The Root

Brilliant comedian Chris Rock had this bit during his comedy special Bigger and Blacker in which he “joked” that there isn’t a white person in the room who would be willing to trade places with him and he’s rich. I know I’m paraphrasing here but, he explained that for even a downtrodden white person, it still pays to…Read more...

As social distancing to end the spread of COVID-19 continues to impact the ability of black congregations to engage in their traditional forms of interaction, conversations about the future arise. Undoubtedly, recovery from the coronavirus pandemic will create economic hardships that will impact the work many churches…Read more...

I love white Twitter.

As black folks throughout the world can attest, being the only one in the room not only comes with adversity, but a tremendous sense of responsibility. As such, we can find ourselves coerced into speaking or acting for our entire community, and in turn, mistakenly causing more harm to our own in the process.Read more...

The coronavirus doesn’t just ravage the body of those infected; it wreaks havoc on all those in proximity to it. It plays on the minds of those who, while not suffering from the actual disease, are caring for those who are. COVID-19's alarming infection and death rates bring with it the weight of uncertainty and the…Read more...

I know it doesn’t look like Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson, is a really smart man, but I assure you that before falling into the sunken place, he was one the world’s most beloved neurosurgeons. He may have been the world’s only neurosurgeon. Seriously name another neurosurgeon without Googling.

A week before Virginia implemented a statewide stay-at-home order, Bishop Gerald Glenn of New Deliverance Evangelistic Church in Chesterfield held services.Read more...

One thing we have a lot of here at The Root is music enthusiasts. We even have a Grammy-nominated artist (The Glow Up Managing Editor Maisyha Kai) amongst our ranks. The musical appreciation runs deep. Once upon a time not long ago, The Root created weekly music playlists, curated by the staff and upped onto Spotify.…Read more...

I swear the only way I know the exact day of the week these days is because of these weekly trailer roundups—Happy Friday!Read more...

Racial disparities in maternal care have been an issue for decades—and for decades, many politicians were content with ignoring the issue or made decisions that actively exacerbated inequality. But in recent years, there has been a sea change nationwide as more elected officials at every level of government have…Read more...

For some reason—maybe it’s proximity to the president, maybe it’s because Trump’s sons have been such a disappointment, maybe it’s because Trump just wants to see them win—both Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have been forced down America’s throats. Think of them as America’s own bizarro version of Prince Harry and…Read more...

REI @ Camping, Fitness, Biking Gear | 25% offRead more...

In a single season of playing altruistic attorney Alicia Johnson on ABC’s Mixed-ish, Tika Sumpter has quickly joined the ranks of television’s black moms—a role that followed star turns in The Haves and Have Nots, opposite Tiffany Haddish in Nobody’s Fool, and her endearing portrayal of a pre-White House (and…Read more...

A hotep and a MAGAt walk into a bar…Read more...

The King has returned.Read more...

Black Mamas Bail Out was first conceived as a continuation of centuries-long idea: that black people must be co-conspirators in their own liberation.

Written and directed by Tayarisha Poe, Selah and The Spades has been on my anticipated list for a while. In fact, though I didn’t get to attend that year, it made the top of my 2019 Sundance Film Festival black-ass experience list.Read more...

Justice Daniel Kelly lost his Wisconsin Supreme Court seat to Jill Karofsky after getting his ass handed to him in the state’s primary election on April 7. Now, Kelly is indicating that he may rejoin a case that could end in the purging of more than 200,000 Wisconsin voters.Read more...

If you thought that being in the midst of a global pandemic would inspire folks to act a little more humanely, well, you would unfortunately be wrong.Read more...

On Wednesday, GTA VI was trending on Twitter as a report from Kotaku’s Jason Schreier about the workplace culture at Rockstar revealed that the game was still in early development. Many took time to, humorously, express their dismay that the sequel to the 7-year-old Grand Theft Auto V was only just now heading into…Read more...

Since his exile from the NFL, should-be quarterback Colin Kaepernick has poured himself into combating racial inequality in Trump’s America. And with black communities receiving the brunt of the wrath of the coronavirus, Kap has announced his plans to provide relief.Read more...

Imagine channel surfing or scrolling through social media and coming across an advertisement for a documentary on your life story—one that you had no idea was happening and had no involvement in putting together. Cyntoia Brown-Long, who served 15 years of a life sentence for murder before being released last year,…Read more...

As COVID-19 continues to spread, we’ve seen its disproportionate effect on the black community. This has only further motivated a group of black doctors and scientists to work quickly on an effective treatment for the disease.

Roc Nation is joining the philanthropic efforts to step up and assist those in need during the coronavirus pandemic. The entertainment agency is providing 100,000 meals to support Feeding America and local food banks across the country. Additionally, goPuff is matching Roc Nation’s donation and is providing 100,000…Read more...

