The Root

Chrystul Kizer, a victim of child sex abuse, was 17 years old when she shot and killed her abuser, Randall P. Volar, set his house on fire and stole his car in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Now, her upcoming trial is getting a new spotlight in the wake of Kyle Rittenhouse’s acquittal.Read more...

Michael Strahan was an out-of-this-world football talent, but who knew he’d ever actually leave earth?

There’s a ton of stuff you can’t possibly know about parenting until you experience it firsthand. I’ll forego the entire list—it’s an ever-growing list, trust me—and focus on the two most pertinent for this Aesop-level fable. I’ll even try to come up with a moral at the end of the caper, but I fear the lesson is the…Read more...

In this week of the trial in Ahmaud Arbery’s death, the jury, family and supporters heard closing statements from both the prosecution and defense. The first to address the jury on Monday was prosecutor Linda Dunikoski, assistant district attorney for Cobb County, Georgia, and she focused on the facts.Read more...

On Tuesday, nominees for the 2022 Grammy Awards were announced.

When Peacock announced it was doing a dramatic remake of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air we had a lot of questions. Now the streaming network is answering a few of those questions in the series’ first teaser.Read more...

They say forgiveness helps the victim more than the offender, but this case feels like the latter is winning.

Welcome to another day in racial discrimination. And it looks like Black people are not the only ones experiencing it in this case.Read more...

In what should come as a complete surprise to absolutely nobody, the NBA has suspended LeBron James for the first time in his 19-year career as a result of his on-court altercation with Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart on Sunday, per ESPN.Read more...

The Weeknd doesn’t do anything small, from his notoriously catchy songs (we’ve still got “Blinding Lights” stuck in our heads) to his famously big stage productions. Why would his acting career be any different?Read more...

Sad news: Malcolm X’s youngest daughter, Malikah Shabazz, died on Monday, CNN reported. She was 56.Read more...

John Wick star Halle Berry and Red Notice star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson are set to be honored at this year’s People’s Choice Award.

What’s in a name? Well, if you’re Summer Walker, it’s worth tattooing on your face—and if this is love, we don’t want it. Earlier this month, the already heavily inked singer-songwriter blessed fans with a slew of new breakup songs and empowering messages on her sophomore studio album Still Over It, which debuted at…Read more...

For years, former Brooklyn Nets guard Iman Shumpert publicly lamented the fact that he never was put in a position to showcase his full repertoire on the basketball court. Thankfully, he’s had a completely opposite experience off of it, as he’s dabbled in music, fashion, and other interests. But on Monday night, the…Read more...

Mr. Moore had been in the hospital for weeks with trouble breathing due to COVID-19 infection. His oxygen support fluctuated, and his condition eventually deteriorated. He didn’t make it. Mr. Moore was 61-years old. He was Black. And he was unvaccinated. This sad story reverberates across America.Read more...

People of color in the United States are targets of racial bias in the medical field; that’s something we all know and many of us have experienced. But it is something that is also happening around the world, specifically in the United Kingdom. Which shouldn’t be a shocker.Read more...

It’s been a quiet few interesting years for Jussie Smollett, but the former Empire star is resurfacing to promote his directorial debut...just before he’s slated to stand trial for, well, you know.

Historically, it’s been older Black men who have taken the reins on ending gun violence in their communities; which is a good thing. But since the signs reading “don’t shoot, I want to live” are not working, there is a need for other ideas that will stop this crisis. So, why aren’t more young Black men taking command…Read more...

“Last name ‘ever,’ first name ‘greatest.’ Like a sprained ankle, Drake and Yeezy ain’t nothing to play with.”Read more...

NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. is making a different kind of splash play, announcing on Instagram that he’s agreed to take the remainder of his 2021 salary in Bitcoin.

Cardi B is nothing if not a character, so we probably should’ve expected that for her hosting debut at the 2021 American Music Awards, she’d lean all the way into the drama—starting with the red carpet. The “WAP”-stress donned a curve-hugging, strapless black column dress and black tulle veil from legendary fashion…Read more...

Actress and media personality Tabitha Brown is expanding her empire with a new children’s series.

In Lexington, Ky., Black men are taking the issue of gun violence into their own hands to promote and organize change in their city.Read more...

Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter likes to talk—a lot.Read more...

There are really only two things I don’t trust in this world: People who pose with guns and Black women who use white people haircare products. It looks like Republican Virginia Lt. Gov.-elect Winsome Sears does both.

