The Root

Another day, another incident of inexcusable harm done to Black youth at the hands of authorities. This past week, police were called on two students on the Perimeter campus of Georgia State University when they arrived late to class. On Wednesday evening, TikTok creator and college peer, Bria Blake posted about the…Read more...

Awards shows are finally getting back to the live events we know and love, allowing for lots of opportunities for jaw-dropping unscripted moments. After all, isn’t that why we watch these things in the first place? And after this year’s Oscar shocker, we may be in for even more outrageous surprises at the Grammys.…Read more...

Less than a week after slapping Chris Rock on stage during the live broadcast of the Oscars, Will Smith announced that he’s resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Read more...

And just like that...music’s biggest night, aka the 2022 Grammys, is finally upon us!

Is it too late for legalizing weed at the federal level to undo the damage of criminalization and racial disparities in the already multi-billion dollar cannabis industry? We may be about to find out.

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Updated as of 4/1/2022 at 11 a.m. ETRead more...

When it comes to basketball, Candace Parker has literally done it all. She’s a two-time NCAA champion, two-time WNBA champion, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, two-time WNBA MVP, WNBA Finals MVP, WNBA All-Star Game MVP, WNBA Rookie of the Year, WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and serves Shaq regular doses of humble…Read more...

Our news cycle is in a constant state of motion where it’s almost too much to take in. This is especially true in the last few years, with the COVID-19 pandemic and Trump’s scandal-ridden presidency dominating the news. While the “slap seen around the world” has taken our collective attention, other concerning issues…Read more...

It’s no secret that WNBA players know how to get their message out when they want to. Just look at how it was among the first major sports leagues to openly support Black Lives Matter and also very publicly backed Senator Raphel Warnock in his election against former Atlanta Dream owner Kelly Loeffler. This history…Read more...

On Thursday, Emmy-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson and NBA star Chris Paul were appointed to President Biden’s HBCU Advisory Board.Read more...

After two successful releases of the DAP GAP hoodie collection, Dapper Dan and GAP are getting together once again – this time, in the digital space. Earlier this month, iconic Harlem-based fashion designer Dapper Dan dropped a collection of colorful hoodies with “DAP” emblazoned on the front, a twist on GAP’s…Read more...

Police shot and seriously wounded a California college football player this week after a bar fight went left. Now, the wounded man’s lawyer says his client was a hero who ended up taking police bullets just minutes after he might have saved many others’ lives.Read more...

Eddie Murphy’s third act has been full of surprises. According to Deadline, the 2007 Oscar nominee is now in talks to star as music legend George Clinton. On the list of people I expected to play the Parliament-Funkadelic frontman, The Nutty Professor star was not at the top of the list. Apparently this is a real…Read more...

A group of guards at a Louisiana detention center attacked a Black asylum seeker, according to video footage obtained by Insider. The victim, Brandon, said the attack was racially motivated.

After more than 200 failed attempts, including a blocked measure as late as 2020, the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act was finally signed into law by President Joe Biden on Tuesday. USA Today reports that many Black leaders around the country have praised its passage, acknowledging this is long overdue given the…Read more...

2022 Oscars producer Will Packer is speaking out for the first time since the now infamous Will Smith slap incident to shed some light on exactly what was going on behind the scenes in the immediate aftermath.Read more...

Parents of Christian Hall, a teenager shot and killed by Pennsylvania state troopers, are suing the accused officers as well as the local district attorney, reported NBC News. The lawsuit accuses the state troopers of using excessive force against Hall and the district attorney of allegedly misleading the public about…Read more...

When it comes to the Grammys, the Red Carpet arrivals can be even more entertaining than the awards. It’s the one night when all of the biggest names in music come together to honor the industry’s best. And whether their looks get people to turn their heads or turn up their noses, there are some stars that you can…Read more...

Convicted killer cop Amber Guyger won’t be coming home anytime soon, a judge ruled.Read more...

This year’s Grammys is set to be an entertaining show, mostly because of all of the talented artists nominated for awards. But, let’s be honest. Our ears and eyes will be glued to the TV in order to see what Trevor Noah will say about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock.

Just when you thought the NFL’s Offseason of Diversity Folly couldn’t get any weirder, the league lands another Black head coach under crazy circumstances.

The Parental Rights in Education or “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which recently was signed into law by Flordia Gov. Ron Desantis, was bound to be challenged in the legal system. Disney has said the company would work to get the law repealed. Florida Republicans have threatened to revoke Disney’s “quasi-government privileges.”

A white teacher from Whitney Young Magnet High School in Chicago has been suspended after hanging a Black doll by its neck in front of his classroom, reported Chicago Sun-Times. Following the incident, he allegedly argued with a Black teacher who was offended by what he’d done.

Just when you think you’re out, they pull you back in. We thought we were leaving the Jussie Smollett drama behind, but the recently launched CNN+ has one more deep dive in store. According to a press release provided to The Root, the streaming network has announced the new FlashDocs unit will explore “timely and…Read more...

In 1993, Congress passed the National Voter Registration Act to cut down “discriminatory and unfair registration laws and procedures.” The measure requires states to accept voter registration applications by mail and offer registration services at motor vehicle offices, military recruitment centers, and government…Read more...

