The Root

At 90 years young, Willie Mays, the oldest living Hall of Famer, has lived a life that others can only dream to have experienced. He’s set multiple MLB records, collected a Presidential Medal of Freedom, and has inspired millions with both his play and resilience. He’s the perfect choice for a documentary, and because…Read more...

On Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver remarks at the State Department in which she will declare the United States’ solidarity with the people of India and the struggle they face battling COVID-19.

Jasmine Mans may be best known for her viral poem, Footnotes for Kanye, but her latest volume of poetry, Black Girl, Call Home, is more than pop cultural phenomenon; “It is a conjuring. It is a request. It is a calling. It’s a poem,” Mans tells us on this week’s episode of The Root Presents: It’s Lit!Read more...

On the morning of April 18, a jogger found the body of 16-year-old Mikayla Miller up against a tree in the woods near a walking trail in Hopkinton, Mass. The day before her body was discovered, Mikayla’s mother complained to authorities that the teen had been jumped by other teens and punched in the face. So far, no…Read more...

With all the discussion about teeth whitening on TV, on the internet, in your dentist’s office, and in magazines, people often forget there is more in your mouth to be concerned with besides the color of your teeth. You must not ignore your gums.

Daft Punk’s biggest single ever, “One More Time” is all about encouraging us that it’s “time to celebrate” and to not “stop the dancing.” Personally, I’m always happy to hear the song as it reminds me of jamming to it with my niece, who is probably the biggest fan of theirs that I know.Read more...

Seeing actions actually have consequences for cops is a continually bizarre experience. A federal grand jury has indicted Derek Chauvin and the three other officers involved in the death of George Floyd on U.S. civil rights charges.Read more...

May the, uh, seventh be with you? If you weren’t aware, May 4 is considered Star Wars day, and as a result, just about every digital marketplace still has several Star Wars games on sale. While I’ve talked about EA’s Star Wars games ad nauseum, I thought it would be fun to take a trip back and put you on some…Read more...

“A wise man told me, ‘Don’t argue with fools’

Throughout my life, my mother always had a habit of asking me to evaluate her parenting. For years, to avoid uncomfortable conversations I’d say, “Yes, you’re a great mom,” and “Yes, I had a fine childhood,” thinking I was doing what was right to protect us both from a lot of arguing and heartache. I thought allowing…Read more...

Thursday was ending the way that Thursdays usually do, with Thursday being all annoyed that no matter what it does, it will never be Friday. Then, literally out of nowhere, news that the rockstar mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms, won’t be seeking reelection shocked the airwaves.

This Sunday will be Shina Sanabria’s first Mother’s Day with her third and youngest child.Read more...

Apparently, the lack of prisoners getting killed is a pressing problem in South Carolina—so much so that the state House voted on Wednesday to add the use of a firing squad to its list of execution methods.

The ongoing “reckoning” in Hollywood has placed a spotlight on many facets of the industry, including awards organizations and industry gatekeepers. As more stories come to light, it becomes crystal clear that the issue isn’t one or two aspects of Hollywood—it’s the entire system.Read more...

A recently released study from researchers at Emory University has found that younger Black women may be at greater risk of suffering from heart disease.Read more...

See, y’all think I just be talking shit.Read more...

The Southern Poverty Law Center prides itself on monitoring the activities of domestic hate groups and other extremists, while working in partnership with local communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people. But did you know they also have a…Read more...

The Underground Railroad is a riveting story about Black survival.Read more...

In every American household, Black, white, or otherwise, picture day is kind of a big deal.Read more...

Welp, it happened; Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed a white fragility bill pushed by state Republicans to restrict Critical Race Theory from being taught in the state’s schools and universities.Read more...

In recent months, there has been growing controversy surrounding the kinda, sorta, totally racist school song of the University of Texas. A student-led Zoom lecture at the University of Texas at Austin was interrupted when a masked man began loading a gun on camera.Read more...

It’s one thing to construct the looks of of-the-moment talents like Zendaya and The Queen’s Gambit star Anya Taylor Joy; it’s quite another to hold center stage with two of the industry’s hottest starlets flanking you like couture-clad backup singers. But so it is for 2019 The Root 100 honoree Law Roach, who made …Read more...

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, aka Big Baby Brian Kemp, continued the Republican streak of enslaving the fuck out of the Black vote by signing a controversial bill into law that would limit access to mail-in voting in the state, continuing to move on former President Trump’s continuous lie of election fraud in…Read more...

Five-star basketball recruit Makur Maker made headlines last summer when he passed on offers from Kentucky, UCLA, and other powerhouse schools in order to commit to Howard University, and as he continues on his quest “to make the HBCU movement real so that others will follow,” we’ll be fortunate enough to join him on…Read more...

