The Root

Black joy is unmatched.Read more...

There is no such thing as “white people.”

The cover for jazz guitarist Sonny Sharrock’s debut album, 1969's Black Woman, could have easily doubled as a movie poster for the 1970s version of Queen & Slim. The photo taken by Ray Gibson (with design by Haig Adishian) features Sonny and his wife and frequent collaborator—until their divorce—Linda Sharrock lookin’…Read more...

Can you be attracted to your own beard? Not the face it covers. Just the beard. My face is fine, I guess. It’s a nose and some eyes and a mouth, like most faces. I’m grateful for it. But I’m not, like, thinking about boning it, like the way I’d try to bone my Chewbacca pandemic beard, if such a thing were possible and…Read more...

The leading character of the 1995 neo-noir mystery Devil in a Blue Dress, Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins is getting his own TV series. Originally portrayed in the feature film by Denzel Washington, Rawlins is a character created by author Walter Mosley and is featured in his bestselling books.Read more...

Lord, I come before you this evening asking that you grant me the strength you gave Jamie Foxx when he ended Doug Williams’ whole career. Apparently, I woke up in 2006 today because a string of recent carjackings has led an Illinois state legislator to call for Grand Theft Auto to be banned.Read more...

Proving once more they’re the biggest snowflakes of the bunch, a group of unknown vandals repeatedly shot two historical markers in Georgia dedicated to Jackie Robinson and victims of lynching.Read more...

Another COVID-19 vaccine is likely to hit the scene in the coming weeks, hopefully hastening the day when the nation (and world) can get on the other side of this horrendous pandemic.

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Former Desus & Mero writer and comedian Ziwe Fumudoh will be making her small screen debut soon, thanks to Showtime.Read more...

Black Lives Matter is multiple things; it’s a statement, a movement, a network of local organizations and a global network. Like anything that is a lot of things all at once, BLM has seen its share of messaging issues and clashes between activists and organizers with different visions of what the movement is and…Read more...

Aside from being exceptional athletes, the WNBA is full of players who’ve made it their mission to serve as catalysts for change. That’s why the league’s latest partnership should come as no surprise.Read more...

Illinois on Monday became the first state to eliminate cash bail, the system under which people are kept in jail without being convicted of a crime—simply because they cannot afford to pay bail.

“Be less white.”Read more...

Over the past several years, we’ve increasingly been asked to listen to, believe, trust and protect survivors of sexual violence—and coincidentally, to do the same for Black women. Hopefully, we’ve been doing so; but what would it look like to create a truly safe space for open, honest and supportive conversations…Read more...

In the 1980s TV series Fame, Debbie Allen, as Lydia Grant, famously implored her dance students to start paying the cost of fame in sweat. Years later, that energy is still present and accounted for in the real life of the actress, dancer, choreographer, director, producer and all-around entertainer.Read more...

Jazz singer Billie Holiday was unequivocally a Civil Rights icon, but history doesn’t remember her as such.Read more...

Nobody likes to get snubbed.

Editor’s Note: The Rise of the Black Superhero is a three-part series breaking down the past, present and future of Black superheroes across comics, film, and tv. This is part 2

Spike Lee will once again be back in his movie-making bag for Netflix, this time partnering up with See You Yesterday director Stefon Bristol for a second time.

New York City’s skyline is arguably the most recognizable in the world, with the cinematic scenes of skyscraper clusters throughout much of Manhattan. Nestled in between those tall buildings are communities made up of small businesses and people who fuel the lifeline of the city. One could argue that they function…Read more...

If you’re immersed in the TikTok world, you are intimately familiar with challenges. Whether your challenge is being a savage or a renegade, throwing it down to bussit or even swaying sexily to a silhouette, a TikTok user is always down to create trendy content.Read more...

Harry Belafonte, the artist and activist who played a pivotal role in the fight for Civil Rights, will be celebrating his 94th birthday on March 1. In true quarantine fashion, he’ll be celebrating via virtual celebration and let’s just say the guest list is BOMB AF.Read more...

A former officer with the New York Police Department, whose duties once included guarding City Hall and the mayor’s residence, has been charged in what prosecutors describe as a rabid attack on a Capitol officer during the Jan. 6 insurrection.

It would be nice to live in a world where everything made sense. For example, I’d love to know why Taylor Swift is so popular in America, yet I don’t know one Black person who can sing three of her songs. I’d love to know why Colin Kaepernick doesn’t have a job yet a Trump-loving white boy can quarterback the…Read more...

