by Panama Jackson on Very Smart Brothas, shared by Pa on (#5E3T3)
You know this album. I know this album. Your neighbor knows this album. Everybody knows this album by the Queen of Motown, Diana Ross, simply titled diana. Even if you can’t tell me what songs are on this album title, if you love Black music, I’m about 100 percent sure you know this cover. Everybody’s daddy had this…Read more...
by Shanelle Genai on The Grapevine, shared by Shanell on (#5E30R)
And we back and we back! The second week of Black History Month is well underway and of course The Root is back with another installment of some bomb virtual events to turn up (or turn down) to. We know life at the crib can get a bit mundane. Every now and then you need just a little something, something to make you…Read more...
by Chaya M Milchtein on The Inventory, shared by Igna on (#5E30S)
Love is in the air with pink chocolates, sex toys, lingerie filling Facebook feeds, and gift guides begging you to find the perfect gifts. But what about you? Is lingerie always for your lover, or do you slip into a sexy garment for your own pleasure?Read more...
On Wednesday, the New York Times published a piece chronicling the case of George Floyd and the upcoming trial for the ex-Minneapolis police officer accused of killing him, Derek Chauvin. Mostly, the story by the Times was a recap of things that have already been reported regarding the case, but the report did reveal…Read more...
by Bella Morais on The Glow Up, shared by Bella Morai on (#5E2QZ)
Black History Month is all about joy at The Root and our Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, has reason to be joyous today as she won the first step in her lawsuit against the Daily Mail on Sunday and Associated Newspapers for violating her privacy. The British tabloid published parts of a personal letter she had…Read more...
Here at The Root, we celebrate Black excellence—a thing that is often equated with Black entrepreneurship and financial success, even though it’s much more than that. Today we shout out Black excellence in the form of heroism.Read more...
by Damon Young on Very Smart Brothas, shared by Damon on (#5E2HV)
It’s not completely accurate to say that Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has recently emerged as a nationally renowned darling of liberals, mainly because it’s a status he’s possessed since he was the mayor of Braddock, Pa. But his star has risen in the past several months, as more Americans have come to…Read more...
When an angry white mob bombed, lynched, shot and slaughtered the Black residents in the Greenwood section of Tulsa, Okla., on May 31, 1921, they did not destroy Black Wall Street.Read more...
Strength and joy go hand-in-hand, and this week’s literary releases beautifully celebrate both. In certain parts of the country, we’re knee-deep in snow and ice, and finding the strength to feel even the littlest joy is quite difficult. But we’ve almost hit the halfway point of February, the days are getting longer,…Read more...
House impeachment managers will be making their final arguments beginning Thursday afternoon in the Senate trial that decides whether former President Donald Trump will be convicted of inciting the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6. The final push to impeach Trump follows the second day of the impeachment trials during…Read more...
Sabrena Khadija realized just how much of a BTS fan she was one freezing morning in Times Square back in 2017. A friend invited her to stand in line at 4 a.m. to be one of the first people to buy the seven-member band from South Korea’s BT21 merchandise…and she didn’t say no.Read more...
by Maiysha Kai on The Glow Up, shared by Maiysha Kai on (#5E2CF)
Every stallion needs a fabulous mane, and hip-hop’s hot girl Megan Thee Stallion is no exception. The H-Town hottie may be best known for her growing body-ody-ody-ody of hits and epic wig game—but underneath it all, she’s been on a natural hair journey, announcing in December that she and stylist Kellon Derryck were…Read more...
by Panama Jackson on Very Smart Brothas, shared by Pa on (#5E29H)
I cannot stress to you how much I love this album cover for the Kay Gee’s 1974 album, Keep On Bumpin’ & Masterplan (alternately released with the title Hustle With Every Muscle). Shot by Howard Winters and designed by Frank Daniel, this album cover for the Kay-Gees debut album is a masterclass in Black cool and chill.…Read more...
by Shanelle Genai on The Grapevine, shared by Shanell on (#5E29J)
Originally, when I started thinking about what to write for this piece, I was gonna dedicate it to three Black women who have single-handedly gotten me through quarantine.
by Maiysha Kai on The Glow Up, shared by Maiysha Kai on (#5E1N0)
The year known as 2020 was unfathomably challenging by anyone’s estimation; but as Essence magazine celebrated its 50th anniversary, the pioneering and enduring imprint and lifestyle brand, by its own admission, proved not to be immune. Now, nearly a year after the lockdowns that literally stopped us in our tracks,…Read more...
Right now, House impeachment managers are making a case for why ex-President Donald Trump should be held accountable for inciting the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.Read more...
A group of Black teenagers flying home from a basketball game were kicked off an Allegiant Airlines flight for not wearing masks. Problem is, both the teens and the people sitting next to them have said that they were wearing their masks.
The tired and already debunked myth that white people support Trump because they are economically anxious is being dug up again to help rationalize the vile actions of the Capitol insurrectionists.
Following weeks of negotiations between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union, an agreement has been ratified for a return to in-person learning.Read more...
