The Root

As the fashion world continues to process the unexpected death of acclaimed designer Virgil Abloh on Sunday, there might not seem to be much to celebrate. Nevertheless, just as Abloh’s final collection takes the runway tonight in Miami (per his final wishes), on Monday night, many of his colleagues, friends and…Read more...

The family of nine-year-old Ezra Blount, who died of severe injuries sustained at the Astroworld catastrophe earlier this month, has declined rapper Travis Scott’s offer to cover expenses for his funeral.Read more...

Enes Kanter might need a better PR rep. The outspoken Boston Celtics center put a foot in his mouth on Monday when he let Fox News’ T*cker C*arlson gas him into saying Black Americans should pretty much shut up and dribble.

It’s a three-peat; for the third year in a row, a Black woman was crowned Miss USA on Monday night, as Miss Kentucky Elle Smith earned the title during the 70th Miss USA pageant at the River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa, Okla. Smith follows in the stilettoed footsteps of Miss USA 2020 Asya Branch and 2019's queen…Read more...

In a past life, former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III was a dual-threat quarterback who demonstrated deep ball accuracy, good arm strength, and elite athleticism. But once injuries took their toll on the promising signal-caller, his career was never the same. For years, he bounced around the league as a backup…Read more...

Civil rights leader and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Rev. C.T. Vivian is the subject of new college course offerings this semester. The curriculum, pushed by friends of the activist and educators, is currently offered in at least seven colleges in Georgia and one in Louisiana. The goal: to get these courses…Read more...

Ready to have some Ivy under your tree this Christmas? Beyoncé just teased her fifth Ivy Park collaboration with Adidas, reportedly intended to invite everyone home for the holidays. Titled “Halls of Ivy,” the new collection’s campaign appropriately plays on that collegiate theme, “but was created for adults and…Read more...

Exactly five months after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction on a technicality, prosecutors are petitioning the high court to appeal the decision.Read more...

I learned about Virgil Abloh the way I’d wager a significant amount of folks did: Nike. Of course, there are loads of folks who are up on all things fashion and know who designed what and when with whom and why—especially in urban wear—but I don’t know if that’s the majority of us. But back in 2017, Nike kicked in the…Read more...

As if we needed more reasons to distrust America’s carceral system: officials in Florida are accused of allowing violent prison guards to stay on the job even though they’re unapologetic white supremacists, the Associated Press reports.

In an unanimous decision, the five judges in Botswana’s Court of Appeals upheld the 2019 court decision to decriminalize gay sex. On Monday, the ruling struck down two sections of a penal code that made homosexuality punishable by up to seven years in jail.Read more...

The polls opened early Tuesday morning for Atlanta voters in the runoff mayoral election with two Black candidates, Felicia Moore and Andre Dickens, vying for the city’s top spot. It is one of many races still happening in Georgia, including other mayoral runoffs and tense fights for city council seats across the…Read more...

NBC wants to stay in the Amber Ruffin business, as it has given a “put pilot,” commitment to Aunties from The Amber Ruffin Show writer Shantira Jackson, Ruffin and Seth Meyers.Read more...

As if the Denver Nuggets didn’t have enough issues with All-Star guard Jamal Murray already out indefinitely with a torn ACL, things just went from bad to worse with the announcement that 23-year-old star forward Michael Porter Jr.could miss the rest of the season in order to undergo back surgery.Read more...

While Rihanna may not be the queen of Barbados following the country’s recent transition into its own republic, she arguably got the next best gig.Read more...

Every year we lose shows. It’s a fact of television. However, 2021 featured some long-running, popular series taking their final bows. The Covid-19 pandemic also led some shows to end production, rather than deal with on-set difficulties. And as usual, studio nonsense got in the way of genuinely entertaining programs…Read more...

After missing nine games due to contracting COVID-19, NBA superstar Joel Embiid finally made his return to the court this weekend. And while his Philadelphia 76ers fell short to the Minnesota Timberwolves in his first game back, the talented center is just happy to resume playing the game he loves.Read more...

Fresh off the announcement that it’s bringing back the Live From a Studio Audience special in December, ABC has now revealed the cast for The Facts of Life portion of the show.

Vice has revealed a first look at one of the final projects of late actor Michael K. Williams with the teaser for Black Market. The documentary series hosted by Williams is set to debut Season 2 Monday, Jan. 10 at 10 pm.Read more...

Tiger Woods says he’ll never play full-time on the PGA Tour again, and he’s lucky he’ll be able to play at all.Read more...

“Does this mean Rihanna can now be crowned queen of Barbados?” was admittedly our first question when we learned the Caribbean island would be removing British monarch Queen Elizabeth II as its symbolic head of state 55 years after declaring its independence from the United Kingdom. In case you’re wondering, no, Rih…Read more...

In case there’s not enough Steve Harvey on your TV, ABC is bringing you more with its new courtroom show Judge Steve Harvey, which premieres Tuesday, Jan. 4 at 8 pm.Read more...

Unsurprisingly, the restrictive voting bill passed by Georgia Republicans earlier this year worked to disenfranchise Georgia voters in the Nov. 2 municipal elections.Read more...

Lee Elder, who made history as the first Black golfer to compete in the Masters Tournament, has died, according to the Washington Post and Yahoo Sports. He was 87.Read more...

