The Root

Imagine being so racist and sexist that you find a job that literally allows you to be racist and sexist and that still isn’t enough. So you use a fake name to be even more sexist and racist online.

It looks like Tory Lanez and Megan Thee Stallion weren’t exactly on lockdown this weekend, and things escalated quickly.Read more...

Fun fact: I am in love with a freckle fetishist. I’m not sure either of us knew this until well into our relationship when he’d become well-accustomed to seeing the faint smattering of freckles across my nose and cheekbones that are on full display, sans makeup. I’d often catch him staring at me intently for seemingly…Read more...

I am a certified asshole.

Another day, another investigation sparked by another viral video showing another cop beating on another Black man. This time it happened in New Jersey around 3 a.m. on Sunday when an officer was recorded repeatedly punching a Black man in the face while other officers restrained him.Read more...

Four people have been charged with murder in the shooting death of burgeoning Brooklyn rapper, Pop Smoke (born Bashar Jackson). Last week, five suspects were arrested in connection with the case. The 20-year-old was killed during a home invasion in Los Angeles in February. Prosecutors say that the attackers got the…Read more...

Viola Davis radiates on the cover of Vanity Fair for its July/August 2020 edition. The Oscar, Emmy and Tony-winning actress discusses police brutality protests, the fight for equal pay as a Black thespian and much more. Dario Calmese shot the photos accompanying Davis’ feature, and made history in doing so. He is the…Read more...

On Monday, a man—who can’t possibly live in Florida—interrupted a press conference by Gov. Ron DeSantis (who looks exactly how you’d think a Florida governor would look) to tell the inept governor that his handling of COVID-19 throughout his state has been a joke and that he’s willing to call in the fire department to…Read more...

Simone Biles, who is often lauded as the greatest gymnast to ever tumble on Earth, opened up to Vogue for its August cover story, where she discussed training for the (as of now) 2021 Olympics during a pandemic, her frustrations with USA Gymnastics organization’s negligence around sexual assault and much more.Read more...

Imagine it’s 2070. History classes all over the U.S. teach the 2020 Black Lives Matter Uprisings and the national campaign to defund police. Students are shocked to learn about police officers who once killed Black people. For these young people, public safety means community and skilled professionals coming together…Read more...

Kenya Barris is busy AF.Read more...

Mike Espy is ready to win this time.

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Fundamentally, I’m a begrudging optimist. Pessimism just seems counterproductive so, no matter how awful things look, I always hold out hope that perhaps they can be better. As protests for police accountability have consistently occurred for well over a month across the county, I’ve hoped that the result would be…Read more...

In an effort to fight against the systemic racism that’s embedded in both society and workplaces within the service industry, tens of thousands of workers have planned a massive, full day strike later this month.

More than a thousand people participated in the National Mother’s March and Weekend Against Police Violence by marching to the Minnesota State Capitol on Sunday. Those demonstrators included the family members of more than 100 victims of police violence who had come from all over the country to join the protest in St.…Read more...

One would think that literally everything that has occurred over the course of the last few months would result in police officers actively trying to not become the center of yet another viral video. But we’re in dark times, so common sense is out the window, and instead, we have to watch both white folks and law…Read more...

From the surgeon general who brought you “do it for your big momma” comes another profound moment in intellectual flatulence: that the government reversing its stance on face masks is kind of like when doctors gave cocaine as medicine.Read more...

Trump is the dude who successfully sold three NutriBullets on eBay for a combined $15 profit and now wants to talk with you about your finances.

My name is Tonja Stidhum and I am a Kill Bill stan.Read more...

Chance the Rapper is a rapper who raps about the sort of things you’d expect a rapper with “Rapper” in their rap name to rap about. If you are not familiar with him or his work, the best way to describe him and it is “aggressively earnest.” Think of a trade school admissions counselor who also rapped on the side…Read more...

There’s a time and place for proper decorum, but when a Republican senator trolls the NBA for “kowtowing to Beijing” and “withdrawing support” from the military, trust and believe that world-renowned NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski—affectionately known as “Woj” to those of us who eat and breathe basketball—is with the…Read more...

Is anybody else starting to get the feeling that some of these Karens are hopping aboard the “You ‘bout to lose yo’ job” train on purpose? Either a lot of white people have come up with a clever way to intentionally rid themselves of their employment, or they are so out of touch that they haven’t quite caught on to…Read more...

