The Root

I am totally one of those people who believe the movie theater experience is special. Other than the primary fear and worry about my health and the health of my family and friends, I’ve been struggling with the fact that movie theaters aren’t currently accessible to me.Read more...

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) literally can’t stop being racist. If Tom Cotton were captured by a group of vigilante African Americans and had to talk for two minutes without being racist or he would die, Tom Cotton would ask for a phone so he could call his loved ones and tell them he loves them because even Tom Cotton…Read more...

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL HOLY SHIT I KNOW THIS AIN’T FUNNY THIS IS AWFUL THIS IS TERRIBLE THIS IS HATEFUL THIS IS …Read more...

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Grammy-nominated musician Aloe Blacc returns to the music scene with his latest song, “My Way,” which will be featured on his forthcoming album All Love Everything. The LP is slated to drop on October 2.

Lawrence Franks Jr., known as rapper Huey, has died at the age of 31. The Kinloch, Mo., native was reportedly shot and killed on Thursday night.Read more...

Nearly a dozen staff members were fired from a childcare facility in Kalamazoo, Mich., after a 16-year-old Black boy died while employees at the facility used their full body weight to pin him to the floor—all because he threw a piece of bread at another student. Now, three of those staff members are charged with…Read more...

Slavery, for the most part, has been abolished in this country. I say for the most part because the 13th Amendment allows for slavery to be used as a form of punishment. Some states have already elected to remove that clause from their local constitutions and Ohio is working to be next on the list.Read more...

For you royal watchers wondering how the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will maintain their standard of living since stepping down as senior royals, a new deal might provide an answer—and it has the presidential stamp of approval. (And for those of you who couldn’t care less, have a blessed day. This isn’t for you—and no,…Read more...

I’ve long felt that The Princess and the Frog has not gotten the love it rightfully deserved. Princess Tiana hasn’t received the same energy given to Elsa and Anna from Frozen. Hopefully, that will change in a very big way.Read more...

To live in Arizona is to perpetually exist in one long, heavy sigh. If it’s not being embarrassed by the actions of your fellow citizens, you can be damn sure the elected officials will do something that is just inhumanly trash.Read more...

If you look at allyship as some sort of contest, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has been eager to put some points on the board. He’s done this mostly through highly publicized, “spicy” responses to racist customers, and by canceling his meetings on Juneteenth and encouraging other employees “to do the same if you can.”Read more...

Well before she was named editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue, Lindsay Peoples Wagner was calling out disparities and microaggressions within the fashion industry; most notably with her August 2018 report for The Cut, “Everywhere and Nowhere: What it’s really like to be Black and work in fashion,” revealing what Black…Read more...

When the NBA announced its plans to resume its NBA season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, it gave players two options: either partake in the festivities, and enjoy job perks like reduced salaries and being kept away from their families until after the first round of the playoffs, or stay home and play…Read more...

It was white supremacy.

Well, this is awkward.

Beverly Johnson

When 23-year-old Elijah McClain died after police put him in a chokehold last year, the news of his killing—and the subsequent decision to not press criminal charges against the Aurora, Colo., officers who apprehended him—didn’t reach far beyond the state.

Most days I wake up to the petty satisfaction of knowing how mad white people are right now. The Black Lives Matter movement is more mainstream and widely celebrated than it’s ever been. It’s so big now that even white people living in some cave near some Amish community with no internet access will likely find it…Read more...

In a past life, I hated Vince Carter.

Tamir Rice should be celebrating his 18th birthday today, June 25. But at age 12, his light was dimmed, and the world still wonders why.

Today, June 25, marks the 7th anniversary of the Shelby County v. Holder case, in which the U.S. Supreme Court found that Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act was unconstitutional. As we continue conversations surrounding voter suppression, especially given the issues surrounding the recent Democratic primary election…Read more...

I have started this column at least three times but I feel like you should know this before I begin. The Root doesn’t wade in the kiddie pool. We have no problem destroying your least favorites and your favorites, but like the mafia, we have rules. We don’t go after kids, ever. So we kicked around the idea of talking…Read more...

At Sunday night’s BET Awards, Beyoncé will be the recipient of the 2020 Humanitarian Award, which will be presented virtually. According to a press release obtained by The Root, outside of her successful music career, Beyoncé has a proven philanthropic track record which demonstrates her ability to “give back to the…Read more...

Layleen Xtravaganza Cubilette-Polanco should not have been in solitary confinement at Rikers Island.Read more...

