The Root

Jermaine Lamarr Cole is having one hell of a week.Read more...

When it comes to all things COVID-19 related, Black people listen to one person: Dr. Anthony Fauci.

In recent years, it seems as if every other day marks a new holiday or day of recognition or remembrance, but May 17 is one we should all be aware of if we claim to care about human rights. Now in its 17th year, it’s the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.Read more...

The family of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old boy who was fatally shot by Cleveland police officers in 2014, is campaigning for the Biden administration to reopen the federal investigation into the boy’s death.Read more...

It’s upfronts season in the television industry, and I’m not going to get all jargon-y on you—let’s just say this is the time of year where audiences hear a lot about new shows, existing show season renewals and existing show cancellations! It’s a rollercoaster of emotions!Read more...

On Monday, Empire and Hidden Figures star Taraji P. Henson announced the launch of a brand new campaign focused on lightening the mental health burden the educational system frequently places on Black students.Read more...

After a grueling eight-year wait, Chris Webber is finally headed to the Basketball Hall of Fame. And as if this momentous occasion wasn’t enough, the person who helped celebrate the announcement was none other than fellow Fab Five alum Jalen Rose.Read more...

It would be far easier to trust this country’s legal system if it didn’t feel like it was consistently the site of some new fuckery. For Example: A former prosecutor in Texas was disbarred after it was found he had withheld evidence that would’ve likely prevented two Black men from spending 14 years in prison after…Read more...

Harry and Meghan have made it clear that they can live—and thrive—outside of the British monarchy, becoming increasingly vocal about the royal family’s fault lines as they enjoy their newfound independence and success in California. After stepping down from senior royal duties early last year, the duo recently…Read more...

Suzanne Morphew had been missing since May 10, 2020, yet a ballot was mailed in with her name on it casting a vote for Donald Trump.

Pardon me if you’ve heard this before, but Steph Curry is really fucking good.

“As long as you keep your head to the sky...you will win!”Read more...

The great Celie (fantastically portrayed by Whoopi Goldberg in The Color Purple) once said, “Until you do right by me, everything you think about is going to crumble.” That quote is forever relevant and is especially true for one Leslie Roy Moonves.Read more...

My dearest reader, ‘tis I—Lady Welpington of The Root.Read more...

It’s been going on a year and a half since NBA superstar Kobe Bryant’s devastating death on Jan. 26, 2020. Over the weekend, the sports world celebrated Bryant’s life and achievements as the “Black Mamba” was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.Read more...

A federal trial arraignment date has been set for former Minneapolis police officers Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane, three of the four officers involved in the death of George Floyd. As The Root previously reported, Minneapolis Judge Peter Cahill ruled Thursday that the state trial for the three…Read more...

Damon Weaver, the young, gifted and Black student reporter who interviewed President Barack Obama at the White House in 2009, died on May 1, at the age of 23, according to his family.Read more...

Here’s a question: Why are the Proud Boys still a thing?Read more...

On the morning of Jan. 5, 2021, 31-year-old Jamal Sutherland died at the Charleston County jail in Charleston, S.C. He was there because he had been arrested the previous night on misdemeanor assault charges after allegedly being involved in a fight at the mental health facility where he was being treated.Read more...

Last week, The Root reported that Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed into law yet another Republican white fragility bill prohibiting teachings in K-12 schools that include conservative’s favorite new boogie man Critical Race Theory or any other race-based curriculum that causes “discomfort, guilt, anguish or…Read more...

Kevin Seefried, the giant asshole with the even larger Confederate flag who was captured walking the halls of the Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection—also known as “what happens when cream chipped beef boils over”—got approval from a judge to go on a family road trip.

Here at The Glow Up, we’ve been clued in to Black women’s entrepreneurial prowess for a while now—it’s one of the reasons this vertical exists. That said, the rest of the world is still catching up to the fact that Black women, widely reported to be the most educated demographic in the United States, are also among…Read more...

On Dec. 20 of last year, Dr. Susan Moore died from COVID-19 complications just weeks after she posted a viral Facebook video in which she complained that her doctor and the staff at Indiana University North Hospital dismissed her pain, refused her adequate care and failed to believe that she knew what care she needed…Read more...

Is there some sort of teacher lottery going on that I don’t know about? I feel like every day a single teacher is chosen to do some unnecessarily racist shit. Like the Hunger Games, but the only thing the teacher has to kill is their whole career. In New York, a group of parents are outraged after their children were…Read more...

I’m somewhat surprised that we still haven’t reached the point where legislators are pushing police reform. Even if they’re unmoved by the loss of life, you would think they would grow tired of paying out millions over unnecessary deaths. Case in point: The city of Columbus, Ohio, has agreed to pay the family of André…Read more...