Shea Butter Baby singer Ari Lennox was arrested on Monday following an alleged racial profiling incident in Amsterdam.

Any Insecure fan can tell you how important music is to the show. Whether it sets the tone of a love scene or encompasses Issa’s emotions in the moment, the series uses music as another character.Read more...

Black is the new black; that was the message broadcast from the red carpet of 2021 Soul Train Awards, which aired Sunday night on BET. After all, what better color to wear to a ceremony founded upon and in celebration of 50 years of Black excellence? While black wasn’t included in the official dress code for Sunday’s…Read more...

From stunning biopics to action-packed westerns to jump scares, there was something for everyone in 2021. With the world still in lockdown for the first half of the year, streaming was still king, which means audiences got more variety and choice than ever before. With streaming services more likely to grant…Read more...

Jury selection for the Chicago trial of Jussie Smollett is set to begin on Monday.Read more...

Former Florida Rep. Carrie Meek died at age 95 in her Miami home on Sunday. Known for her fiery speeches and trailblazing career, Meek was among the first class of Black Floridians elected to Congress post-Reconstruction.Read more...

Civil Rights attorney Fred Gray, (C), unveils the new street sign bearing his name alongside his wife Carol, (L), and Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed, (R), during a ceremony October 26, 2021, in which the City of Montgomery renamed Jeff Davis Avenue Fred D. Gray Avenue in Montgomery, Alabama.Read more...

Over 50 years ago, a tight knit community on the West Coast, once a cultural haven popular with famous Blues musicians, was bulldozed like many other thriving Black communities. Now, the city of Hayward, California is apologizing for displacing nearly 1,400 Black and Latino residents in what was once known as Russell…Read more...

The Houston Rockets are trash.Read more...

The rise of Virgil Abloh was swift, and in many ways surreal—a word the late creative used in reference to more than one collection of the label he founded, Off-White. Also the artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear, the Ghanian-American designer’s death on Sunday at age 41 following an intensely private battle…Read more...

Every Monday, Very Smart Brothas Senior Editor Panama Jackson and Contributing Freelance Writer Shanelle Genai break down the latest episode of season 5 of HBO’s cultural flashpoint show, Insecure. Okay?! Spoilers ahead.

The 2021 Soul Train Awards premiered on Sunday night, taking place at the iconic Apollo Theater in New York.

If you still have Thanksgiving leftovers in your fridge, you’re winning at life. But since I don’t, I might as well get to business.Read more...

How is it already almost December? Weren’t we just taking down decorations in January? For TV schedules December generally means special episodes, reruns and animated classics. If that’s not your thing, we found five choices of TV to look out for in December. Also, we have to ask, who doesn’t like animated holiday…Read more...

The fashion world wept Sunday morning as word spread: Virgil Abloh, founder of luxury streetwear brand Off-White and artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear, had died at age 41 in Chicago.Read more...

In 2016, retired Army captain Larry Jefferson became the first Black Santa Claus at Bloomington Minnesota’s Mall of America. While mall goers went wild with support, the internet was in an uproar against the new hire. NPR reported that negative attacks against Jefferson began spreading just as quickly as the news…Read more...

At the 2004 Unity: Journalists of Color Conference, the late Gwen Ifill famously coined the term “missing white woman’s syndrome.” While participating in the conference’s “Media Coverage of National Security” panel, Ifill commented “if there is a missing white woman, you’re going to cover that every day.”Read more...

200 years ago, the first group of formerly enslaved African Americans resettled in the U.S. Colony of Liberia. While some were eager to begin life anew with greater freedom and independence away from the memory of enslavement, others were unsure about the relocation, as even those with African roots had very little…Read more...

While Black Twitter has long been referred to as a digital space to share cultural critique, break celebrity news, kick shit, and engage in “friendly” debate, one CU Boulder researcher claims that the hub serves an even greater purpose, one with historical roots.Read more...

A pharmaceutical science major at the University of Georgia is the latest headline making crusader for the natural hair movement. Niyah Brown was looking for a way to create a safe and celebratory space for Black hair on the predominately white campus, where you are far less likely to see afros on full display in the…Read more...

Perhaps it’s because we were still stuck at home for the first half of the year, but 2021 was an especially great year of TV. With time to actually watch more than a few favorites, we were able to discover genres we didn’t know we loved, jump back into franchises we’d lost touch with and invest in new international…Read more...

What’s Blacker than Black Friday? The Root’s Blackity-Black list of Cyber Weekend deals from Black-owned and founded businesses, back for another year with fresh discounts and vendors! Settle in, get your browse on and enjoy some great deals along with your leftovers this weekend, whether shopping old favorites or…Read more...

Nathan Harris has a lot to be thankful for this year. His debut novel, The Sweetness of Water, was an Oprah’s Book Club pick and subsequent instant New York Times bestseller, as well as landing on Barack Obama’s Summer 2021 reading list. All of the above may make for great press, but as further validation of the…Read more...

If 2020 was the darkest timeline, 2021 was the weirdest. On television, everywhere we looked there were new trends and shocking announcements. Yes, there were the usual cancellations and deaths, but some of those weren’t exactly surprises.Read more...

With major studios more committed to streaming, more big releases are available to watch at home, on your couch, in your favorite sweatpants. From animated family fare to high concept awards contenders to huge franchises, there’s no end of choices for streaming in December. Here are five movies we think you’ll enjoy.Read more...