The Root

We aren’t your moms—but we love up on you like you’re our own. We’re always here with an ear and ready to come through in the clutch. We give the best hugs, the best advice, and the best gifts. We know how to turn up—but always hold you down. We’re your aunties...and what have you done for us, lately?Read more...

WTF was Mike Pence doing there? No, seriously. What in the hell was the outgoing vice president doing at Trump’s 90-seconds press conference when people from his home planet of Abstinencia were trying to reach him out in Utah?

In a past life, retired NFL star Marshawn Lynch once warned younger players to “take care of y’all chicken,” and now, months later with his playing days in the rear-view mirror, he’s since moved on to spreading the gospel with a different bird altogether.Read more...

Netflix has removed the often controversial, yet ever-popular sketch comedy series Chappelle’s Show from its streaming platform at the request of Dave Chappelle himself.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told New Yorkers not to have people over during Thanksgiving. We are in a fucking pandemic after all and having people outside of your household, even during the holidays, isn’t safe.

High levels of distrust toward the federal government—as well as a knowledge of historic medical abuses in the Black community—can hamper efforts to get Black Americans to take a free coronavirus vaccine, should one be available, finds a new study.Read more...

A white man was arrested in Lincoln, Neb., Saturday because he apparently thought “racists are dangerous” was too much of an understatement and decided to show that “untethered from reality” is a more accurate descriptor—at least for him. The man is accused of waving a chainsaw at a Black woman and using racial slurs…Read more...

Y’all, we have made it toward the end of the year, which means the formally designated awards season (not just the informal awards season that pretty much happens all year in Los Angeles because...Hollywood) is here! First up, we’re getting Grammy nominations!

If you’re the Cincinnati Bengals (or Miami Dolphins), you woke up Monday morning with way more questions than answers after rookie phenom Joe Burrow tore his knee apart on Sunday against the Washington Football Team.Read more...

Black Friday is hitting a little different this year, and for your sake and everyone’s, we hope you plan on doing any deals shopping online. Luckily, retailers far and wide are lining up to grab your attention with amazing deals, and they’re starting even earlier than usual. We’ve seen loads of great Black Friday dealsRead more...

While she may not be hosting the Grammys this year, the talented, Grammy-winning songstress Alicia Keys is still staying busy. MasterClass has announced that Keys has joined the streaming platform to teach songwriting and producing. She’ll also be breaking down her personal philosophy for channeling vulnerability,…Read more...

From the outside, singer-entrepreneur Ciara’s latest pregnancy looked aspirational: She teetered through a pre-pandemic awards season in couture gowns, cradling her growing belly for photo ops. And as the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus changed all of our lives, the Wilsons seemed to take it in stride, sharing…Read more...

Thank you, President Trump for raising the sun this morning and keeping my car console fully stocked with throw-away masks. Thank you for the Supreme restock on the Air Force 1s, and thank you for Starbucks unlimited supply of chocolate croissants.

A coronavirus vaccine is coming, and the federal prison system is among the first government entities that are set to receive it. Seeing as there have been numerous reports documenting the threat COVID-19 poses to people in prison, this should be welcome news. There’s only one problem: Sources say that prison staff…Read more...

The Nintendo Switch and AeroGarden Harvest Slim lead Tuesday’s best deals.

The global pandemic has produced significant issues throughout the country (and the world, of course) and it has also exacerbated existing issues. The homelessness crisis, for example, has only gotten worse.

If you watched Monday Night Football last night, not only were you treated to Tom Brady catching a glorious L at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams but for the first time in the history of the NFL, we were treated to an all-Black officiating crew.

Showtime will develop a new comedy series from Gabrielle Union and former ESPN star turned contributor for The Atlantic Jemele Hill, entitled New Money. Along with The Undefeated’s Kelley Carter, the show will center around Black women as they seek to establish themselves in their newfound financial independence.

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David Dinkins, who became the first Black mayor of the nation’s largest city, died Monday night at his Upper East Side home in Manhattan at age 93, according to the New York Times. His death occurred a little more than a month after his wife, Joyce, who died in October.Read more...

North Carolina’s first Black woman to serve as the state’s chief justice is still fighting for her seat as a recount begins in a race where only 406 votes separate Supreme Court Justice Cheri Beasley from her challenger, Justice Paul Newby, after nearly 5.4 million votes were cast.Read more...

Man, who would’ve thought barring an entire group of people from joining the U.S. military would have lasting, negative effects on the organization? According to a group of former military physicians, that’s exactly what happened as a result of the Trump administration banning transgender people from enlisting.Read more...

By and large, Trump supporters are complete morons.Read more...

Macy’s just gave us a little more to be thankful for this year than its famed Thanksgiving Parade; the 162-year-old-company just joined the 15 Percent Pledge, committing to stock 15 percent of its incoming inventory with Black-owned brands, reflective of the composition of the population of the United States. The…Read more...

