The Root

Finally!

After 101 years, the American Civil Liberties Union has elected the first Black person to ever serve as the organization’s president.

This year, many shows will focus on work by Black female artists. The video above features six solo exhibitions debuting at museums across the country, and each represents a significant milestone for the artist.Read more...

The ask may be 15 percent, but the number of retailers joining Aurora James’ 15 Percent Pledge keeps growing, with names like Sephora, West Elm and Macy’s agreeing to allocate a minimum of 15 percent of their offerings and efforts to Black-owned brands, designers and staff members—a move that has prompted more than a…Read more...

An investigation is underway after police in Rochester, New York pepper-sprayed a 9-year-old Black girl.Read more...

There is currently a heated debate going on between Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) over when to return to in-person learning. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot favors teachers returning sooner rather than later as she requested in-person learning to restart this week.Read more...

Guess who’s back in the *CENSORED* house with some new awards for the African American crowd!!!?? If you said, it’s gotta be the shoes, then you’re wrong. It’s the Ro-Ro-The Root, bringing back our Blackest Awards for the second time. That makes if official, we can call it an annual award now. We want to thank you for…Read more...

They were six years in power.

When sports heads hear the term “drafted,” we typically think of the moment when amateur athletes transition from making their coaches and colleges millions of dollars to when they can finally see that kind of money themselves. But as part of its Black History Month initiative, Black-owned finance app Goalsetter is…Read more...

There comes a time in every superhero’s life when the bad guys are forced to ban together to try and bring down the powerful one.

Last week, The Root reported that a Black high school student was body-slammed and knocked unconscious by a school resource officer at Liberty High School in Kissimmee, Fla. The Osceola County Sheriff’s Department said the officer was trying to stop a fight between her and another student, but video footage of the…Read more...

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In the hot and sweaty summer of 1969, the well-known music festival known as Woodstock happened in Bethel, New York. Everyone knew its name. One hundred miles away, there was another festival occurring that same summer with a little more seasoning...and a little more soul. And it was free to attend!Read more...

After spending almost my entire Sunday hiking—if you live in Los Angeles and have about eight hours of your life to kill, definitely check out the Bridge to Nowhere—I did what any sensible Black man would do: I ordered some chicken wings and watched basketball.Read more...

It’s February again, and you know what that means—it’s Black History Month. Well, here at VSB, we like to celebrate Blackness with various monthlong series. We’ve done 28 Days of Literary Blackness (2019), 30 Days of Musical Blackness (2019) and 30 Days of Music Video Blackness (2020). This year—2021—we’re bringing…Read more...

We don’t do enough for Black History Month. I think it should be a high celebration. It’s Negro Ramadan. It’s the extended remix of Kwanzaa. It’s like August for white people (Wait, you didn’t know that August was white people’s favorite month? Look it up.)

Some good will follow all the unrest and sadness that took place in 2020. Part of that unrest were the many protests against racist violence, which included the long-overdue downing of several Confederate statues and monuments across the country. Last year was also characterized by sadness for the many lives lost,…Read more...

It’s frequently said that modern video technology has helped expose the truth of the racism in America that Black people have long said is endemic, especially in institutions like policing.Read more...

Former President Donald Trump is having a real rough start to the year. A little over a week after his supporters led a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 that he incited, Trump earned the ignoble distinction of being the only president in history to be impeached twice.Read more...

You may have gotten wind of some allegations that have been swirling across the internet about Atlanta-based rapper T.I. (whose real name is Clifford Harris Jr.) and his wife Tameka “Tiny” Harris.

The Black Lives Matter movement, which has proven itself a defining force for human rights advocacy in our time, has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

It’s beyond clear that Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene does not belong in Congress, as information continues to emerge that some of her favorite past-times are haranguing people and inciting violence.

How racist do you have to be to tell a widow you won’t bury her Black husband because a decades-old law says the cemetery is whites only? A Louisiana woman said she met someone who was just that racist and was shocked at how indifferent that person was in denying her late husband the right to be laid to rest in a…Read more...

Happy Friday, folks! I hope this week wasn’t too bad for you. Even it was, at least you got the weekend ahead of you and some good gaming to look forward to. This week’s sales are basically all retro games, so today’s list will be all bangers from the past.

Trigger Warning: This article contains graphic details of alleged rice and beans.

It should come as no surprise, but the Louisville Metro Police Department is kind of the worst. A 150-page report commissioned by city officials in the wake of Breonna Taylor’s death has found that the department is plagued with a multitude of problems and is widely distrusted by communities of color.