Surely, there are good cops. White people keep telling us about them and about their blue lives mattering, so they must exist. Still, with so many recordings surfacing where bad cops can be seen and heard doing and saying bad things, one can’t help but imagine how much cop malfeasance goes on when they’re not being…Read more...

They couldn’t even make it out of the opening statements before a Republican lawmaker went full older brother finger-in-your-face-but-I’m-not-touching-you levels of petty.

To the surprise of no one, Bubba Wallace’s mother insists that her son has faced racism time and time again throughout the course of his professional racing career.Read more...

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The year 2020 is full of unexpected plot twists, one of which has been Hollywood taking accountability and attempting to actually right the wrongs of the past—after being thoroughly called out on social media about it, that is.Read more...

Several Black female employees and former employees came forward via Twitter to detail their experiences with a toxic working environment under Abiola Oke, the CEO and Publisher of the Okayplayer and OkayAfrica brands.Read more...

The sun is out, the birds are chirping, and COVID-19 is still a thing. If you’re still planning on staying indoors regardless of whether your state began to open back up, social media is chock full of entertainment at your fingertips. The Root is here with options to keep occupied while socially distancing. Not only…Read more...

Right now, two separate and unequal policing bills are navigating their way through America’s highest legislative bodies as a response to the protests over the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and thousands of other people whose lives have been snuffed out by the hands, forearms, knees and bullets…Read more...

It’s kind of sad when Walmart is quicker to stop doing something that’s blatantly messed up before the actual government. The company has a tradition of flying the local state flag in front of its stores. That tradition will be suspended in the state of Mississippi.Read more...

Being Black in America is having to exist in a constant state of self-preservation. No matter our age we are seen as a threat; a thing to be terrorized. Three Black teenagers in Connecticut learned this sad truth when two white men chased them down while yelling racial slurs at them.Read more...

Georgia’s lack of any kind of law to prosecute hate crimes came under renewed scrutiny following the killing of Ahmaud Arbery in March. After years of failed legislation, the state has finally passed a bill that will allow the prosecution of hate crimes.Read more...

There is a phenomenon that occurs when you’re going about your day and can’t get a particular song out of your head. We refer to that song as an “earworm.” Well, a constant buzzing in the back of my head has recently gotten louder and louder: I refer to this song as an ear parasite—specifically, the parasitic system…Read more...

On Wednesday, a grand jury indicted all three suspects accused in the death of Ahmaud Arbery.Read more...

When the massive Black Lives Matter demonstrations began in May, it was unclear how they might impact the country’s ongoing coronavirus pandemic. According to a new study published earlier this month by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the nationwide demonstrations don’t appear to be linked to spikes in…Read more...

How many videos need to surface showing police officers brutalizing black people before America realizes these incidents aren’t so isolated after all? Video footage of George Floyd set off the largest Black Lives Matter movement since the BLM hashtag was created. What most people don’t know is that just two days…Read more...

“Image architect” Law Roach is one of the most successful talents working behind the scenes of the fashion and entertainment industries—crafting the memorable red carpet looks of stars like Zendaya and Celine Dion when he’s not throwing out biting one-liners as a judge on shows like America’s Next Top Model and HBO…Read more...

More than 100 days after Brett Hankison barged into 26-year-old Breonna Taylor’s home in Louisville, Ky., shooting and killing her, the former Louisville Police narcotics officer has been fired from the department.Read more...

In the latest display of performative allyship, we have the Washington Redkins, who are doing just about everything humanly possible to pretend like they never had a racist-ass owner even though they still have a racist-ass name.Read more...

I use social media as a learning tool.Read more...

Say what you will about 2020, but this has been the year that America is confronted with all the racism—blatant and subtle—that it celebrates through monuments, flags, product brands and the very names given to schools, streets and even entire states. It’s gotten to a point where the state of Rhode Island is moving…Read more...

The country is experiencing a racial awakening in response to the police brutality protests that are still taking place after George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s deaths. Anti-racism books are flying off of shelves, streaming services have dedicated blocks of programming to Black shows and movies, and general interest in…Read more...

Jodeci and SWV are my favorite 90s groups. Their music, to me, is so superbly good that you shouldn’t have anything negative to say about it. Jodeci is still, today, a gold standard group, which is amazing considering that they only have three albums, all released between 1991 and 1995 that are worth talking about.…Read more...

First, Paul Manafort was released from jail because his precious white lungs couldn’t stand to be around all that jailhouse stank and COVID-19.

Black folks are tired.Read more...

Terry Crews, one of the stars of NBC’s hit comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, revealed that four of the episodes for the show’s eighth season were entirely scrapped in the wake of police brutality and Black Lives Matter protests.Read more...