The Root

Race and racism continue to be a pivotal issue in American politics, and there’s no question it will matter in this year’s elections.

Who’s surprised to hear this news?

There’s something especially disgusting about a Black person who eagerly jumps at any opportunity to publicly tell Black people they are expendable and that their value is determined by how much they can provide and perform for white people.

A set of Kirby figurines for pre-order, deals at Sunday Scaries and Fomo Bones for National CBD Day, fancy Klipsch speakers for $549, and more top Saturday’s best deals.Read more...

Leading actors Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield will deliver stirring performances in an upcoming cinematic retelling of the life and assassination of Black Panther Fred Hampton, if a newly released trailer for the movie is any indication.

Y’all, I’m thinking Michigan might be gunning for the position of most racist state, because it’s the only way I can make sense of a state official just casually dropping the hard-R at the start of a public meeting.Read more...

Despite most medical professionals saying “Hey, don’t do that,” schools across the country are steadily beginning to reopen. In Mississippi, the death of a beloved teacher while self-quarantining has increased fears of a COVID-19 outbreak during the first week of school.Read more...

Corporations just can’t seem to stop doing racist things, despite all the flowery statements and promises of change that have come from them this year and other times before.

Milwaukee’s chief of police was demoted to captain Thursday due to the way he handled multiple situations, including the protests that happened in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

Last month, a number of Black Lives Matter demonstrators smashed windows and splashed red paint all over the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office during a protest against racial injustice. Now, they might be facing up to life in prison because prosecutors are adding a gang enhancement to their felony criminal…Read more...

President Trump believes that if Joe Biden is elected president, his first days in office would include Biden placing the Bible on the floor of the White House bedroom and the 77-year-old diving off the bed to deliver a big elbow to the helpless Bible. The president of people who’ve thrown out all their watches…Read more...

With months of quarantine now behind us (and who knows how many more to go), hopefully, you’ve been indulging in some online education as well as entertainment—and starting on Sunday, New York City’s famed 92nd Street Y debuts an online course that offers both.Read more...

Managing Editor Genetta Adams is off today, so I do not have to adhere to the usual format.Read more...

Don’t just talk about it; be about it. That’s the subtext of Zendaya’s stunning September 2020 cover story for InStyle, creative-directed by Zendaya’s longtime stylist Law Roach (a 2019 Root 100 honoree) and photographed by Ahmad Barber and Donte Maurice of AB+DM Studio, who also joined forces with Roach to capture…Read more...

When he’s not fighting for touchdowns on the field, Dak Prescott is apparently fighting for justice off of it.

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion are indeed bad influences.Read more...

First, oh, the stories you will tell. I awake from a four-hour surgery with an epidural and pain pump full of Fentanyl to sounds of a man dying on the gurney next to me, separated only by a threadbare curtain. Codes blare over the PA system, calling for every available physician to assist while next door, there’s the…Read more...

147 days.Read more...

Every now and then you have to reach into your bag for your inner “bad bitch.” Sometimes, that’s what it takes to get the job done. This week’s playlist is chock full of jams to harness the power of that inner “bad bitch.”

Unlike others, I don’t spend a lot of time fraternizing with Nazis—as in at all.Read more...

“No, I don’t have any bottled water” was my reply, 12 years ago, when two women—one of whom I was dating; the other was her friend—visited my apartment for the first time.

HBO’s Lovecraft Country is a story about its heroes fighting for their lives as they make their way across 1950s America. It’s also a multifaceted family drama that embraces the idea that the people you share blood with are often the same people who hurt you the most. And yes, monsters. Of all sorts.Read more...

When Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion revealed earlier this week that they had a new collaboration coming out called “WAP,” I began eagerly anticipating and preemptively celebrating a wave of hot girl shit to take my mind off the hot mess that continues to be 2020.

3 Months Free | Amazon Music Unlimited

Do you like anime? How about seeing folks get their shit absolutely rocked? If you answered yes to both of those questions then you, dear reader, need to check out Crunchyroll’s latest original anime, The God of High School.

With the coronavirus still very much a thing, the NFL and NFL Players Association set a deadline of Thursday for players to decide whether or not they would be opting out of the upcoming season. Now that that deadline has passed, we know exactly which players we won’t see on the field this year.

An Amazon sale on PS4 exclusives, a Sony 65-inch X900F TV, an Adobe Photoshop Elements 2020 Gold Box, a Kelake Alien Pikachu figure, an Aukey dual dash cam, a carry-on luggage Lightning Deal, a Natural Dog Company balm bundle, and a five-pack of K95 masks lead Friday’s best deals.Read more...