Most of us only know six-time NBA All-Star Blake Griffin because of his exploits on the court. But if you pay a little more attention, you’ll see that he’s a burgeoning stand-up comedian—who’s actually funny—who also dabbles in several other forms of self-expression, creativity, and entertainment.Read more...

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is a problem.

On Wednesday, attorneys for Greg and Travis McMichael, two of the three men involved in the death of Ahmaud Arbery, asked a pre-trial judge to allow Arbery’s past arrests into evidence because apparently the victim’s past is supposed to shed some kind of light on why he fought back against his attackers lynchers…Read more...

This is the part where I usually explain that you are about to read DMs, letters and tweets from our readers. I also try to say something funny here. But today, that part is at the end.

So one day God was on a bender. He was going through a bad break up and was really tying one on. Well, because God is God, he got hungry and the only thing open was a place called Ted’s Chili Hole. He’d never eaten there but figured how bad could it be? After 17 bowls of chili and cheese, God stumbled into the parking…Read more...

“Titties are supposed to hang.”Read more...

For those of us who can’t get enough sports docs—personally, I would inject them directly into my veins if I could—another blessing is upon us.Read more...

As you probably know by now, May is Mental Health Awareness Month and...may you be blessed with the ability and opportunity to get your mind right.Read more...

Spring is in full swing and a mask-free life is on the horizon—are you feeling that new energy yet? Here at The Root Presents: It’s Lit!, we’re feeling kinda new ourselves, with a new logo that reflects this writer’s new solo status as host of The Root’s literary podcast (we’ll miss you, Danielle!). If you take a…Read more...

Congratulations! You’ve made it through another week and are headed into a weekend that—at least in New York—will be what one calls “in the streets” weather. You know, where you’re out and about and drinking by 11 am. A summertime warm-up, if you will. But what will you listen to, you ask? Well, you’re in luck, since…Read more...

Well, y’all. Between the countless bots and the global superconductor shortage, it’s looking like obtaining a PS5 or Xbox Series X is going to be a hassle for the foreseeable future. Though, as a wise man once said, that ain’t no problem. There are plenty of bangers you may have slept on the last console generation,…Read more...

OK, we can all retire the term “Megxit” now—yes, us here at The Root, too—even in jest. Meghan Markle’s difficult induction into the royal family and brutal treatment by the British press has long been presumed to be the impetus behind the Sussexes’ exodus from the England to California, and understandably so. But as…Read more...

Are you still bumpin’ “Itty Bitty Piggy” in your car or crib, 12 years later? Well, a second helping of bacon has been served!Read more...

With more and more NBA players using their platforms and resources to inspire change and fight for social justice, the league has unveiled a new method to laud their individual efforts.Read more...

A 16-year-old high school student in Fairfield, Conn., was arrested last week over a racist Snapchat post allegedly directed at another student. School officials and police are still investigating the incident, and the principal of the school has announced the creation of a new organization to address racism and other…Read more...

If you prefer Black voices delivering your news (which you clearly do), there may soon be many more qualified voices entering and rising in the ranks of modern media. On Thursday, during the virtual celebration for the prestigious University of Southern California Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism’s …Read more...

As The Game’s very own Tasha Mack says… “Pow Pow Pow!” Fans, get your Super Bowl snacks ready because The Game has been revived!Read more...

At this point, Republicans are Haley Joel Osment curled up underneath his covers whispering to Bruce Willis, “I see Critical Race Theory.”Read more...

She’s been immortalized on a stamp (albeit amid some controversy), as a Barbie, as the subject of a Broadway-bound script, and even a Google Doodle. And of course, writer-activist Maya Angelou lives eternally in our literary imagination. Now, the renaissance woman will be one of the first American women to appear on…Read more...

One of the continually controversial aspects of the pandemic has been how we should handle a return to in-person learning. For well over a year now, school has primarily been conducted in either a virtual classroom or a hybrid in-person/virtual environment. The head of the second largest teacher’s union in the country…Read more...

I’m continually at a loss for why racists go into teaching. It never ends well for them. A coach at an Illinois high school has resigned from her position after a racist comment she allegedly made to a student resulted in so much outrage that someone called in a bomb threat.

The Tribeca Festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary, which is quite the special year. Not only because of the monumental commemoration itself, but because it is returning with a special format post-lockdown featuring a nice compromise of both in-person and virtual programming.Read more...

On Sunday May 16, TV One will air the final interview with late rapper and beloved legend, DMX.Read more...

A judge ruled on Thursday that the trial of the three former Minneapolis cops charged in aiding and abetting the murder of George Floyd would be postponed until March of next year.Read more...

It’s official—Ellen DeGeneres is ending her daytime talk show after the completion of its 19th season in 2022.Read more...