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by Maiysha Kai on (#5K6T7)
The history of rock music is rife with rock gods, but fewer rock goddesses get their laurels—and far fewer Black rock goddesses. And yet, rock has always taken major cues from Black women, from Sister Rosetta Tharpe to Betty Davis to Brittany Howard. It’s partly from this legacy that Dawnie Walton’s debut novel, The…Read more...
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| Link | https://www.theroot.com/ |
| Feed | https://www.theroot.com/rss |
| Updated | 2025-09-14 21:01 |
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by Dustin Seibert on (#5K6T8)
This year for Father’s Day, Very Smart Brothas is doing a series titled “A Song For My Father” where we asked a few writers we know to write pieces about songs they’d dedicate to their dads.
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by Shanelle Genai on (#5K6PG)
Nick Cannon is a smart guy.
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by Jay Connor on (#5K6PH)
As difficult as it is to fuck off an 18-point lead, it’s even more difficult to fuck off a 26-point lead.Read more...
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by Maiysha Kai on (#5K6KF)
If you are one of the holdouts wondering why Juneteenth is a day worth celebrating, let entrepreneur, philanthropist, mother-to-the-stars and native Texan Tina Knowles-Lawson, also known as “Ms. Tina,” educate you on the holiday that originated in her home state.Read more...
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by Maiysha Kai on (#5K6FS)
Well, that escalated quickly.Read more...
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by Michael Harriot on (#5K6CY)
Warning: This story contains the graphic deaths of two professors who were ambushed by a violent gang of facts.Read more...
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by Maiysha Kai on (#5K6CZ)
“See, you CAN teach this old dog new tricks,” says Rita Moreno, after becoming a trending topic throughout Wednesday for comments made during a Tuesday night appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Now she’s apparently rethinking her stance, and acknowledging that her words were “dismissive.”Read more...
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by Joe Jurado on (#5K5QA)
You ever see or read something so head-ass that the only thing you can say in response is “nigga?” That was me when learning that a plantation-turned-museum in North Carolina had plans to ring in Juneteenth with an event that would’ve featured a reenactment of a white slave owner being chased by Union soldiers.
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by Zack Linly on (#5K5QB)
On Monday, a cashier working at a Decatur, Ga., supermarket was shot dead by a customer who she had asked to wear his face mask properly while he was in the store. On Tuesday, DeKalb County police identified that cashier as 41-year-old Laquitta Willis.Read more...
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by Maiysha Kai on (#5K5NK)
This is a Josh O’Connor appreciation post.Read more...
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by Joe Jurado on (#5K5NM)
Jamal Sutherland died earlier this year in a South Carolina jail cell after officers pepper sprayed and tased him. While the cause of death was initially ruled as undetermined, a coroner has amended Sutherland’s death certificate to indicate that his death was a homicide.
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by Stephen A. Crockett Jr. on (#5K5KM)
Seems like that Blue Lives Matter bullshit only applies when it comes to killing unarmed Black folks, as one congressman has gone so far as to claim that Ashli Babbitt—the woman who was shot and killed during the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6—had been “executed” by Capitol Police.
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by Maiysha Kai on (#5K5KN)
This time last week, The Root’s Felice Léon was issuing a pointed reminder to the cast and crew of In the Heights that darker-skinned Latinx people not only exist, but should be more than background players. It’s a conversation that has spurred both heated debate and some thoughtful reflection in the days since,…Read more...
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by Maiysha Kai on (#5K5HD)
Whether via written or spoken word, there is no shortage of evidence of James Baldwin’s brilliance. The novelist, playwright, poet, essayist and civil rights activist was not only prolific during his 63 years of life, but an unabashed truth-teller when it came to discussions of Blackness and queerness in America,…Read more...
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by Zack Linly on (#5K5HE)
At this point, I’m ashamed to say that I used to really like Bill Maher. Maybe I was drawn to him because I went through a militant atheist phase in my 20s. Maybe it’s because I just really love panel discussions so much that, for years, I always tuned into HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher.Read more...
