The Root

KRS-One taught me that “overseers” said fast enough and over a long period of time sound a lot like “officers” in his seminal text, “Sound of da Police,” so it isn’t shocking to me that cops do corrupt things.

This year, it’ll be 100 years since the extremely grotesque act of domestic terrorism known as the Tulsa Race Massacre, which occurred on May 31 and June 1, 1921.

Bill Traylor’s extraordinary life story is American history. The self-taught artist began his unique drawings in his 80s and produced over 1,200 works. His drawings depicted memories from the plantation and the Black Southern experience throughout the 20th century.Read more...

You know, I think I’ve told the story of how Very Smart Brothas came to be a million times at this point. In fact, Damon and I have done it so much I’m fairly certain I know exactly what he’s going to say before he says it. But what neither of us has spent a ton of time talking about, individually and as a collective…Read more...

It’s an undeniable fact that the last year and a half has been a time filled with tremendous loss on multiple fronts.Read more...

John Davis, known as one of the true voices behind once-popular R&B group Milli Vanilli, has died at the age of 66 due to complications from the coronavirus, Variety reports. His daughter Jasmin confirmed the news via a Facebook post on May 24.Read more...

This week, a Massachusetts elementary school teacher was fired after he was exposed as an unabashed white supremacist writer who routinely published his work on white nationalist websites under multiple pseudonyms.Read more...

Kelly, can you handle this? Michelle, can you handle this? Beyoncé, can you handle this?

Who raised y’all?

Five men have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in the shooting of prominent British Black Lives Matter activist Sasha Johnson, who remains in critical condition.

Here at The Root, we’ve provided exhaustive coverage on the ongoing fight in connection with the removal of Confederate monuments across the nation. The pushback against this glorification of inherently racist symbols has finally gotten some real results within the past few years. Sometimes protestors have to take…Read more...

If you thought a global pandemic would stop one of the greatest athletes of our time, you’re sadly mistaken.Read more...

The same conflicted (read: cowering racists) board of trustees at a North Carolina university have received a resubmitted tenure application for Nikole Hannah-Jones after supporters of the New York Times Magazine’s The 1619 Project journalist called the board out for being full of shit.

Racists are a weird bunch. I mean, that’s obvious given that they’re so pressed that colors and cultures that aren’t theirs simply exist. But the thing that truly baffles me is how much effort racists put into being racist. In recent weeks, several nooses have been found at a construction site for an Amazon warehouse…Read more...

An Illinois city has hired a private attorney to investigate its police department over the death of Eric Lurry while in police custody a little over a year ago.

Mellifluous.

Cities across the country are finding out the hard way that if nothing is done about police violence committed against its Black citizens, the streets will continue to see protests and civil unrest, and the taxpayers will continue to have their pockets burdened by lawsuit settlements to police brutality victims or…Read more...

If Connecticut Sun head coach and general manager Curt Miller thought three-time WNBA All-Star Liz Cambage was the one to play with, he was cordially invited to a rude awakening this weekend, according to CBS News.Read more...

When Karine Jean-Pierre stepped to the podium in the White House press briefing room on Wednesday, not only was she the first openly gay woman to do so, she was also the first Black woman to host a White House press briefing in 30 years. (The Root has confirmed that she is openly Black.)Read more...

Regé-Jean Page is everything.

I never understand the logic behind calling the police on a very young child. I can’t imagine looking at a 6-year-old and going “Fuck, I’m in danger.” Apparently, officials at a school in Somerville, Mass., didn’t feel the same way, and after an incident where the police were called on a 6-year-old Black and Latino…Read more...

“The worse thing to happen to us should not define us,” said Yusef Salaam.Read more...

By any measure, John W. Rogers is a success story.Read more...

Most artists promote a new album by making the media rounds, doing meet and greets and other promotional appearances, and hitting the stage to debut their new music.Read more...

Maybe there needs to be a white supremacist offender registry so that Black people and people of color can find out if their neighbors happen to be armed and dangerous neo-Nazis who will hunt them down, even while they are in the confines of their homes.Read more...

Howard University has announced an amazing tribute to one of its most notable alumni—the late beloved actor Chadwick Boseman.Read more...

