The Root

There’s a lot to love about Ken Burns’ latest creation: the gripping PBS documentary, Muhammad Ali.

The Root Institute, launching virtually on Tuesday, Sept. 21, provides a much-needed forum where our community can question the status quo, discern where the truth resides, and share alternative points of view that hew more closely to reality than most mainstream conversations would currently have us believe.Read more...

An attempt by Republican lawmakers in North Carolina to enact a statewide voter identification law was blocked by members of the state’s court of appeals, who wagged their fingers like Dikembe Mutombo and said the law was discriminatory against Black voters.

Two former Stockton, Calif. police officers accused of violently beating a Black teen last December were indicted by a grand jury on felony assault charges.

You know what they say: “Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice ... well, you can’t get fooled again.”

In a recent interview on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, LeVar Burton announced he’s no longer interested in taking over as host of Jeopardy!

The future of the Minneapolis Police Department’s direction is now in the hands of voters after Minnesota’s highest court gave the OK for a controversial measure to be added to the ballot for the impending municipal elections.

Friday, the last day of R. Kelly’s Brooklyn federal racketeering trial’s fifth week, featured testimony from a woman who alleged the R&B star threatened her as a way to ensure he had her support during an impending lawsuit against him.

An unapproved haircut might become an extremely expensive one; a Michigan father seeks one million dollars in financial restitution after an unapproved haircut by an employee at his daughter’s school garnered only a “reprimand” from district officials. As The Root first reported in April, Jimmy Hoffmeyer pulled…Read more...

While I was extremely late to the Big Brother party—my formal induction to the show was during Derrick Levasseur’s complete annihilation of his opponents during Season 16 in 2014—I quickly became obsessed with the quirky reality show in which contestants catch the wrath of hell from an insult-slinging robot and…Read more...

It seems we have very good taste here at The Glow Up—though truthfully, we already knew this. After all, we honored legendary luxe streetwear pioneer Dapper Dan with our lifetime achievement award when we launched the TGU 50 in 2020, making it extra official by naming the award after him in perpetuity. (The “Dap…Read more...

When Clarence Thomas wasn’t working as a mute-ass puppet for former Justice Antonin Scalia, he literally was a real-life mute who was apparently attempting to break the Guinness record for being the Black man on the highest court who had absolutely nothing to say about anything.

After months of teasing, a steamy onstage kiss, a pair of ripped pants, pole-dancing to hell, a naked shower dance scene, a lawsuit with Nike over satanic shoes, and a very elaborate pregnancy-themed PR roll-out, Lil Nas X’s debut album, Montero, is finally here.Read more...

I think we need to be more stingy about who we give titles to.

While I might be terrible at more things than a scientific calculator can count, the one thing I’m exceptional at is giving gifts. My mother once taught me many moons ago that creating moments for our loved ones is always better than merely lavishing them with material possessions, so I always make it a point to go…Read more...

Amid a bevy of sexual assault allegations, T.I. and Tiny Harris have managed to avoid at least one charge in Los Angeles because the statute of limitations having expired.Read more...

How many Republicans do you think are looking out of the office windows doing the Birdman hand rub upon learning that some 10,000 mostly Haitian migrants have found refuge under a border bridge in South Texas awaiting processing? The countdown has already begun as to how long before this is all the Biden…Read more...

Track and field legend Usain Bolt knows a thing or two about allowing his body of work to speak for itself, and in a recent interview with the New York Post, he expressed his desire to see the same from embattled American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson.Read more...

All the niggas in niggadom, stand up!Read more...

Can we ever just leave a tender moment alone? Apparently not, as news in the cinematic streets is that yet another of our nostalgic faves is one step closer to getting its long-rumored reboot.Read more...

Former president and current bag of orange extract Donald Trump is a world class liar. We know that. He’s an Olympic-level liar. He’s the Michael Jordan of lying. Fine, he’s the LeBron James of lying. He’s Wilt Chamberlain.

What more is there to say about Muhammad Ali? The legendary boxer and activist has been the subject of countless books, documentaries and movies, including Ali, starring Will Smith in the Oscar-nominated title role. Ali was larger than life, a hero and an icon. But a new four-part documentary by Ken Burns, simply…Read more...

“In order for Morrison to take you seriously...you needed to demonstrate that language was a skill you had, that Black culture was known to you and respected by you.” — novelist A.J. Verdelle on Toni MorrisonRead more...

Wendy, how you really doing??Read more...

Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis cop who was convicted in the murder of George Floyd, was in court again on Thursday, this time to plead not guilty to violating the rights of a Black teenager during an arrest that was strikingly similar to the Floyd case.

If you are Black and active on social media, no doubt you’re all too familiar with its social hierarchies (looking at you, Black Twitter). Beyond the blue checks and heavily followed “micro-celebs” are also legions of fandoms, thought leaders, influencers and woke police who create the echo chambers so many of us…Read more...

