The Root

We live in a society of celebrity worship, in which human beings are far too often reduced to what they do instead of who they actually are. This happens all the time with athletes like LeBron James, who are celebrated for their feats on the court, yet admonished for having the audacity to speak out about issues that…Read more...

To me, the saddest part of the Derek Chauvin verdict was that it felt, and continues to feel, like such an anomaly. It is incredibly hard to hold cops accountable for their actions because America agreed a long time ago that brutality and murder are OK as long you do it behind a badge. Think I’m being hyperbolic?…Read more...

Beyoncé?! (Now y’all know I couldn’t pass that up.)Read more...

Of course, explosives and weapons are being found at far-right rallies across the country.Read more...

How did you sleep last night? Did you sleep? Were you able to stay asleep? If not, you may have insomnia. According to the American Psychiatric Association, insomnia is the most common sleep disorder. The dictionary loosely defines insomnia as a prolonged and usually abnormal inability to get enough sleep, especially…Read more...

We in first place, we in first place, Webby for Public Service and Activism—we in first place! (Or whatever 2 Chainz said.)

That we even have to debate whether a statue of Robert E. Lee should exist tells us how backwards many people in America are. Of course, four years of Donald Trump and his racism certainly didn’t help.

On May 4, Jermaine Cole, aka Light-Skinned Jermaine and famously known as J. Cole, announced the May 14 release of his sixth studio album, The Off-Season, along with (presumably) the album cover. As is always the case when Cole announced a project, drops a loosie and/or a project, the Internets light up—no pun…Read more...

These new discussions about whether or how systemic racism and slavery should be taught in school are proving one thing unequivocally: Republicans don’t know shit about systemic racism or slavery.

I’ll never forget the moment I told my mama I was moving to L.A.Read more...

A lot of white people are racist. Some white people are so racist that they look for any excuse to show their bigotry off. Last week, an elderly KK-Karen showed her hateful ass at a Burger King in Florida when she reportedly threw a Whopper in an employee’s face and allegedly called the worker a Black bitch as well as…Read more...

Last week was a bit of a blur for everybody in the Very Smart Brothas universe. Damon and I wrote posts about his departure, some tears may or may not have been shed, the word verklempt made an appearance and Brick killed a guy.Read more...

Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder for killing George Floyd weeks ago, but his defense lawyers are already trying to get a new trial.

What happens when the actual monster gets to dictate the story? Well, that monster gets to be the protagonist, shift any blame elsewhere and name something or someone else “the monster.” Black Americans know that M.O. all too well, as we’re constantly dehumanized and vilified...even when we’re the victim.Read more...

Traci Baxley, Ed.D. is a proud mother of five.Read more...

Every now and again, the world gets it right: Rudy Giuliani’s apartment got raided, student loan payments have been suspended, and Rory and Mal are back on The Joe Budden Podcast.

It’s a story as old as time. The Republican Party rails against a thing, only for Republican voters to be found responsible for doing that thing. For example: “We don’t riot or destroy property when we don’t get our way!”

One of the most formidable forces in fashion is also known for his forthcoming commentary—legendary editor André Leon Talley rarely minces words, whether giving incisive commentary on a runway look, or writing a bestselling (and bombshell) memoir, 2020's The Chiffon Trenches. The latter is making its debut in…Read more...

Apparently, there is a “Woman’s Republican Club of New Orleans” and the president of the organization happens to be a woman named Martha Huckabay.

Full disclosure: The older I’ve gotten, the harder it’s become for me to invest in massive, narrative-driven games. A large part of that is because when I finally have time to play a game, I want something I can easily pick up, play, and feel like I accomplished something. It’s why games like Call of Duty, F1 2020, …Read more...

Each year, Entertainment Weekly celebrates Pride Month with a series of covers featuring a series of LGBTQ+ icons and storytellers. Last year, they worked to create an illustrated cover that encompassed that celebration while working with the restrictions of COVID. This year, however, they brought in four storytellers…Read more...

On Tuesday, the Peabody Awards announced the nominees for its upcoming 81st awards ceremony.

Back in the ’90s, Will Smith once looked at his kingdom because he was finally there, and sat on his throne as the Prince of Bel Air. Cut to the roaring 2020s and we’re all sitting on our thrones (well, maybe just the porcelain thrones, after eating burritos)...in lockdown.Read more...

Mike Tyson, who—at 54 years old, still somehow talks shit, smokes weed and beats people up for a living—is the subject of a new documentary, courtesy of the fine folks at ABC News.Read more...

It’s safe to say Father’s Day will look a little different for the Sussexes this year, for better and for worse. While Prince Harry appears to unfortunately still be on the outs with his father, Prince Charles, following the couple’s bombshell interview with Oprah, he will soon be becoming a father yet again, as…Read more...