Another day has brought the unfolding of yet another aspect of the multi-layered Capitol insurrection story.

Hey, January! I see you got your overstaying-your-welcome outfit on like you always do! Yes, y’all, we are in the last days of January 2021 and it went by at a snail’s pace, as per usual. Shit, this past week felt like three months, at the very least. Because I missed you last Friday, I have a bunch of trailers to get…Read more...

Earlier this week I went on a lengthy spiel about how ridiculously overrated loyalty in sports is. It’s been proven time and time again that no amount of blood, sweat, and tears poured into a professional franchise will deter the powers that be from getting rid of your ass once they no longer view you as a desirable…Read more...

Richard Barnett—the arrested dumbass from Arkansas who proudly let himself be photographed sitting in Nancy Pelosi’s office and putting his crusty old wypipo feet on her desk during the whitey war on reality at the Capitol on Jan. 6—was ordered to stay his ass in jail by a federal judge Thursday after an Arkansas…Read more...

Thank you!

Hey nieces and nephews, I have a confession: I am still feeling a little apprehensive about our prospects for getting out of the house this year.Read more...

Today, as Black History Month dawns upon us, let us not forget to celebrate the mediocre white people who flood our inboxes with caucasoidal ruminations about how wrong we are.Read more...

Portraying the titular characters Malcolm & Marie, John David Washington and Zendaya are stripped down to the rawest of emotions. The visual is similarly stripped down, filmed in black and white.Read more...

I gotta tell you, I love the squad–i.e. Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. These four Democratic representatives in the House often feel like the only ones willing to vocally advocate for the needs of everyday people across the country, no matter how this…Read more...

There’s a reason Black women call each other “sister.” Even if we bear no blood relation or resemblance—and despite our broad variances in color, economic and educational access and life experience—there is an innate knowing between Black women—of what it is to be a Black woman.

From a racial justice perspective, it is important to note that all major industries in America are monopolies controlled by white owners and decision-makers. Whether it’s a single business taking over a town or entire industry or a dozen companies colluding to maintain anti-Black norms, the effects for Black people…Read more...

Stop me if you’ve heard this one, but Donald Trump’s presidency was all Russia’s fault.Read more...

Hisense 55" 4K TV | $480 | AmazonRead more...

“Time is a whole new thing,” laughed Tracee Ellis Ross on a recent phone call with The Glow Up. She’s not wrong—like us, the actress-entrepreneur has spent the better part of the last year in quarantine, finding new ways to work and testing out new products for her growing haircare line, Pattern Beauty. At the top of…Read more...

The value of mentorship can never be understated, as it imparts invaluable guidance, support, and expertise upon mentees eager to conquer the obstacles that lay before them. To that end, My Brother’s Keeper Alliance is in the business of building safe and supportive communities for boys and young men of color. And to…Read more...

Here’s a heartwarming story that’s come out of the drama between hedge funds and retail traders (many of them from Reddit) who drove GameStop shares up in the stock market this week. The rise and fall and rise again of the stock price for GameStop (or GME) over the past couple of days sent everyone who isn’t up on the…Read more...

As a part of DC’s ongoing Future State event, The Next Batman depicts a near-future where Bruce Wayne/Batman is believed to have been murdered by a private, hyper militarized police force called The Magistrate. With caped crusading becoming a crime punishable by death, Tim Fox—son of tech genius Lucius Fox—dons the…Read more...

Naomi Osaka has been killing the game—both on and off the tennis court. The 23-year-old Grand Slam winner currently ranks third in the World Tennis Association rankings, but she’s currently number one in endorsements, making her the highest paid woman in sports. And Osaka keeps on winning: earlier this month, she was…Read more...

Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 Pro Cooker | $179 | Bed, Bath, and Beyond

“When the time comes, what do you want us to remember about you?” CBS This Morning host Gayle King asked Cicely Tyson this week to promote her long-awaited autobiography, Just As I Am.Read more...

My first experience with the Nike Air Foamposite One, released in 1997—we called them Penny Hardaways or Penny’s, for short—was on the campus of Spelman College during the summer before my freshman year of college. I watched a dude in one of the summer programs we had running (I was in a program for science, math and…Read more...

Is it just me, or do Florida Republicans just really hate not being evil?Read more...

KitchenAid Architect Series 11-Piece Knife Set | $149 | SideDeal

Through her graceful presence onstage, in film and on television, actress Cicely Tyson created portrayals of proud, even majestic women that helped break down America’s stereotypes regarding African-American women. The iconic star, who inspired a generation of Black actresses, died Thursday at the age of 96.