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by Jay Connor on (#5K5F1)
In recent years, Ebony Magazine has had more than its fair share of turmoil.Read more...
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by Zack Linly on (#5K5CC)
Two months ago, a Black man was fatally shot by Honolulu police. The police, of course, claimed that the man refused to follow their orders and violently attacked them before he was shot. Ring video from a residence shows the man asking who the cops were, and it showed that a police officer waited until after several…Read more...
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by Stephen A. Crockett Jr. on (#5K59E)
What white Americans call “critical race theory” is what Black Americans call life.
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by Joe Jurado on (#5K59F)
It’s with a heavy heart I have to inform you that Chris Paul, guard for the Phoenix Suns, will be out indefinitely after entering the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.Read more...
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by Stephen A. Crockett Jr. on (#5K560)
On Tuesday, the Senate threw Black America a bone and unanimously passed a resolution marking June 19 as Juneteenth National Independence Day, a holiday commemorating the end of slavery under the Emancipation Proclamation.
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by Annette Gordon-Reed on (#5K561)
The following is excerpted from On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed.Read more...
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by Law Ware on (#5K52J)
This year for Father’s Day, Very Smart Brothas is doing a series titled “A Song For My Father” where we asked a few writers we know to write pieces about songs they’d dedicate to their dads.
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by Maiysha Kai on (#5K4Z4)
Fashion: one day you’re in, and the next, you’re out. Or, in what is quickly becoming one of the messiest chains of “she said/she said/he said/she said” to hit the social media streets in a minute, one day you’re calling out a bully, and the next, you’re being called one.
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by Maiysha Kai on (#5K4Z5)
Let’s get this out of the way up front: Rita Moreno is a national treasure and legend of stage and screen who has been delighting and inspiring audiences for over 70 of her 89 years on Earth. She has earned her accolades and deserves her flowers. That said, even our faves can occasionally disappoint, and many were…Read more...
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by Michael Harriot on (#5K4W8)
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by Joe Jurado on (#5K47Y)
Pride is supposed to be a time of celebration for the LGBTQ community. In a world that disparages, neglects, and generally doesn’t protect queer and trans people, Pride celebrations are supposed to be one of the few out and out safe spaces for the community. Unfortunately, a security guard at a Washington, D.C., gay…Read more...
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by Joe Jurado on (#5K46H)
This year’s E3 conferences have been thoroughly mid. Given that the pandemic has greatly affected the production pipeline, my expectations were very tempered going into this E3. So, you can imagine my surprise when Nintendo woke up this morning, looked at its wrist, and said “I got time today.”
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by Zack Linly on (#5K442)
Legendary hip-hop producer Dr. Dre and entertainment mogul Jimmy Iovine are well-known giants in the music industry, but their newest joint venture takes them out of the studio and industry boardrooms and into a new world—the world of education.Read more...
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by Zack Linly on (#5K443)
A man who has been identified as a Warren, Mich., police officer is under investigation after racist AF Facebook comments that he was alleged to have authored were exposed by a Black woman, who rightfully decided that a white supremacist with a badge and gun probably shouldn’t be patrolling the streets. It’s worth…Read more...
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by Stephen A. Crockett Jr. on (#5K437)
When Republicans talk about reaching across the aisle, they are usually referring to working with Sen. Joe Manchin. The West Virginia Democrat claims to be a moderate, which is just another way of saying that he doesn’t really fuck with Democrats, which is why hundreds gathered on Monday to protest Manchin’s refusal…Read more...
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by Maiysha Kai on (#5K438)
“I say this humbly—but I’m as talented as fuck,” Kevin Hart recently told the Times of London. “I’m really good at what I do.”Read more...
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by Joe Jurado on (#5K40W)
Five officers with the Savannah Police Department were fired on Monday after a man died while in their custody.Read more...
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by Stephen A. Crockett Jr. on (#5K40X)
Conservative up-and-comer North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn, which totally sounds like a porn name, has made quite the name for himself. Even before taking office, Cawthorn was caught up in several low-level scandals—well, mostly shitty and insensitive behavior, but scandal sounds more salacious. Cawthorn once…Read more...
