The Root

While some people may not like hearing the calls for police reform, whether or not that is defunding or abolishing the police, the case for those demanding accountability becomes increasingly apparent every day.Read more...

Stephanie Grisham, the former chief of staff for Melania Trump who went on to serve as White House press secretary for nine months without ever giving a press briefing to the American people, has decided that now, nearly 18 months after her walk of shame from the White House after being fired by Donald Trump, she has…Read more...

Dr. Fauci and the CDC keep trying to tell us that COVID-19 is no joke. Sadly, one of the NBA’s most affable alums is waging his own personal war with the deadly virus, and he took to social media in recent days to provide his friends and fans with an update as he fights for his life in ICU.Read more...

Philando Castile had a broken tail light, so he died. Sandra Bland failed to signal before changing lanes, so she died. Daunte Wright’s tag was expired, so he died.Read more...

The death of beloved actor Michael K. Williams is still being felt both throughout and beyond Hollywood by those who knew and loved him. Since his death was announced on Monday, several industry greats such as Ava DuVernay, Wendell Pierce, Mariah Carey, Spike Lee and Lance Reddick have all sent out messages of support…Read more...

Gabrielle Union refuses to be an asshole. The actress-producer and author of the bestselling 2017 memoir I Think We’re Going to Need More Wine memorably made headlines in 2013 with her admission of prior “mean girl” behavior while being honored at Essence’s Black Women in Hollywood event. But in the years since, it’s…Read more...

On Wednesday, California lawmakers moved forward legislation that can cause law enforcement officers to lose their badges. The legislation is awaiting a signature from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has been in favor of police reform in the past.

Editorial note: The following article refers to multiple instances of sexual assault, trafficking and coercion.Read more...

You would think the former President of the United States would have better things to do on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, but nope! Because Donald Trump is a tone-deaf, kumquat-hued attention whore, he’ll be commemorating one of the worst days in American history by providing commentary for a boxing match between…Read more...

Back in 1996, to commemorate its 50th season, the NBA announced the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history to much fanfare. With a collective resumé that consists of over a hundred NBA championship rings and nearly a million points scored, this prestigious list includes the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and…Read more...

Who says fashion and football don’t mix? This week, New York Fashion Week kicked off—as will the 2021 NFL season on Thursday night, literally. Accordingly, the week will no doubt be filled with fashion moments both outstanding and outlandish (after all, the much-delayed 2021 Met Gala also makes its return next…Read more...

A new study finds that Black kids in California were more likely to visit the hospital in connection with injuries caused by law enforcement. Researchers, who published their findings in JAMA Pediatrics (h/t Axios) found that almost 16,000 kids were treated for injuries between 2005 and 2017, based on emergency…Read more...

BeautyCon—the beauty and fashion influencer and content creator community founded by a Black woman and made even more popular by its annual star-studded, bicoastal festivals in New York and Los Angeles—just got even Blacker.Read more...

See when you do clownery, the clown comes back to bite.Read more...

We already know a few things about the Los Angeles Police Department.

Everyone should go check on their favorite authors because it seems a lot of them are either in their bag or trying to secure it.Read more...

“I love talking about my dad,” says Natalia Bryant. “It’s bittersweet, but I enjoy talking about him more than it’s sad for me.”Read more...

Since his abrupt dismissal from ESPN in April, Paul Pierce—who was fired after acting a complete ass on Instagram Live—has been laying low and enjoying life as a retired NBA player. For his 19 years of service, he’ll be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday. And to commemorate such a…Read more...

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: I do not fuck with nature. Every time I think of all the ways nature can kill you that have been documented, some new random website pops up on Facebook from some questionable site—but it has pictures—so I go down another rabbit hole of things that shouldn’t exist in…Read more...

The controversial statue of Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Va. which has been making headlines since the George Floyd protests last summer, finally came down off its pedestal Wednesday morning.Read more...

The Root sat down with Sacha Jenkins, to discuss his recent documentary Bitchin’: the Sound and Fury of Rick James. It premiered on Showtime last week and is currently streaming on the network. “The folks at Showtime asked me if I was interested and I said, yes. For me, it was it wasn’t a hard decision to make. He…Read more...

Just last month, Kanye West—soon to be known simply as “Ye”—was rebuilding his childhood home in his native Chicago’s Soldier Field for what would prove to be the final listening party for the long-awaited DONDA. Despite mixed reviews, the album has predictably since hit the No. 1 Billboard 200 spot, but also…Read more...

Though the New York federal sex trafficking trial against disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly has only entered its third week, there have been countless wild, disturbing and intriguing revelations since the beginning.

Since retiring from the NFL nearly 20 years ago, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Shannon Sharpe has blossomed into one of the most prominent figures in television. His daily duels with Skip Bayless on Fox Sports 1’s Skip and Shannon: Undisputed provide box office-level entertainment for sports fanatics, and with…Read more...

As the world tries to escape from the grips of a deadly pandemic, America is also battling another, perhaps more formidable foe that is taking over the country.Read more...

An internal investigation into the Louisiana State Police has concluded that Lt. John Clary, an officer accused of hiding body camera footage of the brutal beating and death of Black motorist Ronald Greene, will not be disciplined or charged.Read more...