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G and UGG bedsheets lead Wednesday’s best deals.

On Tuesday, Rochester, N.Y., continued America’s long-standing tradition of not holding police officers accountable for their careless actions when dealing with Black people.Read more...

The cover for Leon Thomas’ 1973 album, Full Circle, does not look like what it sounds like, to me at least. The album cover looks like some “diamond in the back, sunroof top...” vibe jams. But Leon Thomas is both a jazz and blue vocalist and this album is rich with both. Thomas was also a percussionist, but more…Read more...

On Tuesday, we reported that golf legend Tiger Woods suffered serious injuries in a gruesome, single-car accident in which his car flipped over several times. And now, after his team released a statement late Tuesday night, the full extent of those injuries has been revealed.

“Bwown Natalie, Mommy!” In the limited repertoire of language I possessed at 2 years old—mostly comprised of pint-sized commands—my mother claims this was the most frequent refrain as she buckled me into the backseat of her Buick back in 1977. Like many children that age, I already knew my colors—even if I couldn’t…Read more...

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An investigation has been launched by the Baton Rouge Police Department in Louisiana after a video released shows one its officers apparently holding a 13-year-old Black child in a chokehold.Read more...

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), estimates that approximately 160 Confederate monuments were taken down over the course of 2020. Come y’all, those are rookie numbers, we need to pump those numbers up.

Playwright. Tony-nominated actor. Director. Advocate. Those are just a few words to describe theater great Douglas Turner Ward, who died on Saturday, February 20 as confirmed to The New York Times by his wife.

Lately, dads have become the video game industry’s pet trope. There are a ton of games that have won a lot of awards about trying, failing, and in very few cases, succeeding at being a dad. But that trend largely excludes Black fathers (with one extremely notable exception), since the video game industry generally…Read more...

Golf legend Tiger Woods was rushed into emergency surgery after he was involved in a single-car accident on Tuesday that left him with multiple injuries, his agent reports.Read more...

One year to the day that 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery was gunned down by Travis McMichael and his father Greg McMichael while jogging through a neighborhood in Glynn County, Ga., Arbery’s mother has filed a civil lawsuit in federal court seeking $1 million in damages for his death.

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What happens when a hotep goes so far off the deep end that his third eye opens so wide that he blinds himself? Well, that person can no longer speak at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

The 2021 awards committees may still struggle with recognizing Black excellence (we’re looking at you, Hollywood Foreign Press Association—get some Black members and give Michaela Coel her flowers!), but this year, Vanity Fair does not disappoint. Building upon its increasingly diverse and highly anticipated annual…Read more...

Norman Lear, the TV legend behind The Jeffersons, Good Times, and Sanford & Son, is back with a new project: Clean Slate starring Laverne Cox and comedian George Wallace.

It seemed like a combination of “about a week ago” and forever ago that Bobby Shmurda had us all doing the Shmoney dance in the club to his hit song. Hell, it seems like forever ago that we’ve been in a club (those of us following COVID-19 protocols, anyway).Read more...

If you’re a fan of The Simpsons, you know the laugh.Read more...

At a Senate hearing on Tuesday, the former chief of Capitol Police, Steven Sund, stridently denied that the violent takeover of the U.S. Capitol by white supremacists on Jan. 6 was able to happen because of poor planning by security officials.

Yes, we know it’s only Tuesday, and therefore likely a little early to declare a highlight of the week—but also we’re pretty sure the rare occasion of witnessing two of our favorite women in a conversation about protecting and uplifting Black women is worth the preemptive honor.Read more...

Black women are the most looked over, underappreciated, and undervalued people in this country. This is as true in life as it is in storytelling. Fortunately, DC Comics has made concerted efforts in recent years to address this lack of representation, and with Nubia: Real One, writer L.L McKinney and artist Robyn…Read more...

Texans without heat in the freezing temperatures were still thinking about their senator and his missed vacation when they came up with the brilliant idea to send a little bit of Cancun to his home just to show him how much they care about him.

On Monday, the U.S. marked nearly a year since the ongoing coronavirus pandemic arrived on our shores by reaching a horrid milestone: 500,000 Americans dead from the virus.

A new series from Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Productions and Macro will be headed to BET+ soon, The Root has learned.Read more...

Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Live and KN95 masks lead Tuesday’s best deals.