The Root

It’s a privilege to play in the NFL, and while there are plenty of talented players deserving of such a prestigious honor, Tim Tebow has proven time and time and time again that he’s not one of them.Read more...

Toward the end of his legendary standup special Never Scared, Chris Rock goes into a bit about the history of slavery and how slave masters used breeding to try to create “super slaves” and how that continues to affect America today.

Hollywood is known as the place where the streets are paved with gold. However, the Golden Globe has been quite tarnished in the past several weeks. It definitely doesn’t shine the way it did back in the day—or perhaps its shine was always an illusion.Read more...

If there’s one thing Laverne Cox knows how to do, it’s work a red carpet. On Monday, it was announced that the primetime Emmy-nominated and Daytime Emmy-winning actress-activist-producer best known for her breakout role in Orange Is the New Black will soon be working the red carpet for E!, as the network’s newest host…Read more...

We have another victim, y’all.Read more...

It’s incredibly frustrating seeing white people spin a statement as innocuous as “Black Lives Matter” as politics. It’s not political; it’s literally just a more concise way of saying “the color of our skin shouldn’t dictate the way we’re treated.” Of course, facts have never gotten in the way of white feelings, and…Read more...

I’ve been all about masks during the pandemic. Honestly, wearing my mask and glasses is the closest thing I’ll ever have to a secret identity, so I’ve had some fun with it. That said, now that I’m fully vaccinated and back to doing hoodrat shit with my friends (within reason, of course), I’m looking forward to when…Read more...

Barbz—ASSEMBLE!Read more...

Racism.

As you may or may not know, the month of May is nationally recognized as Mental Health Awareness month.

Attorneys for the family of a North Carolina man who was killed by law enforcement officers have asked the district’s top law enforcement officer to recuse himself from investigating and charging his coworkers because...did you even read the sentence?Read more...

As we continue to celebrate the life and legacy of the late Earl “DMX” Simmons, one of the primary ways he will live on is through his music.Read more...

You never forget your first love.

Whether it’s a debate about “good hair” versus “bad hair” or whether or not braids are an appropriate birthday hairstyle (yes, that happened), Black hair never ceases to be a wildly popular topic of conversation.Read more...

It wasn’t just the public that thought the officers who shot Breonna Taylor were in the wrong; apparently a couple investigators in the Louisville Metro Police Department felt the same as well. A recently released report revealed that the investigators determined that the officers involved in the shooting shouldn’t…Read more...

Symone Sanders, a senior adviser to Vice President Harris, put her reputation and her life on the line trying to propel then-candidate Joe Biden into the White House, so the least he could’ve done was throw her the White House press secretary job. But that job ended up going to a white woman, Jen Psaki, with no…Read more...

Mark Ronson, a human cheat code who’s more commonly known as “Your Favorite Producer’s Favorite Producer,” has joined forces with The FADER to bless us all with a new podcast, FADER Uncovered.Read more...

A lot has happened in Hollywood in the past few days, folks! The folks behind the Golden Globes, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), recently announced their reform plan, following the—I really cannot put this any other way—PR nightmare of news surrounding the organizations reported diversity and inclusion…Read more...

Serena Williams is easily one of the greatest athletes of all time, and in serving double duty as one of the most decorated Olympians ever—her four medals (all gold) are eclipsed by only her sister Venus and Kathleen McKane Godfree, who each have five—it was a foregone conclusion that despite being 39 years old, she…Read more...

“Education, not incarceration.”

Rep. Jim Clyburn is a political juggernaut.

During Black History Month, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt tweeted, “We can never forget the tragedy that happened 100 years ago,” in reference to the 1921 race massacre in Tulsa, Okla.Read more...

New details have emerged regarding the senseless killing of 20-year-old rapper Pop Smoke. Last July, The Root reported that four suspects were charged with murdering the rapper, whose real name is Bashar Jackson, during a home invasion in Los Angeles. On Friday, a detective testified that the youngest among those who…Read more...

Cops be like: “Follow the law or pay the consequences! But also, if you hurt my feelings, I’m definitely going to break the law.”Read more...

By now, you must be aware of what I call the Republican war on blackness in education. GOPropagandists with GOPoor critical thinking skills have been GOPushing white fragility bills across the nation that would bar institutions of learning from implementing Critical Race Theory and/or The 1619 Project from being…Read more...

First, let me just say that I refuse to call this one a “Karen.” The internet has already dubbed her the “New Central Park Karen”—meaning she’s the uninspired sequel to Amy “Central Park Karen” Cooper that nobody asked for—but in this America where Black people have managed to force a spotlight on systemic racism in…Read more...