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by Bella Morais on (#5K3Y9)
Simone Biles is the World’s Greatest. This month, Biles brings her unequivocal joy and grace to Glamour, as the greatest gymnast in history graces the June cover wearing a white embroidered dress and grin that would light up a whole room.Read more...
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by Maiysha Kai on (#5K3YA)
America continues to reckon with how to commemorate Juneteenth, the bittersweet holiday honoring the belated emancipation date of enslaved people on June 19, 1865. This year, The Smithsonian Channel is choosing to commemorate the date with a slate of thought-provoking original programming on its linear and digital…Read more...
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by Joe Jurado on (#5K3VR)
Whether you’re an old head who was there during the original run of Milestone Comics or you’re one of the millions of people who grew up with the Static Shock cartoon, it’s undeniable that the character of Virgil Hawkins, a.k.a Static, has come to represent young Black cool to multiple generations of Black nerds. When…Read more...
by Stephen A. Crockett Jr. on (#5K3RB)
Unless you are a conservative, you probably haven’t even heard that the son of President Biden casually threw around the N-word like he’s Chet Hanks.
by Maiysha Kai on (#5K3MN)
Chrissy Teigen may have to find a new word for “troll.”Read more...
by Olu Burrell on (#5K3H0)
This year for Father’s Day, VerySmartBrothas is doing a series titled “A Song For My Father” where we asked a few writers we know to write pieces about songs they’d dedicate to their dads.Read more...
by Zack Linly on (#5K3H1)
On Dec. 17, 49-year-old Johnny Lorenzo Bolton was shot dead in an apartment in Smyrna, Ga., by a member of a the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team while the team was executing a no-knock drug warrant. Bolton’s name was not listed on that warrant or any other warrant related to the case. According to an attorney…Read more...
by Maiysha Kai on (#5K3AN)
With great power comes great responsibility. As arguably one of the most powerful creatives in contemporary musical theater, fans and followers of the genre have been waiting for Lin-Manuel Miranda to weigh in after The Root’s Producer Felice Léon called out the colorism in his latest stage-to-screen adaptation in a…Read more...
by Zack Linly on (#5K2HE)
Normally, I’m not one to praise Black people for remaining calm and peaceful in the face of aggressive white racism—because I don’t believe we should have to. Why the hell do I have to take the proverbial high road when there’s a belligerent melanin-not in my face calling me a nigger, and God gave me hands, feet and…Read more...
by Jay Connor on (#5K2FY)
I hate Mondays as much as everybody else, but today, in particular, isn’t quite so bad since it means that we’re less than 24 hours away from the debut of Facebook Watch’s Simone vs. Herself.
by Bella Morais on (#5K2FX)
In recent years, Juneteenth has become another date to celebrate all facets of Blackness—and that, of course, includes the food. Because it’s June, everyone loves an excuse to set up their grill or pit or whatever method of fire bearing, meat-smoking device they so choose and light the F up.Read more...
by Shanelle Genai on (#5K2FZ)
On Friday, we told you about the upcoming biopic about the life and successful career of on of the OG Kings of Comedy, Bernie Mac.Read more...
by Joe Jurado on (#5K2D7)
The annual gaming extravaganza known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) went down this weekend, and one cursory glance at Twitter would show you that folks were generally underwhelmed by what they saw. I, on the other hand, was simply whelmed by this year’s conferences. Considering that we’re in year one of a…Read more...
by Shanelle Genai on (#5K2D8)
The world has a lot to say about “cancel culture”—whether or not it works, or if it even exists in the first place.Read more...
by Jay Connor on (#5K2B7)
One of my greatest fears isn’t success. It’s what happens to your career, your psyche, your very livelihood, after your fame transitions from being a blessing to becoming a fucking burden.
by Zack Linly on (#5K2B8)
Police officers in Ocean City, Md., are apparently being investigated after video footage showed them beating and tasing Black teens Saturday for committing the egregious crime of *checks notes* vaping on the boardwalk.Read more...