The Root

For those of us privileged enough to have attended an HBCU, or have at minimum shown up to a homecoming game to restock your mixtape collection, we know that besides the vendors, the food, and the fits, the band performance is the best part of the afternoon. For those of you not as fortunate, the CW is ready to fold…Read more...

As usual, Black women delivered some of the most complex, emotional, transcendent performances of the year. Whether they were bringing legends to life, taking down bad guys or hilariously stealing scenes, the variety was astounding. From well-known favorites to legends in the making, 2021 was a murderer’s row of…Read more...

What the hell is up with TikTok?Read more...

The city of Columbus is paying the injured participants in protests that happened in their city last year because of the death of George Floyd and other racial injustices that have happened around the country.Read more...

John Legend is updating a familiar story with a modern twist. The award winning singer is producing a modern musical update on The Phantom of the Opera.

Vying for the top spot in the weirdest stories of 2021, is a new development in the Trump election fraud conspiracy.Read more...

A slew of one-of-a-kind digital collectibles, including unreleased DMX tracks and a behind-the-scenes Prince documentary, are about to hit the market via a new, Black-woman-owned NFT marketplace.Read more...

After years of feuding, Kanye (now Ye) and Drake have officially squashed their “beef.” The two behemoth rap stars came together for a concert at the Los Angeles Coliseum to raise awareness and support for Larry Hoover, who is surviving multiple life sentences as the former gang leader of the Gangster Disciples, a…Read more...

Sculptures of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor are up for auction this month to benefit charities founded in their honor. Both Floyd and Taylor were victims of police brutality last year and sparked a national, and arguably worldwide, social justice movement last summer.Read more...

Fascinating poet and author Audre Lorde is getting a biopic. Deadline reports, Jezebel director Numa Perrier is producing and starring in The Erotic through House of Numa Productions alongside Livia Perrier of Bazile Productions.

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In court Thursday, Alayna Albrecht-Payton testified that she and Daunte Wright had just started dating before he was shot and killed by former Minnesota officer Kim Potter on April 11.Read more...

Sad news out of Georgia: former NFL star Demaryius Thomas has died.

Earlier this year, “missing white woman syndrome,” a phrase coined by Journalist Gwen Ifill, was a hot-button topic after the viral coverage of the disappearance of Gabby Petitio. It highlighted the lack of coverage for people of color when they go missing compared to the coverage of young, middle-class white women…Read more...

In October, we told you how reality TV star Blac Chyna was the voice of the people when it came to, umm, encouraging folks to get the vaccine. (OK, yeah, I know that’s a stretch, but admittedly, the phrase “go get vaccinated, stop being stupid, hoe” has been etched in my brain forever—and I don’t know what that says…Read more...

After months of casting news and behind the scenes gossip, HBO has finally released the first trailer for its highly anticipated limited series following the Showtime Lakers.

Another coach with NFL pedigree is headed to run an HBCU football program—and a legendary program at that.Read more...

Chidiebere Ibe, a Nigerian medical student, and aspiring neurosurgeon, noticed a theme every time he flipped open his medical school textbooks: Most of the illustrations were of people with white skin only. Nothing else. As a result, he grabbed a pencil and began creating drawings that represented Black people,…Read more...

There is perhaps nothing more devastating than the death of a child, and each surviving parent must cope with the loss in their own way. In the aftermath of 5-month-old Zen Cannon’s death on Sunday, December 5, each of his parents shared how they are processing the loss of their son. On Wednesday, model and grieving…Read more...

In March 2020, around the start of the pandemic, Vegalia Jean-Pierre began using TikTok under the profile name @byvegalia, to showcase her art.Read more...

Imagine how sad your birthday party would be if it were just you. Parties are more fun with a group. The same can be said about our favorite ensemble performances of the year. Whether it’s superheroes fighting villains, a legendary ballroom house securing its place, or a gang pulling off a big rescue, everything works…Read more...