We have some updates regarding the elevator incident involving rappers Quavo and Saweetie, which immediately went viral after footage was leaked shortly after their breakup was announced.Read more...

Have you ever come across a story that you know you’re supposed to be upset and offended by, but it’s just so damn hilarious that you forget to be disgusted?Read more...

The more things seem to change, the more they stay the same. Walter Dean Myers first published Monster in 1999; over twenty years later, the profound themes centered around the criminality of Black boyhood and coping with trauma continue to plague young Black men across the country. The story follows Steve Harmon, a…Read more...

Maybe they’ve been watching reruns of old Rocky films or still reeling from the high of rushing into the Capitol on Jan. 6, but some Republicans are getting real reckless with their words, and one of the worst examples might be a Colorado state representative who referred to a colleague as “Buckwheat.”

“As days go by,” an opportunity arises to reflect on your past career on a show such as Uncensored or Unsung. In the case of Jaleel White, who famously starred as Steve Urkel in the ‘90s sitcom Family Matters, he certainly has a lot to reflect on. With growth and perspective, there’s ample time to tell your story with…Read more...

When Cynthia Simpson noticed that none of her friends were going through pregnancy around the same time she was, the casting agent decided that she needed to experience motherhood through genuine community, and not just by reading books.Read more...

White people love critical race theories.Read more...

Before we begin please join me, my kings and kweens in a word of prayer:Read more...

Billboards along Eight Mile Road in the area of Detroit are warning Black motorists that they’re in a “Racial Profiling Zone” and asking them to share their own experiences with driving while Black. You already know that white conservatives are going to get all in their feelings about this—just as they did when…Read more...

Put on your Clark Kent glasses, because we have some super-scoop for y’all!Read more...

In 2018, NBA player Sterling Brown was tackled to the ground and tased by Milwaukee police officers. His crime? Double parking. Three years later, the city has approved a settlement worth $750,000 for the former Bucks athlete.Read more...

The 2021 NFL Draft has come and gone.Read more...

Right now, Republicans across the country are on a mission to whitewash America’s history in a way that protects white feelings and scrubs the stain of anti-Black racism from the nation’s fabric. GOPropaganda lawmakers have been introducing legislation to ban things like Critical Race Theory and The 1619 Project from …Read more...

While increased vaccination availability has provided some light at the end of the tunnel with regard to the coronavirus, there are millions of Americans who are still dealing with the financial ramifications of the pandemic. In a move set to impact some of the most vulnerable in our country, a federal judge has ruled…Read more...

As someone with a massive platform and the ability to inform and influence the opinions of millions, after being in the public eye for about six years now, I completely understand the responsibility that comes with it.

We live in a society of celebrity worship, in which human beings are far too often reduced to what they do instead of who they actually are. This happens all the time with athletes like LeBron James, who are celebrated for their feats on the court, yet admonished for having the audacity to speak out about issues that…Read more...

To me, the saddest part of the Derek Chauvin verdict was that it felt, and continues to feel, like such an anomaly. It is incredibly hard to hold cops accountable for their actions because America agreed a long time ago that brutality and murder are OK as long you do it behind a badge. Think I’m being hyperbolic?…Read more...

Beyoncé?! (Now y’all know I couldn’t pass that up.)Read more...

Of course, explosives and weapons are being found at far-right rallies across the country.Read more...

How did you sleep last night? Did you sleep? Were you able to stay asleep? If not, you may have insomnia. According to the American Psychiatric Association, insomnia is the most common sleep disorder. The dictionary loosely defines insomnia as a prolonged and usually abnormal inability to get enough sleep, especially…Read more...

We in first place, we in first place, Webby for Public Service and Activism—we in first place! (Or whatever 2 Chainz said.)

That we even have to debate whether a statue of Robert E. Lee should exist tells us how backwards many people in America are. Of course, four years of Donald Trump and his racism certainly didn’t help.

On May 4, Jermaine Cole, aka Light-Skinned Jermaine and famously known as J. Cole, announced the May 14 release of his sixth studio album, The Off-Season, along with (presumably) the album cover. As is always the case when Cole announced a project, drops a loosie and/or a project, the Internets light up—no pun…Read more...

These new discussions about whether or how systemic racism and slavery should be taught in school are proving one thing unequivocally: Republicans don’t know shit about systemic racism or slavery.

I’ll never forget the moment I told my mama I was moving to L.A.Read more...

A lot of white people are racist. Some white people are so racist that they look for any excuse to show their bigotry off. Last week, an elderly KK-Karen showed her hateful ass at a Burger King in Florida when she reportedly threw a Whopper in an employee’s face and allegedly called the worker a Black bitch as well as…Read more...