The Root

A Georgia State Patrol trooper has been arrested on felony murder charges after he shot and killed a 60-year-old Black man following a traffic stop on August 7. Now, an attorney representing the victim’s family says a civil rights investigation is underway.Read more...

A sale on recent anime blu-rays, JACHS NY’s shorts sale, a super useful charging station, lightweight padlocks, and more are some of Saturday’s best deals.Read more...

You know, when one of your officers is alleged to have been responsible for the unnecessary death of a Black man, it’s probably not a good look to rehire an officer who was let go for racism. Yet, that’s exactly what the Minneapolis Police Department did.Read more...

Can America do literally anything without being racist about it? We already know that this great nation of ours can’t seem to police its citizens, distribute resources to communities, facilitate voting, or fund education in a way that focuses on racial equality, but one would think that something like providing…Read more...

Despite going on vacation to Florida earlier this month, bond will not be revoked for the former Atlanta police officer charged with killing Rayshard Brooks.

In June, LeBron James unveiled his plan to protect the voting rights of Black Americans with the launch of his non-profit organization, More Than a Vote.Read more...

I know I start all of these with a reflection on 2020, but it really is jarring just how fast this year is going, yet feels like it’s going so slowly. Maybe it’s because the year has been so dense with heavy events such as the global pandemic, uprisings, presidential election, etc. Speaking of dense, this is a packed…Read more...

In Pennsylvania, a white judge is facing six counts of judicial misconduct for being an outright racist.Read more...

Remember when kiss-ass election thief Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp was eager to show Trump that he was an obedient Trump soldier by refusing to implement a statewide mandatory mask law? Oh, Kemp was showing out for the president. He reportedly purchased a Camaro and then rode in front of the White House doing donuts hoping…Read more...

BET’s five-part docuseries Ruff Ryders Chronicles follows the formation, highs and lows of Ruff Ryders Entertainment. Through their look, lyrics and sound, the hip-hop collective and label—founded by Swizz Beatz’s uncles and aunt Joaquin “Waah” Dean, Darin “Dee” Dean and Chivon Dean in 1997—aimed to bring real street…Read more...

We, as a people, love “firsts”—even when we recognize that they are long overdue. This week, many have been celebrating the announcement of Senator Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) as Joe Biden’s running mate as a historic first: the first Black—and Asian—woman to be nominated for vice president of the United States. But as…Read more...

In an interview with Sports Illustrated that was published on Wednesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the public’s response to the league’s new-found commitment to social justice.Read more...

It’s not an understatement to say we’re currently living in the age of “WAP,” an unadulterated (and very adult) celebration of the sexual agency and well-lubricated pleasure of women. To be clear, though these are issues pertinent to all women, the discussion—and attendant debate—have primarily defaulted to young, cis…Read more...

Welcome to Lovecraft Country...or um, you know...welcome to America for Black folks.Read more...

Black women are well known as the backbone of our democracy—and, as of this week, a Black (and Asian) woman could well be on her way to making history as our country’s next vice president. As one of the most active voting blocs in America (h/t Center for American Progress), Black women are already well aware of our…Read more...

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion set the internet on fire with their song and video, “WAP,” which stands for “wet ass p***y.” Well, after probably a million formal and informal takes on the song, the staff at The Root decided to curate a playlist of Raunch-jams for your listening pleasure(s). Shouts out to Cardi and…Read more...

To me, 2020 is really just one big episode of The Simpsons. Matt Groening is chock full of wacky ideas, and at this point, we’re waiting to see if a car is going to crash through the garage for real this time.

The year 2020 has felt like a decade, and we are only two-thirds of the way through it. This year was already slated to be packed with important moments: the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, the presidential election in the fall, and of course, a host of weddings, births, graduations and other important moments in one’s life.…Read more...

The second biggest lie that I allow people who’ve read my book, and who’ve heard me speak about my book, to believe is that I’m brave. “How did you find the courage,” they ask, during Q&As at independent bookstores, and through emails and (now) Zoom talks, “to be so forthcoming and vulnerable about your neuroses and…Read more...

When the economy was upright and Americans could go outside without wearing a full-body condom and Trump was just another old white man yelling on his Twitter lawn, “the way too old to be trolling with his trolling ass”-failed businessman was pushing a racist birther theory that then-President Obama was not an actual…Read more...

God-level MC, hip-hop mainstay and legend, Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones—aka Nas aka Nasty Nas aka Esco aka “N-A-S are the letters that spell, Nas Nas Nas”—released a new Hit-Boy produced record, “Ultra Black,” (and announced a new album, King’s Disease) for our listening pleasure on all streaming platforms. I have 7…Read more...

According to social media, white TikTok teens are now discovering the “chopped and screwed” production style created and popularized by late deejay, DJ Screw.

What do you know, turns out that the president’s orange-tinted skin might not come from a slathering of Kylie Cosmetics’ Weathered Basketball No. 7 and well, it could be Russian prostitute urine.