The public will not see the killing of Alvin Motley Jr., after a Memphis judge blocked its release Tuesday. Judge Louis Montes ruled that prosecutors can’t release the video ”until [the court] conducts a preliminary hearing,” which is scheduled for Sept. 28. Lawyers for Gregory Livingston, the security guard who is…Read more...

The University of Texas at Austin has a bit of a problem.Read more...

Californians will go to the polls Tuesday, Sept. 14 to determine whether Gov. Gavin Newsom deserves to keep his job after a well-coordinated, right-wing effort gathered enough signatures to force a recall. Even though Newsom won his first run for the governor’s office in 2018 by more than 22 percent of the vote over…Read more...

Last week, Lil Nas X announced his pregnancy with his debut album, Montero, which comes out on September 17. In keeping with his very extra announcement, this week he dropped yet another extra AF promo for the album, albeit a charitable one—a registry with 15 different organizations for fans to donate to.Read more...

As detractors continue to come for U.S. gymnastics legend Simone Biles and her participation—or lack thereof—in the Tokyo Olympics, the 24-year-old is making it abundantly clear that she has no desire whatsoever to entertain their bullshit.Read more...

Zendaya’s evolution in the industry has been a marathon, not a sprint—and she remains in first place. From her start on the Disney Channel to being part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), she’s evolved into a household name.Read more...

Arkansas jail detainees claim they were given ivermectin to treat COVID-19 without their knowledge and say that a doctor told them they were being treated with vitamins. An Arkansas doctor is currently under investigation for administering the drug, though the doctor claims the inmates took the drug willingly, …Read more...

Dr. Yusef Salaam, one-fifth of the Exonerated Five, continues to show us that he is indeed not bitter, but better. The activist and author of Better, Not Bitter: Living on Purpose in the Pursuit of Racial Justice is reportedly running for New York public office.Read more...

Remember last week, when, thanks to Lizzo, the timeline was up in arms over whether Janet Jackson should rightfully be known as the “Queen of Pop” over Madonna? Well, on Labor Day, Ms. Jackson (if you’re nasty) dropped a little gem that might further cement her claim—or diplomatically, her co-claim—to the title. Both…Read more...

Someone’s obviously trying to come up on Howard University again, but this time it’s just not as meme-able (or profitable, in Tyrone Hankerson Jr.’s case).Read more...

It seems that Texas Governor Greg Abbott recovered from his case of COVID-19 just fine and is back on that BS we all know him for.Read more...

For years, internet sensation Gillie Da Kid has blessed us with a Million Dollaz Worth of Game, all while taking the phrase “living your best life” to unprecedented heights. And in his unyielding pursuit of happiness, this weekend the former Cash Money Records rapper did what he does best—break the internet—when he…Read more...

A Minnesota State Patrol officer said that the “vast majority” of emails and text messages following the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis were deleted. Minnesota State Patrol Maj. Joseph Dwyer said during a July 28 hearing that it was typical that, as an organization, officers “periodically delete our inboxes”…Read more...

Though the news of Michael K. Williams’ passing has undoubtedly been heartbreaking for many—it’s also been heartwarming, thanks to the myriad tributes and fond memories shared by those who knew and loved him.Read more...

Alabama lawmakers are working to cut racist language from its state constitution dating back to 1901, when maintaining white supremacy was explicitly the law of the state.

There is no bond like that of family. It is the foundation upon which each of us are built, its stability or unsteadiness providing the emotional bedrock on which we stand. For George M. Johnson, the bestselling author of 2020's groundbreaking “memoir-manifesto” All Boys Aren’t Blue, the story really began with a…Read more...

Congratulations are in order for Cardi B and her hubby Offset!Read more...

With the NFL set to make its triumphant return on Thursday night, now would be the opportune time for coaches to put a ring on it by announcing their starting quarterbacks for the upcoming season. Cam Newton learned his fate in New England last week, and now it’s Deshaun Watson’s turn to find out if we’ll be seeing…Read more...

After a holiday weekend spent defending his position as president of Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Alphonso David has been terminated with cause, the HRC board announced.Read more...

Michael K. Williams, who rose to fame playing iconic stickup man Omar Little in HBO’s The Wire, as well as starring in TV shows Boardwalk Empire and Lovecraft Country, has died, according to the Hollywood Reporter. He was 54.

Do you know who is really good at putting together soundtracks? Marvel. The MCU goes all out for its movies and I’m really here for it. Anderson .Paak performs “Fire In The Sky” for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which premiered Friday. Though we’ve been impatiently waiting for the Silk Sonic album, this…Read more...

They say never meet your heroes—but in some cases, they’re more fun than you imagined. That was the case when award-winning poet, educator and living literary legend Nikki Giovanni blessed The Root Presents: It’s Lit! podcast with an appearance last December as we prepared to enter what we all hoped would be a happier…Read more...

A new study finds that Black offenders are much more likely than white or Hispanic ones to get federal life sentences. The analysis published in the journal Criminology examined more than 366,000 offenders convicted and sentenced in 90 federal district courts from 2010 to 2017, according to Axios.

“Welcome to the August Wilson Theatre, for tonight’s first preview performance of Pass Over! You are the first audience back to see a REAL Broadway play!”Read more...