Happy Wednesday, folks! In addition to being the best day in wrestling (we rep All Elite Wrestling in this house), it’s also the best day to play some video games. What better way to forget you have to work two more days this week than by copping some bangers?
On Juneteenth in 2019, lawmakers met with Black activists and scholars to discuss H.R. 40—a bill to create a reparations commission to examine the impact of slavery and the possibility of compensation for the descendants of enslaved Africans—during a hearing by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution,…Read more...
A woman who reportedly was one of the last people to be seen with Quawan “Bobby” Charles, a Black teen who was found dead in a ditch near a sugar cane field in Loreauville, La., has been arrested in relation to the disturbing case.
Prosecutors in Fulton County, Ga., are opening a criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump’s efforts to reverse the election results in the state, with a focus on his phone calls to several elected officials, The New York Times reports.Read more...
by Maiysha Kai on The Glow Up, shared by Maiysha Kai on (#5E17G)
One of the buzziest celebrity launches of the decade seems to have met its demise. On Wednesday, a spokesperson from LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) confirmed that the international conglomerate and Rihanna have agreed to cease operations of Fenty Maison, the Paris-based luxury fashion venture she launched in 2019…Read more...
Last week, The Root dropped our nominations for the second annual The Blackest Awards, or more simply, the 2021 Skippies. The categories, both fun and serious, are fairly non-controversial. The nominations though, can sometimes tread into “Yo, how are you going to include X but not Y?” One such situation this year…Read more...
by Jay Connor on The Grapevine, shared by Jay Connor on (#5E17J)
Fellow The Root staff writer Tonja Renée Stidhum and I have a running list of entertainers who never sleep—John Boyega is rapidly climbing up the power rankings—and almost always taking the top spot is the Awkward Black Girl herself, the incomparable Issa Rae.Read more...
by Shanelle Genai on The Grapevine, shared by Shanell on (#5E145)
Last December, we told you that the CW was developing a new series revolving DC Comics character “Naomi,” with Ava DuVernay at the helm. Now, it looks like things are ramping up.
When I wake up in the morning and prepare for the long day ahead, I know that I can never skip the most important meal of the day. And for all of my breakfast needs, only one brand will do: *holds up box* Pearl Milling Company.Read more...
The coronavirus pandemic continues to expose and exacerbate some of the worst inequities in America, especially those that disproportionately impact Black people.
by Maiysha Kai on The Glow Up, shared by Maiysha Kai on (#5E10V)
These many (many) months of quarantine may not have been the most socially stimulating of our lives, but they have provided ample opportunity to step our virtual community up—and to make the best of a socially distanced situation. Then, there have been the pleasant virtual pop-ups—like this time last week, when…Read more...
House impeachment managers will release never-seen-before footage of rioters storming the Capital that will show elected officials were in far greater danger for their lives than previously known or realized, according to the Washington Post.Read more...
by Tonja Renée Stidhum on The Grapevine, shared by T on (#5E0X4)
I know the Electric Slide is supposed to come at the end in Black movies, but I have to start off this blog with a celebratory Slide! Y’all, there is going to be a TV series based on The Best Man!Read more...
by Jay Connor on The Grapevine, shared by Jay Connor on (#5E0X6)
When it comes to nailing the intersection of sports, race and culture, ESPN’s The Undefeated has been holding us down since 2016. With its masterfully executed articles, personality profiles and captivating conversations with some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment, it’s a must for every sports head…Read more...
by Panama Jackson on Very Smart Brothas, shared by Pa on (#5E0SP)
To be Black (especially in America) is to know the Brothers Johnson. They had several No. 1 singles on the R&B charts in the ’70s and ’80s. Even though they didn’t write “Strawberry Letter 23"—that distinction goes to Shuggie Otis—their rendition is probably the one most of us are familiar with. They also gave us the…Read more...
I live in the Blackest part of Stone Mountain, Ga.—which is predominantly Black anyway, but here it’s two churches and two chicken spots every two-mile radius Black.
New York City mayoral candidate Shaun Donovan is calling for police officers to be removed from public schools, Rikers Island to be closed by the end of 2027, plans to track interactions between police and civilians among other mandates detailed in his 14-page criminal justice platform provided exclusively to The Root.
The pilot period for a program in Denver that sends healthcare workers to respond to calls for mental health and substance abuse issues has so far been a success, according to local officials.
The first day of the historic second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump provided his lawyers an opportunity to prove that the trial was unconstitutional and therefore should not proceed, an argument the Senate rejected in a mostly party line vote of 56 to 44.Read more...
An effort is underway by activists and attorneys in Florida to have charges dropped against a Black woman who fired at an officer during a narcotics raid.Read more...
You ever hear that saying about people who pull up the ladder behind them right after they’ve gotten where they want to be? I’d say it perfectly describes Austin Chenge, a Nigerian-American and Black Republican who is running for governor of Michigan against incumbent Gretchen Whitmer, who is up for re-election next…Read more...