Congrats are in order for Lt. j.g. Madeline Swegle, who the Naval Air Training Command is recognizing as the first known Black female tactical fighter pilot.Read more...

After an extensive search, we unfortunately have very sad news to report: Naya Rivera’s body has been reportedly found in Lake Piru, California. The beloved Glee actress was 33 years old.Read more...

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Florida has fired and charged a sergeant with a felony after the officer held a gun to a handcuffed Black man’s head and threatened to kill him for not providing his name. The cop’s quick termination comes as a result of his fellow officers, who reported him to their…Read more...

President Trump is the Scott Baio of Chuck Woolerys.

Breonna Taylor. Shelly Frey. Michelle Cusseaux. Tanisha Anderson. Korryn Gaines. India Kager. Atatiana Jefferson.Read more...

Proper Gnar, the first Black female-owned skateboard company, was featured on Beyoncé’s June list of Black-owned businesses we should know. The company, founded by Latosha Stone in 2013, is bringing representation to female skaters (especially Black ones) in the U.S.Read more...

If you’ve followed Tracy Clayton online throughout the years, you’ve probably noticed her endearing and comforting humor.Read more...

It’s been just under a century since Tulsa, Okla., saw one of the most brutal and evil acts of American racism imaginable post-slavery. On May 31, 1921 hundreds of Black people were murdered and over a thousand homes, businesses, churches and schools were destroyed all because a Black teenager working as a shoe shiner…Read more...

If you were a Black fan of Boy Meets World like me, Angela (Trina McGee) and Shawn (Rider Strong) were a big deal. Aside from the standout fact that there was a Black girl in an interracial relationship with one of the leading co-stars and thus had a major recurring role in a highly popular show, Angela also stood…Read more...

During an interview with USA Today in 2013, Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder was defiant in his refusal to ever change the team’s name—so much so that he even used absolutes.Read more...

Zindzi Mandela, South Africa’s ambassador to Denmark and the youngest daughter of Nelson and Winnie Mandela, has died at the age of 59, according to the South African government.Read more...

Nicole Thea, a 24-year-old YouTube star from London, and her unborn child passed away suddenly on Saturday morning. CNN reports that Thea was around eight months pregnant at the time of her death.Read more...

I hate you half-assed mask people. You know who you are. You are the assholes who know that masks are mandatory and maybe it’s because you’re lazy or an asshole or both, but you wear the mask at half mast, meaning it’s over your mouth and not your nose, which makes me want to rake your eyes, kick you in the stomach…Read more...

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I know you will not clutch your pearls in surprise when I tell you that one of the writers behind the notoriously racist Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News has been revealed to be a virulent racist.

As Black people have long known, the idea that Black lives matter is still not a given to everyone—and is actually up for debate in some circles—which is what inspired the simple yet powerful affirmation in the first place.

For some unknown reason (maybe because he feels a way about himself being largely unknown), former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Kyle Quiero hopped on Beyonce’s internet this weekend to question out loud if people really find Jill Scott, the sultry neo-soul singer, attractive.

The mendacity of police officers never ceases to amaze me, not to mention the extensive luxuries they get to enjoy as a result of tax-payer money.

If it’s one thing white women know how to do, it’s to turn on the tears when they need to turn off the heat from their own behavior.

As anyone could have predicted—and as The Root did just a day ago—President Trump has used the power of his office to commute the sentence of his criminal crony Roger Stone.

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As much as the President and his acolytes would like you to think otherwise, we are still in the midst of a global pandemic. States such as Florida, Georgia and Arizona are currently experiencing a surge of cases, and wearing masks, which is thought to help slow the spread, has become a source of debate because some…Read more...

Remember the year of June 2020? Protests against police brutality took place all across the country as people were outraged by the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Companies who usually wouldn’t be caught dead taking a side in any fight were saying “Black Lives Matter.” While it felt like a moment of…Read more...

The real victim, the one we rarely talk about during this pandemic and racially trying times isn’t the families who are hurting from the coronavirus, or those who have lost loved ones. It’s not even those who have been victims of systemic racism or those who have shortened their lives trying to explain to white…Read more...

This mailbag is dedicated to all the ones who called the writers at The Root “racists”; to all the ones who wrote us emails saying we’d never amount to nothing; to everyone who sent angry emails when we were just trying to write articles and feed our babies. To all the niggas in the struggle...Read more...

When you woke up this morning, you probably thought you’d be having a regular Friday afternoon. Oh, but no! This isn’t a regular Friday, this is 2020 Friday.Read more...