from New Orleans, are used to turning heads and taking names through the city as they cruise around each Sunday. Their over-the-top and vibrant fashion gives them a distinct and noticeable edge, sporting only the brightest clothing—think highlighter yellow and…Read more...

On Sunday, Bill Melugin, a correspondent at Republican Disney Plus network Fox News, tweeted video of what he called “the largest group of migrants we’ve ever seen being held by Border Patrol under Anzalduas Bridge in Mission, TX.”Read more...

As previously reported by The Root, the next battle in the Verzuz Cinematic Universe is taking place tonight.Read more...

U.S. middle-distance runner Athing Mu will be the first to admit that while competing in her Olympic debut, a gold medal wasn’t always on her mind. But after becoming the first American woman to win Olympic gold in the women’s 800 meters since Madeline Manning accomplished the same feat in 1968, it’s likely the…Read more...

Move over Leos, it looks like it’s about to be Lizzo season soon!Read more...

Allegations of sexual harassment have been following New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo around since early this year—kind of like he’s apparently been following women around who don’t want his greasy-ass lips on them.Read more...

Hoop heads already know that once NBA free agency officially kicks off, their phones are at the mercy of an endless deluge of notifications from ESPN, Bleacher Report, or whoever else for the rest of the day. And with players officially able to agree to terms on new deals on Monday at 6 p.m. ET, here were some of the…Read more...

Many of you might remember from last year the story of Vauhxx Booker, a Black man in Indiana who said he suffered an “attempted lynching” when five white men—two of whom have been charged with multiple felonies—accused him of trespassing on land he said he didn’t know they owned.Read more...

Fans of the late Aaliyah Dana Haughton will never forget the gut-wrenching news that the beloved songstress had been killed (along with eight others) in a plane crash on Aug. 25, 2001. This month marks 20 years since we’ve lost the artist lovingly referred to as “Baby Girl.”Read more...

Do you want to continue the Yee-Haw Agenda down the “Old Town Road?” Well...now you can do it in Bey style.Read more...

After a year and a half of a deadly pandemic, much has changed in American life, but one thing has not: regardless of occupation, on average, Black women still make 63 cents for every dollar made by her white, non-Hispanic male counterparts. This is why we recognize Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, signaling how much…Read more...

She’s back!Read more...

In DC Comics’ Bizarro World (also known as Htrae), cats chase dogs, jokes make people cry and the Bizarro Joker is the only sane person on the planet. If there exists a Bizarro version of Trump, he would be a smart, educated Black man who still has his hair, speaks in complete sentences and dedicated his life to…Read more...

They say you can always tell the quality of a person’s character by the monuments they topple over.Read more...

There’s probably only a few things more uncertain and unpredictable than the evolution of COVID-19 variants (specifically, whether we’re headed for another lockdown or if we’ll just continue going with business as usual) and one of them is whether Frank Ocean will actually emerge from his secret hiding place and…Read more...

After safely making it through the qualifying round of her first appearance at the Tokyo Olympics, U.S. hammer thrower Gwen Berry, who drew outrage in June for turning her back during the national anthem at the Olympic trials, expressed her pride at donning red, white, and blue in Tokyo.Read more...

Even though invitations to “the cookout” are almost always a topic of contention in our community, I’d like to add yet another person to the guest list: Dolly Parton. Now before you get in a tizzy, allow me to explain why.Read more...

Please tell your lovers and friends, that the music festival with everybody and their momma set to perform is apparently back on again!

Ladies and gentlemen...The Weeknd. Actually, maybe I should say, “Ladies and gentlemen...Abel Tesfaye.” Or both at the same time.Read more...

More than three months after a Black Missouri teenager was found dead at a party hosted by a man whose social media can best be described as “how to be a pro racist,” a Missouri jury has overruled the coroner’s initial findings and declared that the 19-year-old’s gunshot wound was not self-inflicted.

In May, two twin Black girls had the unfortunate experience of being in a social studies class at Sacajawea Middle School in Spokane, Wash., where they and other students were given the ill-advised assignment of cleaning cotton. Apparently, the activity was meant to teach students about the industrial revolution and…Read more...

The federal eviction moratorium enacted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to keep people who have lost employment or wages due to the pandemic from losing their homes expired Saturday, but congressional Democrats are keeping the pressure up on the Biden administration to have it renewed. One of the…Read more...

Raven Saunders’ journey to the 2020 Summer Olympics was anything but easy.Read more...

Much to the chagrin of some nosy people, David Johns doesn’t typically offer up an answer to the ever-probing question of, “When did you know?”Read more...

DaBaby has been put in time out.Read more...

The life of hip-hop icon Biz Markie is set to be celebrated on Monday, August 2.Read more...

Simone Biles, not to be confused with fellow Olympic gold medalist Simone Manuel, will compete in Tuesday’s balance beam final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.Read more...

Five years after a Wisconsin police officer shot and killed a Black man as he sat in a parked car, a judge declared he found probable cause to charge the officer for creating an “unreasonable and substantial risk of death” in the shooting.

The National Council of Negro Women is suing Johnson & Johnson, claiming the company specifically marketed its talcum-based powder products to Black women without warning them of their alleged link to cancer.

We have a new Olympic record holder in the women’s 100 meters: Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah broke Florence Griffith Joyner’s 33-year-old record in Tokyo on Saturday, successfully defending her title in the event.

Remember when Raven-Symoné got up on The View back in 2015 and started talking sideways about how she wouldn’t hire someone if they had an overtly Black-sounding name? A study found that apparently, some major employers might be guilty of putting that sentiment in practice.

Curtis Crosland of Philadelphia spent over 30 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. Now, after a review of his case, he’s a free man once again.Read more...

Simone Biles won’t compete in Sunday’s uneven bars or vault individual finals at the Tokyo Olympics, USA Gymnastics announced in a statement on Friday.

Attorneys for a Black man in Alpharetta, Ga., said their client will file a lawsuit following an incident in which he was viciously attacked by a police dog while being taken into custody, and one that proves once again that cops have no business answering calls regarding unarmed citizens suffering a mental health…Read more...

MGM’s Orion Pictures and Chinonye Chukwu have partnered to tell the story of a mother’s pursuit for justice of the lynching of her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till. Danielle Deadwyler, who is widely known for her role in HBO’s Watchmen, will be portraying Mamie Till-Mobley and has been cast alongside Whoopi Goldberg, who…Read more...

I don’t know about you, but given the tumultuous year we had in 2020 (and continue to have in 2021, high-key), I’ve been beyond ready to roll and ride into better days and better times. Now, thanks to the brand new hit from Silk Sonic (aka Anderson. Paak and Bruno Mars), it looks like I’ll be able to do just that!Read more...

Despite a seemingly unending wave of anti-police violence protests, a pandemic that unfortunately also often seems unending and calls for police reform by politicians, activists and community members, fatal police shootings continue on a daily basis. To add insult to injury, a number of police departments across the…Read more...

Patrick Moster, the German Cycling Federation’s sporting director, has been unceremoniously dismissed from the Tokyo Olympics after a microphone caught him being a fucking racist-ass racist during Wednesday’s men’s time trial.Read more...

I wish dumb people were smarter.Read more...

Black America’s forever President Obama is turning 60.