Last week, when discussing my hopes and goals for the next year with my mom, the necessity of a vaccine obviously came up.Read more...

DC has revealed the new look for Anna Diop’s Starfire character and it’s—dare I say it—dazzling.

It’s Thanksgiving this week, and I don’t know about you, but I feel like there isn’t much to be thankful for in a year like this. Well, 102 people connected to two white supremacist gangs now face charges as part of an investigation by state and federal authorities. I suppose that’s something to be thankful for.Read more...

Back in February, you might’ve heard about an ashy-ass rapper named Boosie Badazz who said some goofy-ass shit about NBA great Dwyane Wade’s 13-year-old daughter, Zaya. It was disgusting, it was transphobic and you likely read all about it here at The Root.Read more...

A funny thing about My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy when compared to the other rap albums that exist in the space where “iconic album” and “album I happen to love” overlap is that I don’t remember where or when I first heard it. I could tell you where I was when I first heard Wu-Forever (in high school, on a stereo…Read more...

Temporary President Trump is on his fuckshit again.

If there was anyone who encompassed speaking truth to power without fear of consequences this year, it’s Star Wars actor John Boyega. The star has been increasingly vocal about the racist attacks he has faced as well as the systemic mistreatment of characters of color in major franchises following his successful yet…Read more...

If there’s one thing that I love, it’s a good-ass documentary—especially if it involves sports. And while 2020 has been a resounding clusterfuck otherwise, it’s been a spectacular year on the film front, as sports docs like Netflix’s Uppity, Quibi’s The Scheme, and Blackballed have not only raised the bar but have…Read more...

Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne “Gammy” Banfield-Jones have been known to feed the soul at their red table. For the holidays, it looks like the ladies are going to be feeding that belly, too!Read more...

President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. isn’t waiting on Trump to hand him the reins; in fact, he’s moving on with his top national security picks.

Quawan “Bobby” Charles, a Black 15-year-old boy who died under “suspicious” circumstances earlier this month, was honored with a funeral service on Saturday, as his family still searches for answers regarding his death.Read more...

Here’s a question I find myself asking on a near-daily basis: What the hell is wrong with white people?Read more...

Over the course of 13 months during 2006 and 2007, Tiffany Pollard was dumped on reality television dating shows three times. She took the first rejection on the chin, exchanging an upbeat goodbye with her new ex, Public Enemy star William “Flavor Flav” Drayton Jr., before driving off in a waiting limousine—where she…Read more...

Another weekend of NFL football is officially in the books. So what’d we learn?Read more...

“I’m just happy to be off the couch with some real fashion,” Taraji P. Henson crowed in the opening monologue of the 2020 American Music Awards on Sunday night. OK, so maybe we were still on the couch in our matching tie-dyed sweat sets (I know it’s not just me), but not wasting a minute of her on-stage opportunity,…Read more...

Nov. 29 marks the 26th anniversary of Mary J. Blige’s sophomore album, My Life. It’s an album filled with stories of trials and triumph, but most importantly it’s a breakthrough album that set the tone for both R&B and Blige’s career trajectory. Boasting fire-ass hits such as “Mary Jane,” “My Life,” “Be Happy,” and…Read more...

A Black man was fatally shot during an altercation with two police officers who were conducting a traffic stop in Omaha, Neb., Thursday night, causing protests to erupt in the city over the weekend.Read more...

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Imagine this: You are a lawyer and your potential client wants to file lawsuits against multiple states alleging imaginary crimes. Literally, crimes no one can see. There is no proof, no receipts, no video, Maury isn’t there, Tekashi 6ix9ine isn’t there—literally nothing to prove your potential client’s case.Read more...

Thanksgiving is near and Tyler Perry is continuing his charitable energy for this holiday season. In the past several months, Perry has been in the news for reportedly funding Rayshard Brooks’ (who was fatally shot by an Atlanta police officer) funeral and randomly paying for grocery shoppers’ bills across 73 stores…Read more...

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The time has come for the world’s largest fan-voted award show and you’re now reading the world’s largest award show recap site! OK, I may have made up the latter part of the sentence, but thanks for joining me! As per usual, I’m here to give you the Black-ass play-by-play. This time, it’s the 2020 American Music…Read more...

Coronavirus has been making its way through the mess of people in Donald Trump’s orbit, infecting a host of White House staffers, Melania Trump, the president himself, and even one his sons, Donald Trump Jr.

Demonstrators took the streets across Brazil this weekend to protest the killing of João Alberto Silveira Freitas, a Black man and father of four, by security officers.

The sequel to the cultural phenomenon that was Marvel Studio’s Black Panther is set to start filming next year.

After a week of foolery in the process of certifying Michigan’s election results, which show the state going for decisively for President-elect Joe Biden over incumbent President Trump, Black Detroiters are fighting back against what they see as an attempt to disenfranchise them.Read more...