The Root

A group of heavily-armed men who say they’re part of a movement “that does not recognize” the laws of the United States were arrested Saturday after a nine-hour standoff with police that shut down parts of a Massachusetts interstate.

Days after jumping out the entire window and celebrating the overturning of Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction on Twitter, Phylicia Rashad has offered her “most sincere apology” to the students and parents of Howard University–where she has served as dean of its College of Fine Arts since May.

Can someone explain to Anthony Campo what a joke is? Seriously, send him the dictionary definition of the word “joke,” because he clearly doesn’t know it.

After qualifying at the U.S. Olympic Trials last month, Brianna McNeal should be defending her 100-meter hurdles championship in Tokyo later this month. But due to a brazen lack of compassion on behalf of governing bodies for the Olympic Games, she won’t get the chance.

When EA Sports announced earlier this year that it was bringing back the long dormant College Football series, there were many questions—the most notable one being “how?” The series went dormant in 2013 as a result of the original 2009 lawsuit filed over NCAA athletes’ ability to profit off of their likeness. While…Read more...

Ain’t no lede, bih.Read more...

Just over three years before Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by police officers executing a no-knock warrant, a 63-year-old Black Army veteran was killed in St. Louis during the same type of operation. The case is eerily similar to that of Taylor’s, according to a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday by the victim’s…Read more...

Mickey Guyton, a Grammy and Academy of Country Music Award-nominated Black country singer, unfortunately has to bear the brunt of racist fans.

In 2005, Reggie Bush was about the closest thing to God in the flesh.Read more...

You may have seen this tweet many times by now: “Who is the messiest person you know? It’s a man, isn’t it?” If you want to get even more specific, “It’s 50 Cent, isn’t it?”

If you wonder why white people are so adamantly against accurate history being taught, Michael Harriot and I have the answer for you.Read more...

Republicans across the country are doing their absolute best to limit voter access. Just Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court added to their previous gutting of the 1965 Voting Rights Act by upholding two of Arizona’s voter suppression laws that many believe disproportionately affects voters of color.Read more...

Adam Coy, the former Columbus, Ohio, cop who fatally shot Andre Hill last year, has requested his trial be moved to another city due to fears that it would be “impossible” to impanel an impartial jury.

On Thursday, July 1, in a collaboration between EssenceFest and Verzuz, Bobby Brown and Keith Sweat, two kings of the stage (pun intended), took to the stage to face-off in the pandemic-created battle royale series.Read more...

Originally formed in 1987 by the godfather of Houston rap, J. Prince, the Geto Boys would reach unprecedented heights with vivid tales of murder and mayhem sprinkled with a political perspective that spoke for the Houston streets with no voice of their own. As one of the most influential groups in the history of rap…Read more...

The death of Breonna Taylor last year was one of the most tragic events in a year defined by tragedy. While it’s nothing close to the justice Taylor deserves, the firing of the officer who obtained the no-knock warrant that led to her fatal police shooting has been upheld.

If you were wondering what Grown-ish and Black-ish star Yara Shahidi will be getting into next—that is, other than continuing to double-major in Social Studies and African-American Studies at Harvard—apparently, she’ll be slipping into something by Christian Dior. The 21-year-old actress, executive producer and…Read more...

Let it never be said that Black people are anti-monument. Obviously, we would rather not see statues erected to commemorate people who would see us back in chains if they were alive today, but America does have its heroes who are worth honoring. On Wednesday, Chicago gave us a shining example of this when city…Read more...

*deep, heavy, negro spiritual sigh*Read more...

“I just designed TF outta my Air Issa’s” read a Thursday tweet by Tristen Winger—also known as Issa Rae’s hilariously cryptic, gang-banging neighbor “Thug Yoda” on Insecure. At this point, it’s no secret Rae is an all-star—seriously, is there any creative genre this woman hasn’t put her magic touch on, as of late? But…Read more...

Racing games have never not been my shit. Whether it’s the simulation stylings of the Gran Turismo series, the manic chaos of Mario Kart, or the intensity of F1 2020, I’m generally always down to redline a cool-ass car for a lap or two. Back in the day, the folks at Criterion Games were some of my favorite developers…Read more...

On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction, citing a couple of technicalities such as a “non-prosecution agreement” with a previous prosecutor and the fact that five additional accusers were able to testify against Cosby during his retrial. Following the court’s…Read more...

Full Spoilers for Planet Sized X-Men #1, S.W.O.R.D #6 and The Hellfire Gala (2021) below.Read more...