I’m going to just assume that Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has never read a book. In fact, I think it’s safe to assume that she isn’t even aware of the concept of books. It’s the only way I can make sense of recently resurfaced comments from last year where she said she wouldn’t take down a hypothetical…Read more...

Lee Evans, who wore a black beret and lifted his fist in protest at the podium during the 1968 Olympics, has died at a hospital in Nigeria. He was 74.Read more...

Go, Mary!

On Tuesday, Kristen Clarke became the first Black woman to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights division. On the anniversary of George Floyd’s death, Clarke was sworn into office by the first Black woman to serve as vice president, Kamala Harris.Read more...

Free falling into an 0-2 hole in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, especially against a Dallas Mavericks team that the Los Angeles Temecula Clippers purposely slid down the standings to play against, must be a humbling experience. But if you let the Clippers tell it, despite the very real possibility of this team…Read more...

Samuel E. Wright, the beloved actor, primarily known for his unforgettable voice work portraying the stern crab in Disney’s The Little Mermaid (1989) has died at the age of 74, Variety reports. The official page of Wright’s hometown, Montgomery, N.Y., confirmed the news on Tuesday. According to Deadline, Wright died…Read more...

Christopher John Rogers: King of Color, CFDA Award winner, 2021 The Glow Up 50 honoree and the designer Vice President Kamala Harris chose to wear for her historic swearing in. Rogers’ newest collection, Collection 008, now available for pre-order, is his “strongest outing to date,” according to Elle. The daywear…Read more...

T-Pain is a man of many talents.Read more...

I’m convinced some of y’all just like to argue.

Bryshere Gray, the actor best known for his role as Hakeem Lyon on Fox’s Empire and his portrayal of Michael Bivins in BET’s The New Edition Story, has pled guilty to assaulting his wife, The Root has learned.Read more...

You know, if I were a lawmaker in a state where multiple mass shootings have taken place this year alone, I probably wouldn’t be gung-ho about making it easier for the wrong people to get a gun. Texas Republicans will never miss an opportunity to have the wrong priorities, though, and are set to approve legislation…Read more...

Last June in Louisville, Ky., during a protest over the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police, David McAtee was fatally shot by a member of the National Guard. Almost a year after his death, it’s been announced that neither the National Guard members nor the Louisville Metroville Police…Read more...

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Acclaimed filmmaker Ava DuVernay once helmed a film about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—and now she can add a similar honorific to her name. Esteemed Ivy League institution Yale University recently named this year’s honorary doctorate degree recipients and Ava is one of them!Read more...

Cognitive dissonance is a hell of a thing. Somehow, the all lives matter crowd has got it into their heads that peacefully protesting against injustice is worse than driving a car into a crowd and placing actual lives in danger. A woman in North Carolina was arrested on Monday after allegedly driving her car into a…Read more...

I’ve never dined at upscale eatery Le Bilboquet in Atlanta before, but if Dominique Wilkins’ previous experience there is any indication, I think it’s safe to assume that I never will.Read more...

With everything else that’s occurred in the world of Kanye West since last June, it’d be understandable if you’d forgotten about his upcoming collaboration with Gap altogether. After all, it was followed by a failed presidential run, a multibillion-dollar evaluation, a documentary announcement, a divorce announcement…Read more...

Saint Heron, the music and cultural hub founded in 2013 by Solange Knowles, has announced plans to expand, The Root has learned.

Just like the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Verzuz pretty much has its own cinematic universe (VCU) at this point. Speaking of, would the Earth Wind & Fire Verzuz The Isley Brothers event be the equivalent of The Avengers?Read more...

George Floyd is dead.

The last time we saw the Milwaukee Bucks in the playoffs, they were getting bullied and manhandled by a Miami Heat team that would eventually make the 2020 NBA Finals.Read more...

In “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” Lil Nas X rap-sings, “What a time, an incline, God was shinin’ on me.” Despite many folks missing the point of his much-discussed music video by accusing him of devil worshipping, there was certainly something divine in the air during his recent Saturday Night Live performance.Read more...

It’s no surprise that psychotherapist Chamin Ajjan spent countless hours over the last year talking about mental health.Read more...