Kanye West suffers from bipolar disorder. Everyone knows this because the rapper has been open about his struggles with the illness. Before learning of his struggles, America has always found Kanye’s brash, egomaniacal personality entertaining. It made for good sound clips. In fact, before learning of his diagnosis, I…Read more...

“I always knew I wanted to be a singer, I always wanted to be an artist,” Tiana Thomas, affectionately known as Tiana Major9, tells The Root over the phone. The East London native, now 24 years old, reveals her music dreams began to manifest at age five. It was only a few years ago that she quit her job at Urban…Read more...

If you were at all concerned about Keke Palmer’s career prospects following the cancellation of Strahan, Sara & Keke, you needn’t be. In fact, the multitalented entertainer will be multitasking in the coming months, scoring two high-profile gigs we’ll likely all be “keke-ing” about (sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves).Read more...

On Wednesday, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed an executive order that immediately restored voting rights to former inmates who have completed their sentences.Read more...

After months of vetting, evaluating and probably texting “WYD” to Michelle Obama, sources say presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden has whittled down his choices of potential running mates to two Black women.Read more...

Can the White House be won back in November? There are admittedly obstacles to face in the next 88 days, but one thing’s for certain: We definitely can’t win if we don’t vote. Today is the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and as voter suppression via any number of dirty tricks threatens to derail our…Read more...

Boooooy, y’all’s presumptive Democratic nominee appears to be bound and determined to join y’all’s president in making the upcoming presidential race as excruciatingly cringeworthy has humanly possible. This racism vs. diet racism Pepsi challenge we’re all being subjected to is getting...well...interesting.Read more...

Is #MeToo finally doubling back to hip-hop? Perhaps, especially since this week has been filled with public allegations. On Sunday, R&B vocalist Jaguar Wright (best known for 2002's Denials, Delusions & Decisions) made explosive claims of misconduct and enabling of sexual abuse by rapper/actor Common, members of The…Read more...

If you are struggling to understand why people are calling for police departments to be defunded and have those funds reallocated to human services such as mental health professionals, then please allow an incident that occurred with the Los Angeles Police Department on Wednesday to serve as one glaring example.Read more...

As Black people in America in the midst of a political movement and a pandemic, what are the most pressing issues that we should be paying attention to in November? Healthcare? Police reform? Education?Read more...

The Aurora Police Department’s new chief says that she knows the department is trash and she vows to fix it. Ok, that’s not exactly what she said, but she has made it clear that she is dedicated to getting the police officers under her command to acknowledge their racial biases and to “do better.”Read more...

Hot girls everywhere, rejoice! Our favorite “savage” and the legendary “girl on fire” have both announced forthcoming beauty partnerships—each putting the “pretty” in “pretty big deal.”Read more...

If “you know you done fucked up, right?” was a mood, it would look something like this:Read more...

Donald Trump’s campaign has finally found a legitimate scandal to pin on Joe Biden.Read more...

In a recent interview with The Root, ESPN analyst Jay Williams noted that while increased awareness around social justice issues is important, he’s far more concerned with the NBA’s interest in that subsequent action.Read more...

Michelle Obama just keeps giving us more reasons to love her—mostly because of her innate empathy (you should try it, it’s delicious) and her increasing transparency since leaving the White House and publishing her instantly bestselling 2018 memoir, Becoming. In her newly launched Michelle Obama Podcast, she’s…Read more...

Georgia governor and unofficial Donald Trump butt-wiper Brian Kemp signed a proposal into law Wednesday that basically treats police officers as a protected class because white conservatives have convinced themselves that “blue” people are actually an oppressed minority. What’s worse is that the bill was pushed by…Read more...

I believe it was fabled author Damon Young who once stated that “white people won’t save you.” But just in case you’re unclear on their utter willingness to condemn us all to the fiery depths of hell, allow me to enlighten you.Read more...

Want to keep track of all the folks participating in The Root Institute virtual conference this year? Here’s a handy guide of the who’s-who joining in the conversations this year.Read more...

A free pair of Bose headphones with your next iPhone purchase at Visible, a rare discount on Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker for Nintendo Switch, an Amazon Gold Box deal on Carfidant auto cleaning solutions, a trio of plush dog toys, an LED suction light 4-pack, and an Ella Paradis G-Spot Hero vibrator lead Thursday’s…Read more...

I’m calling it now: Oprah Winfrey is going to win the Nobel Peace Prize.Read more...

On the same day that LeBron James said the NBA won’t miss Trump as a viewer, apparently Facebook and Twitter kept that same energy about Melania’s baby daddy and his campaign being on their platforms.Read more...