The Root

On Tuesday, Summerfest revealed the complete lineup for its 2021 festival.Read more...

For those unfamiliar with HBO’s Hard Knocks, the 3rd greatest reality show in the history of television—VH1’s Flavor of Love and MTV’s The Challenge are dueling for the crown—the popular docuseries provides a behind-the-scenes look at some of our favorite NFL franchises, courtesy of the coaches, players, and front…Read more...

A white man who shot into a car full of Black teenage girls after a Trump rally in Des Moines, Iowa, was sentenced up to 10 years in prison.Read more...

The booming thunder of Jennifer Hudson’s singing voice has the power and ability to enter a room before she does. When she sat down with The Root to talk about her upcoming portrayal of the late Aretha Franklin in Respect, though, it wasn’t just her singing voice we discussed—it was the overall showcasing of who she…Read more...

This question best describes the ongoing process to announce the new permanent Jeopardy! host: “What is ‘a hot mess?’”

Gwen Jimmere isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty—and wants you to know you shouldn’t be, either. The Detroit-based CEO and founder of Naturalicious has built a successful and growing empire on bringing beauty lovers back down to Earth—literally. Basing her signature formulas on the ancient beautifying and healing…Read more...

Before we begin, we should acknowledge that Candace Owens doesn’t know things.Read more...

If a half-eaten watermelon and Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis are engaged in a single-digit math battle for America’s safety, bet on the watermelon.

In what can only be called “I surely didn’t see this coming,” usually smug New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo solemnly announced that he would be resigning from office after a scathing report from the state’s attorney general concluded that the Democrat sexually harassed 11 women.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot arrived at a hospital Saturday night to offer moral support for wounded cops and their colleagues, but some officers on the scene turned their backs on her.

“I’m grateful I have the ability to choose what I want to share...Throughout my career, I’ve been intentional about setting boundaries between my stage persona and my personal life.” These are just some of the tidbits shared by the often enigmatic Beyoncé in the September issue of Harper’s Bazaar—in which she gives a…Read more...

Blake Masters, a 34-year-old venture capitalist running for an Arizona Senate seat, just can’t stop crying into his money after a recent pity party in which he claimed that “anti-white racism” is turning American children into self-hating automatons.

The “magic number” for De La Soul must’ve been 2021 because they’ve just been dealt a major “W” when it comes to their music rights.Read more...

Orenthal James Simpson, who foolishly spent almost nine years in prison for a litany of offenses after miraculously beating a murder charge, is afraid. Not of the boogeyman, or raisins in his potato salad, but of crossing paths with the sadistic murderer who killed his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, back in 1994.Read more...

What does it mean that Kanye West keeps pushing back the release date of Donda? No one knows but it gets the people going!Read more...

A Black man who formerly worked at a Tesla plant in Northern California was paid a $1 million settlement after an arbitrator ruled that the company failed to stop his supervisors for calling him the N-word and creating a racially hostile work environment.Read more...

Do you remember the middle of last winter ,when we all blasted music as loud as we could and reveled in our living room dance parties? (Oh, was that just me?) Well, they’re back and better than ever with Miss Rona rearing her head again and badass, talented Black artists dropping songs to keep you occupied all…Read more...

Sometimes a chair is just a chair.

Before I get into this, let me first start by expressing my extreme sorrow at the fact that I could not superimpose a kufi hat and red laser beam eyes over this entire piece. But alas, the show must go on.

White supremacy is so diabolical and sadistic that white people will disregard all logic, science and their own well-being to die standing up for their liberty (read: whiteness) Of course, because America is America, Black folks are dying from COVID-19 at higher rates than whites, but this pandemic is taking no…Read more...

There is no more blatant form of racial intimidation against a Black person that one can use than that of a noose. The practice of lynching was used against enslaved Black people, but it was an especially popular form of violence against Black Americans after slavery ended.Read more...

It goes without saying that gender norms affect all of us, with women (and/or those presenting as femme)—and women of color, in particular—often historically bearing the brunt of gender-based discrimination and marginalization. From our bonnets to our body shapes, body hair and even natural body odors, women are…Read more...

I don’t know what it is about NFL quarterbacks, but none of them seem particularly fond of getting vaccinated in order to protect themselves against COVID-19. Indianapolis Colts signal-caller Carson Wentz has dismissed inquiries into his vaccination status as “a personal decision”; a Michigan hospital recently severed…Read more...

Carl E. “Chucky” Thompson, a hip-hop and R&B record producer best known as a member of the Bad Boy “Hitmen” and major contributor to ’90s culture, has died. The cause of Thompson’s death has not yet been confirmed by his family, though legendary radio DJ Donnie Simpson tweeted it was due to complications from COVID-19.Read more...