In an attempt to keep press about their upcoming show The Activist from going from worse to WORSER (yes, we know that’s not a real word, but let’s roll with it), CBS has announced the series will be getting the documentary treatment instead of airing as a competition series as originally planned.Read more...

You know when would be a good time to stop doubling down on some unmitigated (and easily disproven) mess? The minute you have to pull out Tucker Carlson in your defense, because—girl, no. Nevertheless, that’s what Nicki Minaj did on Wednesday, following mass pushback to her online claims that the COVID vaccine had…Read more...

In August 2019, Elijah McClain, 23, was killed after he was put in a chokehold by police and injected with a sedative by paramedics. His crime: Being a Black man in Aurora, Colo.

As with almost any time a person speaks out after many years and accuses someone—particularly a prominent someone—of abuse (verbal, physical, sexual or otherwise), a question that seems to always creep up is: Why are they just now talking? Why didn’t they say something sooner? In essence, if that situation was as…Read more...

Disgraced former U.S. Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar is currently serving up to 175 years in prison for sexual abuse and assaults upon hundreds of girls and women placed in his care. But as Simone Biles told Congress: “The scars of this horrific abuse continue to live with all of us.”Read more...

White people love to support losers. Don’t believe me? Just look at those who get dressed up to reenact the Civil War. How about those who root for the Washington Football Team? Donald Trump supporters?

We live in a day and age in which NBA players might do the damn thing on the court, but opt to stay just as busy off of it. From tech partnerships to voting rights initiatives and everything else in between, it’s a beautiful time to be Black, passionate, and gifted.Read more...

The death of beloved actor Michael K. Williams continues to rock Hollywood and beyond, with more and more tributes from fans, followers and fellow artists pouring in by the day.Read more...

In the past year, the calls to end fatal encounters with law enforcement have only gotten louder. Many of the physical restraints and apprehension tactics that result in the unnecessary deaths of Black people are legally protected and allow officers to get away with taking lives. Now, a new directive attempts to cap…Read more...

On Wednesday, the Minnesota Supreme Court overturned the third-degree murder conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor, who shot and ​​killed Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a dual American and Australian citizen, in 2017.Read more...

Whether you love them, hate them or wonder what all the fuss about, the Sussex effect isn’t fading anytime soon. On Wednesday, Prince Harry (who turns 37 today) and Meghan were called ‘icons’ as they were announced as one of seven covers celebrating the 2021 TIME100. The other six covers feature Simone Biles, Kate…Read more...

Marie Claire’s October cover star may have stunted on the steps of the Met Gala wearing Dior Haute Couture on Monday night, but on normal school nights, she’s a senior at Harvard, double majoring in social studies and African American studies with “straight A semesters.” That’s just part of the multifaceted magic of…Read more...

Professional attention-getter Nicki Minaj once again got what she came for on Monday when she attempted to explain her absence from the Met Gala by casting doubt on the COVID vaccinations required to attend the event. As The Root reported Tuesday, as part of her excuse, the “Anaconda” rapper claimed her cousin in…Read more...

Does the name Eric Bieniemy ring a bell? It should.Read more...

CBS new competition show,The Activist—or America’s Next Top Activist, as it’s hilariously been dubbed online—has been the subject of justifiable critique and concern since the platform made the announcement last week.Read more...

One of the fun parts about parenting is seeing your kids “get” something. From reading to tying shoes to...whatever, that look they get in their eyes once they realize that they can do something is inspirational. And sometimes, our kids know well before we do that they’re ready to do stuff. We’re still worrying about…Read more...

On Tuesday, day 16 of the federal sex trafficking trial against disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly, a Brooklyn judge granted prosecutors the ability to provide additional audio and video evidence that allegedly shows Kelly verbally and physically assaulting multiple accusers.

On Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom defeated the recall intended to remove him from office.Read more...

The Met Gala’s ivory-colored carpet was filled with fashion statements on Monday night—while just outside its velvet ropes on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, a protest was waged to defund the police. Predictably, arrests were made, as cries of “Black Lives Matter” maybe, just maybe reached the ears of New York City mayor…Read more...

With the Houston Rockets fully embracing a rebuild, and five-time NBA All-Star John Wall looking to play for a contender, a divorce between the two sides seemed inevitable. So with training camp set to begin at the end of the month, now comes the news that the Rockets will keep Wall on the bench indefinitely until…Read more...

The city of Philadelphia will pay $2 million to Rickia Young, a Black woman who was pulled from her car then beaten by officers after she unknowingly drove into a protest over the police shooting death of Walter Wallace Jr. City officials made a statement on Monday announcing the settlement.Read more...

“When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” The quote is famously from the now-classic romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally, but it also served as part of an uber-romantic announcement made by award-winning actress Uzo Aduba on…Read more...

I remember the day I cut my hair and went natural.Read more...

One question I get all the damn time—aside from, “Nigga, you ate all them crab legs?!”—is how in the hell did I become a fan of both the Orlando Magic and Denver Broncos. Geography isn’t exactly my ministry, but I can completely understand how my allegiance to each of these franchises is confusing as shit considering…Read more...