Florida State University Professor Maurice Johnson teaches his students about Black history, society and culture through the lens of Hip Hop. In his Hip Hop Culture and Global Mass Communication class, Johnson discusses the social and political issues in the Black community through various mediums including songs…Read more...

On Wednesday, model and reality TV star Blac Chyna aired out her grievances in regards to her financial and co-parenting situation.Read more...

Life in the real world has been pretty crazy for the past couple of years. But if you can’t jet off to a private island to get away from it all, getting lost in a good book might be the next best thing. Ok, I know, that was a stretch. But if you’re anything like me, a good story is a great way to make a subway ride or…Read more...

Netflix isn’t stupid. The streaming network knows it has a cash cow in popular romantic drama Bridgerton. So like all hugely successful TV shows, it’s getting a spinoff. According to TVLine, Netflix has cast its next Bridgerton series, which “tells the story of how the young Queen’s marriage to King George sparked…Read more...

Updated as of 2 p.m. ET: Less than one hour after we initially told you that the Academy released a statement on Wednesday revealing that they allegedly asked Will Smith to leave the ceremony following the slap incident, new information is now calling that statement into question.Read more...

Next week, the voting procedures for Ketanji Brown Jackson to become the first African American Supreme Court judge will begin. With Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) stating she will be a “yes” vote, the nomination is locked up. Many people still remember the confirmation hearings where many unfounded accusations and…Read more...

Shapewear has come a long way from the painful corsets women wore in the Victorian Era. Ladies still want to create a smooth silhouette and emphasize their curves. But thanks to a lot of innovation in the shapewear industry and a lot less whalebone, they can do it without feeling like they’re constantly gasping for…Read more...

Vice President Kamala Harris met on Wednesday with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness at the White House today, a significant if not historic meeting between the first Black woman vice president who is the daughter of a Jamaican national and the Caribbean nation’s leader.

One of the stories being lost in all this hoopla about “the slap” is that at the time Chris Rock was presenting the award for Best Documentary Feature, which was won by Summer of Soul. The film is a beautiful love letter to Black musicians, chronicling the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. With the entire Dolby Theatre…Read more...

Are there any Little Brother fans around? Any fans of Phonte? Big Pooh?Read more...

A new report by the Kapor Center and NAACP found the tech sector has not only stalled but regressed in achieving racial equity, reported Axios. Per the joint State of Tech Diversity: The Black Tech Ecosystem report, Black representation in technology is vital toward fighting systemic bias and socioeconomic racism in…Read more...

Listen kids, there was a time when if Oprah Winfrey told you to read a book, you ran out to the actual brick and mortar book store and bought it. In the literary world, an “Oprah’s Book Club” sticker was as good as gold. Now the former talk show host is being recognized for her years of support, as AP reports that the…Read more...

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There is no shortage of parenting apps in the digital universe. It’s not hard to find a place to get advice on everything from diapers to discipline. But if you’re a Black parent or caregiver, you may feel like the content just isn’t for you. A Black entrepreneur and mom of three hears you loud and clear and has…Read more...

The California task force on reparations voted Tuesday that compensation will only go to descendants of free and enslaved people who were in the United States during the 19th century. The proposal to include all Black people in the country regardless of ancestry was rejected, according to the Associated Press.Read more...

Chris Rock hasn’t said much about his onstage altercation with Will Smith at the 94th Academy Awards ceremony on March 27. But according to Wanda Sykes, the comedian did issue a personal apology to her for what took place on stage that night. “I hope he doesn’t mind me saying this, but I saw Chris at Guy [Oseary’s]…Read more...

Warwick Sen. Kendra Anderson has decided not to run for reelection but instead to endorse a leader of Black Lives Matter Rhode Island Political Action Committee to replace her, reported The Providence Journal. Harrison Tuttle, 23, was announced Tuesday to be her successor.

Last month, I wrote about the very real possibility that the race-wealth gap–maybe the most important byproduct of the country’s legacy of institutional racism as practiced via economic policy–might be poised to grow.

Grammy Award-winning artist Toni Braxton is opening up about how she’s been dealing following the death of her sister Traci earlier this month.

Adam Shakoor, a civil rights advocate, an attorney who represented Rosa Parks, the former deputy mayor of Detroit and the first Muslim to be judge, died at 74.Read more...

One of Bravo’s most popular series is set to return for Season 14, when The Real Housewives of Atlanta premieres Sunday, May 1 at 8/7c. According to a press release provided to The Root, Kandi Burruss, Kenya Moore, Shereé Whitfield and Drew Sidora return, alongside familiar face Marlo Hampton and newcomer, four-time…Read more...

The Pittsburgh Steelers should’ve never had the chance to hire Brian Flores as a defensive coaching assistant, according to the team’s owner.

William “Ricky” Virgil, a Kentucky Black man who spent 28 years in prison for murder was released after DNA evidence exonerated him in 2016. He then sued the city of Newport, Kentucky and the police for a wrongful conviction shortly after. Unfortunately, Virgil died before he ever got the chance to confront the police…Read more...