The Root

Mercedes Varnado a.k.a, WWE Superstar “The Legit Boss” Sasha Banks has seemingly done it all. Over the last decade she’s become one of the first women to main event an NXT Takeover; she was one half of the first women’s tag team champions; she’s a five-time Raw Women’s Champion, the current SmackDown Women’s champion,…Read more...

Let’s just start off by saying that Virginia’s Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax ain’t shit.

In another episode of the mainstream American hit, “Marginalized Creators: Here, Damn!”, late night show host Jimmy Fallon recently came under fire after he featured TikTok influencer Addison Rae performing an instructional series of popular TikTok dances...that she didn’t create. Following the social media backlash,…Read more...

There aren’t many people in hip-hop with an enduring legacy like Cliff “Method Man” Smith.Read more...

On April 1, in what may or may not have been an April Fools’ Day joke, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva announced that detectives had determined the cause of Tiger Woods’ single-car accident from February 23, in which the 45-year-old suffered an assortment of significant injuries.Read more...

It seems the rift between Sheryl Underwood and former The Talk co-host Sharon Osbourne has deepened, according to this latest development.Read more...

As this Deshaun Watson situation—in which the embattled NFL superstar has been accused of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior in over 20 lawsuits—continues to unfold, on Wednesday, the three-time Pro Bowler learned that a few of his most lucrative partnerships have officially been put on pause.Read more...

Magic. What is it exactly? Some will debate wholeheartedly that the confines of magic exist in fantasy novels and movies and television shows—you know, fictionally. I’m not going to lie; I agree with this, but I think it’s deeper. I think magic can exist within a very real world and still have all the impact, if not…Read more...

More than six years after the Ferguson Uprisings brought a racial reckoning to the St. Louis metropolitan area—and the nation—St. Louis elected its first Black female mayor Tuesday. Tishaura Jones, the city’s treasurer, ran on a commitment to racial justice and promised to bring “fresh air” to the city, according to…Read more...

While 2020 marked an inflection point in the nation’s awareness of issues of racial injustice, it also quickly ushered in heaps of backlash against anything to do with acknowledging the pervasiveness of racism in America.

White Lies Matter is a group that claimed responsibility for the disappearance of a Confederate monument in Selma, Ala., that was dedicated to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The group published a ransom letter in which it demanded that the headquarters of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in Richmond,…Read more...

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms doesn’t have authority to reverse Georgia’s racist voter suppression laws for her city, but she can at least educate her constituents on how to abide by them as best they can.Read more...

The first 38 minutes of Hubert Davis’ introductory press conference as the new men’s basketball head coach at the University of North Carolina hit each of the points that new hires for high-profile coaching gigs are expected to.Read more...

On March 18, 2021, Mark Morrison’s “Return of The Mack” reached its 25th birthday. To commemorate this accoladational (Editor’s note: this is not a word) achievement for this song that really is the best song ever, I shared an article I wrote in 2017 stating as much, titled “Return of The Mack” Is The Best Song Ever…Read more...

NBA heads know all about the infamous Banana Boat Crew, which consists of BFFs LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony. Each has staked their claim on the basketball court, while also expanding their respective brands to include ventures into fashion, social justice, entertainment, philanthropy and…Read more...

Matt Gaetz is the definition of a groupie, but a very bad one whose groupie skills are so weak or unimportant that his tricks discard him like an expiring subscription to OnlyFans. Well, let me apologize for comparing Gaetz to OnlyFans creators because those folks actually have skills that, for the most part, justify…Read more...

As of Wednesday morning, DMX (born Earl Simmons) remains in a coma on life support, his manager confirmed.Read more...

Tommy Hilfiger Cotton Bath Towels | $6 | Macy’s

Some mainstream (re: white) writers and thinkers have instinctually sought to find a way to point to “economic anxiety” as an explanation for why hundreds of mostly white Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol in January. Now, at least one expert is conceding the obvious: It was the racism.Read more...

I swear white folks are just looking for any excuse to be racist. A school system in Virginia is investigating a post on social media that mocked George Floyd’s death in celebration of— wait for it—a football game.

As day 7 of Derek Chauvin’s trial went on, we heard numerous use of force experts testify about what was proper protocol and how Chauvin’s actions may have gone against what he was trained to do.

Another day, another unimaginative, mediocre white man not knowing what the hell he’s doing in Hollywood. I’ll explain.Read more...

Well before she became a world-renowned actress, something was taken from the woman we’ve long known as “Thandie Newton”––the “W” in her name. It started when she was in school and continued when her name was misprinted in the credits of her debut role, Flirtation; now, she’s reclaimed it. “That’s my name. It’s always…Read more...