Netflix is spinning off its popular reality show Selling Sunset into a brand new market. Selling Tampa features the women of Allure Realty, a Black-owned firm. All eight episodes hit Netflix Wednesday, Dec. 15.

Sometimes it’s better to say nothing. This is one of those times.

Something tells me the jury is going to get this one right.

Christmas is about being with family, great food, fun gifts and seeing Santa. However, it’s also about a non-stop barrage of Christmas movies. From Hallmark to Lifetime to BET+ to Ion to OWN, every network has a lineup of holiday movies starring familiar TV faces.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.

Greetings, Earthlings. Let’s get to it.Read more...

On Sunday night, the 2021 American Music Awards took place, airing live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

When former Secretary of State Colin Powell passed away, we were once again reminded of the vast number of important, influential Black leaders we have lost in 2021. Their contributions are many, and their impact is without question. Swipe along to pay tribute to those who’ve had a lasting impact on the Black…Read more...

In a swift bitchslap executed by karma herself, the vast majority of Time’s Up remaining staff were given their walking papers this past Friday. In a virtual meeting conducted by the organization’s leaders, the call began with an announcement that the layoffs were first announced to the Washington Post, and that the…Read more...

In this world, white men are to blame for a host of tragedies, and Chuck D would like to add the recent Astroworld fatalities to the list. As lawsuits continue to amass following the concert crowd surge that left 10 dead, and countless others injured, the Public Enemy frontman penned an open letter to Live Nation.Read more...

The latest digital roll out for the NMAAHC is first class, and the time to board is now. This past Thursday, the museum launched its first digital initiative, aptly named, The Searchable Museum. The innovative platform will host a wealth of rotating exhibitions, archives, and videos of the museum’s 40,000 artifacts.

Although President Biden often voices questionable statements, here’s one we can get behind. This Saturday, Biden honored Transgender Day of Remembrance with an official statement to commemorate the lives of transgender people lost to violence this year within the United States and beyond.Read more...

Basketball Wives star Tami Roman recently extended quite an interesting offer to her husband Reggie Youngblood.Read more...

“How am I going to tell my babies that daddy is never coming home?” Mia Jaye pens in an Instagram Story post. The text overlays a video clip of their daughter showing off her sit up skills while Dolph looks on proudly. Jaye, the long term partner of Young Dolph, and the mother of two of the rapper’s children is in…Read more...

A judge found a white Kansas City Police officer guilty with the 2019 killing of a Black man on his own property.Read more...

The balls on this guy.Read more...

Tampa Bay Bucs receiver Antonio Brown isn’t exactly known for making sound decisions—especially when it comes to sexual assault, amongst a myriad of other allegations—so it should come as absolutely no surprise that according to the Tampa Bay Times, he’s now being accused of obtaining a fake COVID-19 vaccine card.…Read more...

Now, this is what we call a serve. We’re admittedly excited to wax nostalgic as we finally dig into the highly anticipated King Richard, the tennis-fueled Williams family biopic which debuts today in theaters and on HBO Max, starring Will Smith as patriarch Richard Williams. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t also…Read more...

One of the key issues we see in workout culture is the lack of representation. Many of the advertised programs feature white women—which isn’t necessarily a problem, except it doesn’t show a range of trainers (or culturally relevant bodies, music and styles) in the videos or classes they produce. It can be very…Read more...

I know. That headline is weird, but it’s true. And now the Black man arrested for stealing his own car is suing the city of Miami.Read more...

On Tuesday came the news that Staples Center, the downtown Los Angeles home of the Lakers, Clippers (who returned to L.A. after a brief stint in Temecula), the WNBA’s Sparks, and the NHL’s Kings, will be known as Crypto.com Arena beginning on Christmas Day. Per the Los Angeles Times, the $700 million naming rights…Read more...

The Kyle Rittenhouse trial is over. After days of deliberation, a Kenosha County jury found the 18-year-old teenager who brought an AR-15 to Kenosha, Wisconsin, and killed two protesters while wounding another not guilty on all counts, finding that the teenager acted in self-defense.Read more...

Mark this date on your calendars: Nov. 19, 2021, is the day the United States will have its first Black woman President—if only for a few hours.

‘Tis the season for self-care, according to Essence magazine—and it’s safe to say Christmas came early for fans of the legacy outlet, because it blessed us with not one but three gorgeous covers for its November/December holiday issue, themed “The Year of Radical Self-Care.”Read more...