As a special teams contributor coming out of Oklahoma State, Kemah Siverand’s draft profile wasn’t exactly sterling. In fact, he didn’t even have one; so it came as no surprise that he went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft.Read more...

Sometimes you just need someone to put it plain. Enter country legend, Dolly Parton.Read more...

Bill Baptist, an independent photographer who has been shooting Houston Rockets’ games for a number of years, was relieved from his duties by the NBA after posting an offensive meme about Senator Kamala Harris on his Facebook page (where careers go to die).

We have a paramount cast lineup for a paramount author’s paramount work!Read more...

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Today I learned that there are, literally, over a thousand Confederate symbols on public land all over America. In recent years, calls have grown for these glorified participation trophies to be removed, calls that have only grown louder in the wake of George Floyd’s death earlier this summer.Read more...

As long as pay disparities for Black women continue, inevitably so will the respectability politics that insist that we are somehow culpable for those inequities—you know, the “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” mentality that is the hallmark of so many of America’s suppressive policies and longheld beliefs about…Read more...

In Louisville, Ga., one of the last remaining former slave markets is finally being removed from the town’s center.Read more...

Well, it only took five months, but Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has finally met with the family of Breonna Taylor. While not much has been revealed about the meeting, the family and the family’s attorneys have expressed appreciation for the conference and appear to be somewhat hopeful that justice is…Read more...

The Salt Lake City Police Department has suspended its K9 program following the release of body camera footage that depicted a Black man being bitten by a police dog despite being on his knees with his hands up.Read more...

Let’s begin with a prayer:Read more...

On Thursday, President Trump continued the verbal assault on prominent female politicians and an MSNBC host, and unless the 53 percent of white women who voted this fuckstick* into office don’t take notice and give a shit, he’s going to keep doing it and maintain the highest office in the land.

You know what doesn’t get enough love and attention right now? Black joy. So what are we going to do about it? Well, at The Root Institute, we decided to have a whole conversation around Black joy, especially as it relates to the current times we’re in. Panama Jackson—it me—was joined by choreographers Chloe and Maud…Read more...

Art is the cornerstone of most societies. The art often reflects the times the artist lived in and/or the systems in place at that particular time. To that end, art can be used in a transformative manner to effect change or as a piece of propaganda to sell a message or a viewpoint to masses.

I used to joke that “Pinterest saved my life.” Not literally, of course, but during an especially dark period in 2011, the platform best associated with “Mormon women and Midwestern moms” (as recently noted by the Washington Post) became an unexpected lifeline out of depression and back into my creative self.Read more...

As a child, the word “crazy” bounced around every black space I called home. “Crazy” was a destination and an origin. “Crazy” was at once a pejorative and wholly emblematic of our abundance. I loved the word “crazy.” I used it a lot in my oral communication with folks I loved. I used it to describe folks I despised.…Read more...

Michelle Obama released a new PSA this week about the importance of voting in the election on Nov. 3. Whether you’re opting to vote in person or by mail-in ballot, the stakes are incredibly high this time around, and now more than ever, we need to make sure our voices are heard.

After retiring from the NFL, former players have myriad options at their disposal. They can become noteworthy commentators, like Tony Romo and Deion Sanders; pursue coaching, like the Herm Edwards and Sean Paytons of the world; or they can burn jerseys in their front yard, like Adam “Pacman” Jones.Read more...

What is Black joy? Is it a superhero? Is it a way of life? Is it under attack? The answer to all of those questions is both yes and...hmmm? Thankfully, to address and discuss the idea of Black joy, what it means on an individual basis as well as for the community—especially during times of crisis—The Root Institute …Read more...

We’re about to get a true blue “Ice Cream Paint Job” thanks to RZA and Good Humor. The Wu-Tang superstar partnered with the ice cream company to work on a new jingle to replace the current well-known ditty for frozen delicacies, “Turkey In The Straw.” Not only is the 19th century tune an extension of the racist,…Read more...

A man who everyone keeps telling me is Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones—like I can’t see with my own two eyes that he’s clearly Bilbo Baggins after his ring was taken away by that hater Gandalf—told reporters on Wednesday that his team will play all of its home games in front of fans at AT&T Stadium when the regular…Read more...

Take my hand, precious Lord, we’ve got some more Mahalia Jackson biopic news to tell (on the mountain)!Read more...

Presumably, ever since art has existed, there have been conversations about what art actually means. And over time, the most effective ways to use art—protest, social change, allegory, etc.—became as essential to the conversation. In the Black community, where all art is under a microscope, those conversations of…Read more...

It has been tough watching the scores of Republicans openly weep after learning that one of their beloved GOP soldiers, a fighter of their fight, Herman Cain, died from complications of the coronavirus. I believe it was Sen. Lindsey Graham who came out stating how much he loved Cain and….

Sometimes two worlds collide: sports and politics; LL Cool J and Brad Paisley’s Accidental Racist and our eardrums; and The Onion and The Root.