When will y’all learn that Megan Thee Stallion doesn’t take L’s?Read more...

Trump does this thing when he’s losing, and the move isn’t sophisticated or even nuanced. Trump literally finds something else to complain about and it doesn’t even have to be a legitimate grievance; it just has to be something else. Anything else.

New York is the epicenter of the United States’ COVID-19 cases, with over 200,000 confirmed cases and over 11,000 deaths. Because of these staggering numbers, N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is implementing an order requiring all residents of the state to wear masks when in public, come Friday, April 17. Even more staggering,…Read more...

I’m into adult coloring books.Read more...

Secretary of Treasury Steve Mnuchin’s wife Buffy, (OK, I don’t know her name but Buffy seems fitting for this post. Fine, her name is Louise Linton,) once flossed so hard on Instagram, she literally hashtagged all of her wildly expensive wears after a day trip with her man.

In retrospect, I realize I was being kind of petty. Not on purpose, but being a stickler for contrived rules can make you petty, it turns out. Hell, I don’t even like it when I see my kids wearing Adidas shoes with Nike sweatshirts or sweatpants. It happens, and nobody is in the wrong, but I do let them know that…Read more...

Remind me never to run for office.Read more...

For all of his otherworldly talent, tremendous business acumen and standing as arguably the greatest athlete in the history of professional sports, Michael Jeffrey Jordan is primarily known for one specific thing: being a fucking asshole.Read more...

What happens when you combine a soulful tribute to the late Bill Withers with the current need to amplify frontline workers during the COVID-19 crisis?Read more...

Dr. Melanie Malloy remembers a time when a 21-year-old patient experiencing nausea and vomiting could be exhibiting symptoms of appendicitis, gastritis or another malady.

Kamala Harris knows how to fight.Read more...

One of the only things getting us through this endless, nationally mandated quarantine is the “Verzuz” battles on Instagram Live. The virtual event, ideated by super producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz, features two musicians putting a selection of songs they’ve sung, produced, or written against each other, in order…Read more...

Saturday Night Live head writer and “Weekend Update” host Michael Che unfortunately lost his grandmother last week to COVID-19. However, he’s working to make the lives of others who may have been impacted by the results of the national response to the disease a bit easier.

It’s a question you normally wouldn’t ask a stranger, but ever since starting a podcast about black people and pregnancy, Martina Abrahams Ilunga and Gabrielle Horton have fielded it constantly: Do they plan on having kids?

Today, April 16, marks the date 158 years ago, when Washington, D.C., became the only American jurisdiction to end slavery by paying $1 million in ransom to slaveholders to free the 3,100 people enslaved in the nation’s capital.

Are Republicans still even bothering to try to hide the fact that they just don’t want people voting?Read more...

If the COVID-19 pandemic has shown anything, it’s that white people have very little interest in self-preservation. Take for instance, Michigan.

Whether it’s for using antibodies from those who recovered from COVID-19 to help those currently suffering or for blood transfusions for standard procedures, the nation is in dire need of blood donations. While the FDA made a move two weeks ago easing restrictions for gay men to donate, it appears it won’t be as…Read more...

This story shows how well-respected and beloved Former President Barack Obama remains among people who don’t believe Colin Kaepernick kneeling is worse than COVID-19. It is proof that a large swath of America can all come together for one uniform goal:Read more...

ARRAY has consistently been a champion of highlighting marginalized voices in the arts, and the current unprecedented climate of the industry during the coronavirus pandemic has inspired the independent distribution company and resource collective founded by Ava DuVernay to go a step further.Read more...

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, one issue has come up again and again: How do we best care for the nation’s homeless population? San Francisco lawmakers have taken a noble and aggressive approach to shelter the homeless in their city by ordering the mayor to lease thousands of hotel rooms to be used as safe…Read more...

On Monday, the Pied Piper of the Coronavirus claimed that he had “total authority” over all of the land. As Republicans raised their chalices to the Dollar Tree dictator masquerading as president, anyone in America with a double-digit number of teeth and the ability to read without moving their mouth looked at each…Read more...

As we measure the ongoing effects of COVID-19, loss of life and public health should remain chief among our concerns—despite any GOP rhetoric to the contrary. But America’s economic health is also in jeopardy, as evidenced by what the New York Times writes are “a number of reports that highlight just how badly the…Read more...

DJ Jazzy Jeff recently opened up to Tamron Hall about his experience living with COVID-19 and pneumonia.

For 364 days out of the year, I ignore Major League Baseball entirely.Read more...

Early on April 15, folks flocked to social media to report that their promised stimulus checks made their way into their bank accounts. Others were attempting to grapple with the strange quaran-dreams that continue to occur during these uncertain times.