A new year is swiftly approaching—but when the Wendy show returns after the holidays with new episodes in January, its host will still be on hiatus. Wendy Williams, who has thus far missed the entirety of her show’s 13th season due to complications from Graves disease as well as a reported COVID-19 diagnosis, will…Read more...

The Justice Department is still investigating several other Civil Rights Era deaths after closing the Emmett Till case this week. Using the Cold Case Initiative, investigators are probing other killings suspected to be racially-motivated, including Black men killed by the police across the Jim Crow South.Read more...

It’s been little over a month since the Astroworld tragedy on November 5, and now the man at the center of it all—rapper Travis Scott—is finally speaking up about that fateful day.Read more...

One thing’s for sure: Time magazine always understands the assignment.Read more...

Cops in Torrance, Calif., are under investigation by state officials after a string of racist text messages between officers—some of whom have been involved in the deaths of Black and Hispanic men—came to light.

Current New York Attorney General Letitia James suspended her campaign in the race for governor on Thursday, just over a month after she announced her run. She says she is seeking reelection instead.Read more...

Though it’s been 12 years since “Lip Gloss” rapper Lil’ Mama crashed Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ performance of “Empire State of Mind” at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, we now finally have an idea what conversations took place in the immediate aftermath.Read more...

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Look, we’re warning you now, this is about to get nerdy.

It took a tattoo, an obnoxious level of social media posturing, and British boxer Tommy Fury’s withdrawal from his scheduled bout with court jester Jake Paul, but Tyron Woodley is finally getting the rematch he’s been begging for.Read more...

We’re back with a few more books Black Harvard students read when they were little. It’s funny, I read most of these books, but as an adult. Then again, I am not shocked that little Black children who were able to get into one of the best schools in the world were doing some serious reading...very early on.Read more...

10 months after nearly losing his leg in a single-car accident and suffering “significant orthopedic injuries,” Tiger Woods has announced that he’ll be making his return to golf next weekend at the parent-child PNC Championship in Orlando, per Yahoo Sports.

A mostly white jury heard opening statements and heart wrenching testimony on Wednesday, the first day of trial for former Minnesota officer Kim Potter in the killing of 20-year-old Daunte Wright. Potter faces first and second-degree murder charges for the fatal April 2021 traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb.Read more...

How white should your hair be to work at an event planning company?

A federal jury has awarded a Black man $6 million in damages after he was wrongfully convicted of murdering a mother and daughter in North Carolina.Read more...

Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley introduced a resolution seeking punishment for Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert and accountability following her Islamophobic comments regarding Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar. The resolution, backed by other progressives, looks to remove Boebert from her budget and natural…Read more...

The Students at an Oregon high school had enough.Read more...

As Democrats and Republicans nationally fight over gerrymandering, a turf battle between two Black Los Angeles city councilmen ended on Tuesday when the city decided on its new, local voting map.

On Wednesday, the defense rested and closing arguments began in the federal Chicago trial for Empire star Jussie Smollett.Read more...

Those Minneapolis police officers are at it again, hurting a Black man and being caught on camera doing so.

PBS’ FRONTLINE is known for telling expansive, hard-hitting stories. One of its most important projects is Un(re)solved, which looks to find justice in the unresolved murders of Black people dating back to the civil rights era.

Last month, we told you about the upcoming Free Larry Hoover benefit concert featuring the artist formerly known as Kanye West (in case you didn’t know, it’s just “‘Ye” now) and his former rival Drake.Read more...

Robert E. Lee has made his last stand in Charlottesville.Read more...

There are a few truisms about growing up in Black households in America; here are two: 1) you must close the gotdamned door when the air conditioner is running—don’t be air-conditioning the whole damned neighborhood; and 2) you better turn off the damned lights in the house if you ain’t using them. Even if you’re an…Read more...

Simply put, Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis has been playing like a boiling cauldron of hot ass this year.Read more...

Thandiwe Newton is sticking with HBO, as the Westworld star is in talks to join Magic Mike’s Last Dance at HBO Max.

The Karen’s are back at it once again.

On Tuesday, the NFL revealed its nominees for its most prestigious honor: The 2021 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.Read more...