Fox News, aka Republican BangBus host Tucker Carlson continues to swim near the bottom of the Republican cesspool among the discarded cowboy boots and Trump votes to call Black America’s most beloved president “a creepy old guy.” Carlson attacked former President Barack Obama and other celebrities for trying to get…Read more...

Roy Wood Jr. is a funny guy.Read more...

So many horrific things happen in America’s courts that’s it’s amazing so many people believe we have a fair, just and totally not racist legal system. We’ve seen countless stories about Black men serving time for decades only to be found innocent years later. In Arkansas, DNA testing has revealed genetic material of…Read more...

I don’t know about you, but I love to see Black women winning.Read more...

On Monday, news began to circulate that media OG-triple-OG Kevin Merida was stepping down from his position as the editor-in-chief at ESPN’s blackstravaganza, The Undefeated, in order to pursue greener pastures. More specifically (since you’re so damn nosey), he accepted a role as the brand spanking new executive…Read more...

There are a lot of news reports going around that Black kids are not enrolling in in-person learning at the same rate as white children, but there is one benefit to Black kids learning from home: They don’t have to deal with racist teachers or schools.Read more...

OK, so maybe I was wrong.Read more...

Ahh, Wakanda.Read more...

In the latest edition of how racist AND anti-Semitic can one be, a North Carolina man has been charged with ethnic intimidation after defacing a monument dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr.

I’m not sure if it was the countless killings of unarmed Black men, women and children by police or the coronavirus restrictions, but something changed in Don Lemon.

Could a BLM T-shirt threaten the conviction of George Floyd’s killer?

Tell the truth: Could you peacefully quarantine with one of your parents? Maybe you already are—after all, the last year has had pretty much everyone reevaluating their living conditions—and life, in general. For some, that’s meant leaving big cities, crowded apartments, overpriced rents, and otherwise suddenly…Read more...

It looks like the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) may be headed in the right direction—at least in the eyes of its affiliated network and production company.Read more...

Saturday Night Live—or SNL as it’s more affectionately known—has had one helluva season these past few months.

We’ve got a lot going on here, and guess what? I’m here for it. Black women are dominating the first week of May’s charts, floating between different genres and but putting us in our bag and taking us back out. Music is intersectional as all hell, but we knew that already, so it’s time to talk about an aspect of music…Read more...

As awful as Facebook is, it has single-handedly put more racists out of work than any other social media site. Last week, a volunteer fire chief in South Carolina landed in hot water after making a blatantly racist Facebook post that he swore wasn’t racist. Evidently, the backlash was too much as the man has resigned…Read more...

On May 1, Gianna “Gigi” Bryant—also nicknamed “Mambacita” for the love of basketball she shared with her father, NBA legend Kobe “Black Mamba” Bryant—would’ve turned 15 years old. In tribute, her mother, Vanessa Bryant launched a clothing line that not only honors her late daughter’s legacy but will hopefully pay it…Read more...

White people really don’t care about law and order. Sure, they may be big fans of the work of detectives Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson, but in the real world it’s clear they believe that the law is a mandate for Black and brown people and simply a suggestion for them. This mentality was firmly on display in Oregon,…Read more...

It feels like we’ve been trapped in a never-ending cycle of grief. Even as we felt palpable relief seeing Derek Chauvin be found guilty for the murder of George Floyd, we were immediately reminded that the cycle of police violence doesn’t take a break. Andrew Brown Jr. was shot and killed by police officers in North…Read more...

As one of the premier athletes in professional sports, tennis champion Naomi Osaka is committed to ensuring that her success creates other opportunities for women and girls eager to follow in her footsteps.

A tornado–kind of like one the one that took Dorothy from her Kansas farm to Oz–touched down in the Atlanta area and severe weather is still threatening some 100 million people from “the southern Plains through the Mid-Atlantic.”

If you aren’t familiar with the name Ibram X. Kendi, you should be.Read more...

Though this year’s Grammys celebration proved to be a major moment for a couple of history-making Houston hotties, it wasn’t without its fair share of criticism and critique.Read more...

Friday was a fairly emotional day for me. If I’m being honest, all of last week was. I’ve known Friday was Damon’s last day at VSB for quite some time; no decision as gargantuan as deciding to step away from something you created happens overnight. Yet, even knowing it was coming Friday just felt...huge. I couldn’t…Read more...

If we’ve learned anything this past year, it’s that life is too short and unpredictable to continue to put our sanity and safety on the back burner. Whether that realization manifested itself in a positive or negative way, it’s pretty safe to say that the events of 2020 (and its third cousin, twice removed, 2021) have…Read more...