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is holding onto what’s left of his political career by the skin of his teeth after an extensive report on his alleged pattern of predation and allegations of sexual harassment by 11 women was published by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James on Tuesday, August 3. However,…Read more...

While the above headline may seem incendiary, it is important not to draw false equivalencies because all criminal cases are not equal. For example, in this specific story, two women—one Black, one white—were convicted of the exact same crime. However, the two cases are not the same. One is worse than the other.Read more...

After a hard-fought Summer Games in which U.S. wrestler Tamyra Mensah-Stock won her first Olympic gold medal, being the best at what you do in the entire world provides the perfect opportunity to treat yourself to something nice. But instead of splurging on a new car or an exotic getaway with her $37,500 in prize…Read more...

Here at The Grapevine section of The Root, we always have an appetite for hot tea. However, there may be a few things that curb our appetite...such as rich and disgusting celebs who are proud to boast about their intentional choice not to bathe regularly.Read more...

Following a few delays due to COVID-19 protocols, Robert “R.” Kelly is facing the music and his trial is inching closer and closer. So close, in fact, that we’re at the jury selection process.Read more...

Let’s be honest: Major League Baseball is white as shit.Read more...

Brittany Commisso, a former executive assistant to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, said in an exclusive interview with CBS This Morning and the Albany Times Union that the governor harassed her on several occasions, including groping her breasts and buttocks.Read more...

It seems we’ve all been duped, bamboozled and hoodwinked when it comes to DaBaby’s remorseful statement to the LGBTQ community.Read more...

The former president of people who believe that the insurrection on the Capitol was nothing more than a frat party has officially lost his orange-tinted brain.

August is well underway, and for those who are in activist circles, August is month of great significance.Read more...

Dennis Thomas, longtime saxophonist and co-founder of Kool & the Gang, has died at the age of 70.

The legacies of four notable Black women tied to Virginia State University are now immortalized on the historically Black institution’s campus with four buildings renamed in their honor.

Black excellence was on full display as the Tokyo Olympics winded down to a close this weekend.

The list of inconspicuous things Black folks apparently can’t do in this country without someone calling the cops is already miles long. Alas, it keeps growing.

When the US men’s basketball team lost to France in the preliminary round of play at the Tokyo Olympics, France’s Evan Fournier had this to say about the squad: “They are better individually, but they can be beaten as a team.”

Amber Guyger will continue serving her 10-year prison sentence after a Texas appeals court upheld her murder conviction for shooting and killing Botham Jean in his own apartment back in 2018.

She may have a controversial history (and sparked more than a few body image issues), but we can’t help but remain fans of Barbie—particularly as the now 60-plus-year-old doll has been heading in a dramatically more inclusive and affirming direction as of late. Under parent company Mattel, she’s been working to close …Read more...

We have another week of Black excellence in Hollywood to dish about and this week, y’all have to make way for a queen.Read more...

In 1996, Nas released the catchy single, “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)” featuring Lauryn Hill. In 2021, you are still likely to hear a DJ drop the song so that the party crowd can belt out the hook into the air with nostalgic smiles on their faces.Read more...

The Department of Justice announced Thursday that it is opening a civil rights investigation into whether the Phoenix Police Department engages in discriminatory practices against minorities, homeless people and those with disabilities. It is also examining the use of excessive force and abuse of protesters, according…Read more...

Since the beginning of this pandemic, we have seen no shortage of racists and otherwise terrible people who put essential workers—who are just trying to do their jobs—through hell, all because they can’t follow simple instructions and put on a damn face mask. One would think at this point, nearly a year and a half…Read more...

You can take the girl out of Texas, but she’ll always find her way back to the rodeo; that’s the clear message behind Beyoncé’s next collection for Ivy Park x Adidas. As we reported earlier this week, the entertainer-entrepreneur teased the label’s next release, due to drop on August 19, with an unexpected campaign…Read more...

Why doesn’t the white community come together to solve racism? If white parents taught their children more history, maybe they wouldn’t have to worry about CRT in schools. And why won’t white people talk about all the racism in Mississippi?

Jay-Z once asked if we wanted an encore and if we wanted more—it looks like Kanye answered it...for himself.Read more...

It’s the end of an (annoying) era.Read more...

It is no understatement to say that Alice Walker’s The Color Purple is part of the American canon—and, thanks in large part to the 1985 film that followed the novel’s 1982 release, a highly quotable African-American classic.Read more...