I’m against cancel culture.

So this is hard!

As DMX (born Earl Simmons) is on-watch at the hospital following his heart attack, there have been a few more reports in regards to his medical care and health status.Read more...

Paul Pierce has had a week, and it’s only Tuesday. The former NBA star turned heads over the weekend when he went live on Instagram to document a night of twerking, neck massages, and general debauchery. Apparently, the sports analyst forgot he worked for the House of Mouse, and on Monday night it was announced that…Read more...

U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, the longest-serving member of Florida’s delegation to Washington, D.C., died Tuesday morning at age 84 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, the Sun Sentinel reports.Read more...

Video of a homeless man with a history of mental illness being shot and killed by a Contra Costa Sheriff’s deputy March 11 has just been released to the public, and the victim’s family wants answers, according to the Mercury News.

We really don’t need any scientific research to prove to us that Republicans do not care about democracy. Pretty much every Republican-controlled state has laws on the books that make it extremely difficult to vote and pretty much most of them cried fraud—falsely—when Donald Trump lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden.

As vaccines become more and more available across the country, the challenge of getting past this panny may hinge on convincing white evangelicals to take a dose for the common good.

Ever since Jordan Peele gave us Get Out, there’s been a trend in pop culture entertainment that upsets the shit outta me—everything (and oh my Lord, do I mean everything) is centered on Black Pain. It feels like the only shows or movies that prominently feature Black people involved in fantastical or heroic shit has…Read more...

Danielle Belton (The Black Snob, The Root) has been tapped to star in Tyler Perry’s The HuffPostThat Preys, The Root has learned exclusively. Belton will be portraying the role of Editor-In-Chief.Read more...

The first time Danielle Belton and I chatted by phone was in 2017. At the time, I was still working in Miami at Univision when she, Genetta Adams, and The Root approached me to write a three-part series for the website about climate gentrification and its effects on Black, low-income neighborhoods in my hometown.Read more...

Conditions in America’s jails and prisons weren’t exactly sterling before the pandemic broke out. In the year since, those incarcerated have dealt with lackluster efforts to mitigate the virus and have often been an afterthought when it comes to the nation’s response to the virus. With that in mind, it shouldn’t be…Read more...

Day six of Derek Chauvin’s trial largely focused on the testimony of the chief of the Minneapolis police and the various ways Chauvin’s actions may have violated the department’s use of force policy.

I’m just kind of tired of Black people being disproportionately affected by things, y’all. It’s never for anything good. It’s never anything like “Black people are disproportionately more likely to find 20 bucks on the sidewalk.” Instead, it tends to be situations like the one in Oakland, Calif., where a recent study…Read more...

A former Utah police officer who won one of his department’s highest honors for a false murder arrest has been charged with crossing the “thin blue line” in the Jan. 6 plot to overthrow the U.S. government.Read more...

On Sunday night, stars across TV and film all gathered around their Zoom screens to attend the 27th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.Read more...

It’s a new month, and you know what they say about April—how it brings showers and all that. Well, this week’s artists have showered us in house, hip hop and dancehall tracks. House is just one of those genres that you can’t help but dance to and while traditional beats are incorporated across different genres, the…Read more...

With the Jackson State Tigers playing on ESPN for the first time since the 1980s, coach Deion Sanders didn’t exactly have the weekend he had hoped for after his team got blown out 34-14 by Southern. But even though Jackson State caught a vicious L on Saturday, they still have plenty to celebrate.Read more...

Another Black family is mourning a loved one and calling on the justice system to hold police officers criminally accountable.

The fallout from Georgia’s new voter suppression laws and the Major Baseball League’s decision to pull the All-Star Game from Atlanta in reaction to them, continues.

Last time I checked, words mean things. So should you ever feel inclined to use a specific word, it’s probably in your best interest to ensure that you’re acutely aware of its actual definition.Read more...

President Joe Biden announced that 90 percent of Americans will have access to COVID-19 vaccines by April and folks can get their shots within a five-mile radius. Issues of access have been a long-standing problem since the vaccine rollout began, but 60 Minutes reports that the vaccine rollout in Palm Beach County is…Read more...

Full spoilers for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier below.

Following the shocking news that DMX (born Earl Simmons) suffered a heart attack, we have received updates of the 50-year-old rapper’s health status.Read more...

On Sunday, the 27th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards went off without a hitch!Read more...

Eufy Smart Lock Touch & WiFi | $220 | Best Buy