Do y’all remember Miya Ponsetto, one of the Becky-est Karens to ever perform acts of Susan-try against Black people who were trying to mind their own business?Read more...

Foo Fighters singer/guitarist and former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl recently sat down with Pharrell Williams for Dave’s Paramount+ series From Cradle to Stage, and OMG the best exchange ever happened.

Whether it’s defacing murals, or monuments to victims of police violence, it appears that people (read: white people) nationwide have taken up racist graffiti as a hobby. A neighborhood in Denver had the shittiest Tuesday ever, when they awoke to find that various cars had been vandalized overnight with swastikas and…Read more...

Here’s what we’re not gonna do: we are not gonna come for Tabitha Brown. In fact, we’re NEVER gonna come for Tabitha Brown, you got me?Read more...

On Fourth of July weekend of 2019—back when we could all congregate freely and gather en masse without fear, a handful of The Root’s staffers had a collective out-of-body experience at the New Orleans Superdome. Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott was headlining the Essence Festival of Music and Culture’s 25th anniversary—and…Read more...

I wish someone would explain to Republicans that the voting rights issue isn’t the “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” debate that they think it is. There is no real question regarding whether voter fraud or voter suppression came first—because no one can seem to provide significant evidence that voter fraud …Read more...

Boxing legend Riddick Bowe, who was last seen quitting the Marines, catching a domestic violence charge, and ordering curly fries in an Arby’s drive-thru window, apparently wants in on the millions of dollars people like Floyd Mayweather and Mike Tyson are collecting from celebrity boxing matches. To that end, the…Read more...

If there’s one thing that’s always a recurring trending topic, it’s speculation about the nature of Jada Pinkett Smith’s and Tupac’s close relationship.Read more...

I truly believe you can judge a person by the company they keep, and former President Donald Trump kept some very sketchy company. Considering that even his attorney has caught a case, it should come as no surprise that prosecutors charged the Trump Organization

UK-based swimwear brand Soul Cap was created to solve a problem—and help end the stigma that Black people don’t swim. But Black athletes competing in water sports at this summer’s Olympics won’t be able to wear a swim cap designer to accommodate the voluminous textures often inherent in Black hair.Read more...

On Wednesday, I was minding my Black-ass business while indulging in my favorite pastime—devouring crab legs—when this happened:Read more...

In a world full of lies, this is the truth: Almost every pair of Yeezys is ugly.Read more...

It has been over 400 years since the first enslaved Africans arrived on the shores of what would become the United States of America—but as both our past and present have proven, its legacy remains writ large upon virtually every aspect of American life. Our cities, our schools, our prisons, our monuments and more…Read more...

Due to rumors from a “source” Wednesday night, word began to spread that beloved rapper Biz Markie had died.Read more...

My parents divorced in the ’90s when I was relatively young, so memories of my mom, dad and siblings under one roof are few and far between. One vivid memory is clear: me, my sister and my parents piled into their bed watching The Cosby Show every Thursday night at eight. In our religiously conservative home, there…Read more...

On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to establish a select committee to investigate the World War Wypipo rebellion at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.Read more...

Quick, look into the headline!Read more...

Two years ago, one of the greatest point guards of all time was considered an albatross.Read more...

Content Warning: The following article contains information that may be disturbing and triggering to survivors of sexual assault.Read more...

Editor’s note: This story was originally published June 4, 2014.Read more...

A grand jury decided on Monday not to indict a former Georgia State Trooper who fatally shot a Black motorist last year. What was his crime? Having a broken taillight.

Nikole Hannah-Jones, the New York Times journalist, MacArthur “genius grant” recipient, The Root 100 honoree and creator of The 1619 Project, has finally been granted tenure at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after a prolonged, unnecessary saga.

Imagine being a governor who is so staunchly against teaching diversity and inclusion that you forget you have a diversity and inclusion council and sign legislation that causes more than half of said council’s members to bounce on your ass.Read more...

On Tuesday, ESPN and the NBA report that Carmelo Anthony was named the inaugural winner of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award, which we previously reported recognizes a current NBA player for “pursuing social justice and upholding the league’s decades-long values of equality, respect, and…Read more...

There has been a lot of talk lately about “going back to normal” as the country begins to reemerge at what is hopefully the tailend of the pandemic. Unfortunately, normal in this country includes frequent incidents of mass violence, and a new Homeland Security bulletin warns that domestic extremists may be plotting to…Read more...

I believe America is a racist country, but I understand why some people don’t.Read more...

The Harlem Cultural Festival. Have you ever heard of it?Read more...