I want Mother’s Day to mean that Black mothers can have joy without the ever-present fear of violence and harm.

Another day, another mediocre white man joins the “You Bout to Lose Your Job” chorus line because he couldn’t keep his racism to himself.Read more...

In a just world, Mother’s Day would be a time when every person could freely choose how to express gratitude for the mothers, caregivers and the maternal figures in their lives. I imagine many people would choose to celebrate in different ways, from delicious meals, extra-long embraces and words that communicate how…Read more...

Booooy, when I tell you these white “educators” are going to learn to keep the names of Black victims of police violence out of their mouths.Read more...

The SEC might boast some of the most powerful programs in all of collegiate sports, but until Thursday, not a single school in the conference had ever had a Black president.Read more...

We talk about redlining like it’s a thing of the past, but like most of America’s racist systems it hasn’t really gone away—it’s just simply evolved. A Black homeowner in Indianapolis has filed a discrimination complaint after an appraisal on her house increased by $100,000.Read more...

Some great advice can go a long way, so building off of this premise, Spotify’s latest podcast, Best Advice, features both up-and-coming artists and legacy acts opening up about their successes and missteps throughout their careers. On each episode, guests reflect on the advice that they’ve received from mentors,…Read more...

Shortly after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, the holder of Satan’s aux cord during long drives, was convicted in April for murdering George Floyd, Barack and Michelle Obama issued a joint statement noting, “Today a jury in Minneapolis did the right thing.”

Friday. The freakin’ weekend. The day that we all wake up looking forward to the moment our eyes open on Monday morning. As it gets warmer and we shift into a new season, the week’s music releases have been too good to wait until Monday. So I’ll be putting you onto the weekly hits to propel you through the weekend.Read more...

Can you imagine being an attorney for any of the hundreds of people who have been arrested for their participation in the melanin-not MAGA meltdown at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6? Imagine being tasked with finding clever, polite and professional ways to tell a judge that your client is a fucking idiot who believed…Read more...

This is America...and it’s a litigious country.Read more...

“You are an individual. You are you because you are you,” The Root alum Danielle Young told Auntie Unfiltered. You should never want to try to recreate or emulate what someone has done.”Read more...

I think it was the Apostle Paul who said: “There are no stupid questions, just stupid people.”Read more...

Keara James and her husband were long distance for three years when she got pregnant in October 2019.Read more...

At 90 years young, Willie Mays, the oldest living Hall of Famer, has lived a life that others can only dream to have experienced. He’s set multiple MLB records, collected a Presidential Medal of Freedom, and has inspired millions with both his play and resilience. He’s the perfect choice for a documentary, and because…Read more...

On Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver remarks at the State Department in which she will declare the United States’ solidarity with the people of India and the struggle they face battling COVID-19.

Jasmine Mans may be best known for her viral poem, Footnotes for Kanye, but her latest volume of poetry, Black Girl, Call Home, is more than pop cultural phenomenon; “It is a conjuring. It is a request. It is a calling. It’s a poem,” Mans tells us on this week’s episode of The Root Presents: It’s Lit!Read more...

On the morning of April 18, a jogger found the body of 16-year-old Mikayla Miller up against a tree in the woods near a walking trail in Hopkinton, Mass. The day before her body was discovered, Mikayla’s mother complained to authorities that the teen had been jumped by other teens and punched in the face. So far, no…Read more...

With all the discussion about teeth whitening on TV, on the internet, in your dentist’s office, and in magazines, people often forget there is more in your mouth to be concerned with besides the color of your teeth. You must not ignore your gums.

Daft Punk’s biggest single ever, “One More Time” is all about encouraging us that it’s “time to celebrate” and to not “stop the dancing.” Personally, I’m always happy to hear the song as it reminds me of jamming to it with my niece, who is probably the biggest fan of theirs that I know.Read more...

Seeing actions actually have consequences for cops is a continually bizarre experience. A federal grand jury has indicted Derek Chauvin and the three other officers involved in the death of George Floyd on U.S. civil rights charges.Read more...

May the, uh, seventh be with you? If you weren’t aware, May 4 is considered Star Wars day, and as a result, just about every digital marketplace still has several Star Wars games on sale. While I’ve talked about EA’s Star Wars games ad nauseum, I thought it would be fun to take a trip back and put you on some…Read more...

“A wise man told me, ‘Don’t argue with fools’

Throughout my life, my mother always had a habit of asking me to evaluate her parenting. For years, to avoid uncomfortable conversations I’d say, “Yes, you’re a great mom,” and “Yes, I had a fine childhood,” thinking I was doing what was right to protect us both from a lot of arguing and heartache. I thought allowing…Read more...