The Root

It’s a question I’m asked during book talks, while signing books after said talks, on panels, in emails, through DMs, at happy hours, and even once in between games at LA Fitness. I try to be as transparent as possible, but the honest answer (“I can tell you what worked for me, but there’s no universal template.”) can…Read more...

Deion Broxton became the most relatable man on the internet this week after the Montana-based news reporter saw something he didn’t like—and wisely walked the fuck away.Read more...

At this point, it should be no secret that the U.S. wasn’t ready to deal with a global pandemic. Between nationwide shortfalls in testing for the coronavirus to a shortage of medical supplies, it has been a mess.Read more...

For many economic experts, it was not a matter of if a recession would hit once the coronavirus became a pandemic, but how bad it would be when it did. On Thursday morning, the numbers from the Department of Labor were even worse than what many had initially predicted: 3.3 million Americans filed for unemployment in…Read more...

The Harlem Renaissance was an explosion of black excellence and was eventually considered to be the “black cultural mecca.” But let the history books—and low key us too—falsely tell it, that excellence was mostly heterosexual.Read more...

While he has yet to make his auspicious debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, DJ D-Nice is a whole ass superhero.Read more...

In the president’s world, everything—the global pandemic, deaths, fear, the lack of toilet paper—all of it is solely about his election and the attempts by the “LameStream media” to keep him from being elected.

One of the most overused tropes in sitcoms and movies is when the parents have to say something offensive or talk about something they don’t want their kid to know. Instead of using foul or inappropriate language in front of an innocent child, they will spell out the offending word—usually in whispers. (I have no idea…Read more...

On Wednesday, Congress reached an agreement on a $2 trillion stimulus deal to relieve businesses and individuals affected financially by the coronavirus outbreak, and as usual, certain people are mad at all the wrong things.Read more...

The coronavirus has most of us staying inside the house—if possible—and that’s creating some new realities for our country. Parents are becoming teachers as well as employees while having to learn time-management skills. People who never want to leave the house under normal circumstances are itching to hit the CVS for…Read more...

In recent weeks, the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in people hoarding toilet paper and guns because this is America, dammit. In Los Angeles, though, one of those things has been taken off the board.

The entire country is in the midst of a public health crisis not seen in modern times. That fact hasn’t stopped the GOP from being the GOP. In fact, they saw fit to fully take advantage of the situation.

It feels like months ago when word started coming down that the coronavirus might shut down our whole lives for weeks, maybe even months. Turns out it was really, like, last week when the “stay your ass at home” hammer became a real thing. Of course, as soon as that happened, the charge to “use that time to be…Read more...

Throughout the course of his unparalleled career, Dr. Dre has collected more than his fair share of accomplishments and accolades. But his latest might be his most significant yet, as the National Recording Registry announced that his debut album, The Chronic, will be archived for forevermore in the Library of…Read more...

The Apollo Theater has always been the place “where stars are born and legends are made.” Now, that famous stage is about to go digital!Read more...

Of the many industries affected by COVID-19, the culinary industry has proved one of the most vulnerable, as social distancing runs contrary to the very nature of the restaurant world. The James Beard Foundation, which fosters and celebrates the industry’s leaders, is no exception.Read more...

No matter what crisis America is going through, politics stay politicking.

If I told you that there was a man, a white man, an older white man running for president that lied and said all kinds of random shit and physically wanted to fight people and used phrases like “lily livered” and “fisticuffs” and “malarkey,” you would tell me that surely that man was already in office.

Remember basketball? It’s this sport people used to play where two teams would try to put this rubber ball through a hoop on the opposite side of a hardwood court. It probably feels like a lifetime since the sport was played but in actuality it’s only been about a week since the NBA put their season on hold and the…Read more...

We need a celebrity intervention, y’all.Read more...

The coronavirus has—and will continue to—affect people from all walks of life, at every age, background and socioeconomic status. As COVID-19 spreads across the country, we at The Root are committed to chronicling its impact on the black community. We will continue to write stories of noted individuals who’ve lost…Read more...

It isn’t like the world is facing a global pandemic so devastating that Spain is currently using an ice skating rink to house dead bodies, so naturally, the president of the United States took time out of his busy day of applying “Pumpkin vomit,” as blush from Taylor Swift’s makeup line “Meh-o-naise,” to tweet his…Read more...

It’s been exactly two weeks since NBA All-Star Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus, sending the entire league into a tailspin and suspending operations indefinitely. In the time since, players have poured themselves into video games, social media, and other distractions, while others have tried their best…Read more...

From this point on, the rest of our lives will be defined around coronavirus. Expect all of your father’s stories to have the phrase, “But that was way back before coronavirus fucked everything up.” To that end, Congress—the group of old white people who don’t really care about the people who voted them into…Read more...

One would think that certain things don’t need to be said. For example, when a virus causes a global pandemic that has already claimed nearly 20,000 lives and threatens countless more, one would think nobody needs to say, “Don’t spread this virus intentionally.”Read more...

What’s it like to self-isolate when you’ve been in a three-decades-long relationship with the most famous woman in media? Well, ask Oprah’s life partner Stedman Graham.Read more...

When thinking about how politics and news events impact our mental health, we frequently focus on negative impacts: coverage about police shootings, disasters, and violent terrorist attacks have been shown to spike public anxiousness, cause depression and even reactivate past trauma.Read more...

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Back in October 2019—in a version of the world that is very different from the version we live in now—my nephew, along with probably a hundred other prospective students, visited the campus of Morehouse College, in Atlanta, Ga., during our annual homecoming weekend. On the Friday of that week, my nephew sat in on…Read more...

With social distancing now the crux of our everyday lives, musicians and entertainers are relying on platforms like Instagram to not only engage with their fans, but establish new ones. And eager to follow in the footsteps of DJ D-Nice’s historic #ClubQuarantine run over the weekend, we have super-producers Swizz…Read more...

“Slavery was such a long, long time ago. Why can’t you people just forget about it?” —Wypipo proverb.Read more...

If there is one recreational activity that defines black America’s unique ethnological experience that we commonly call “the culture,” then it would have to be the card competition known as spades.*Read more...

Coronavirus is coming for everybody’s neck. The force field we assume surrounds celebrities has been proven false as more and more celebrities and athletes have come forward with their diagnoses. Unfortunately, another name has been added to that list.

Since the coronavirus broke out in the U.S., Donald Trump has offered mixed messages on the severity of the virus, America’s readiness to combat it, and what the administration plans to do to help millions of Americans access healthcare and resources as the pandemic spreads. Just today, Trump said he hoped to have…Read more...

This year, Women’s History Month happens to end on a very poignant date; Equal Pay Day 2020 is March 31, marking how long it takes women on average to catch up with the earnings of their white male counterparts. If you’re a black woman, that date moves to August 13, meaning you may actually be able to celebrate your…Read more...

Nothing.Read more...

One of the side effects of folks staying at home to ride out the pandemic is that they’re not going out and donating blood. The LGBTQ community is willing to step up and help with the blood shortage but unfortunately, they’re effectively barred from it.

It’s almost impossible for a superhero to retire. I mean what would that even look like? Would Spider-Man go fishing and become bored knowing that he could shoot his web into the water and grab a whole school of fish?

On Monday, The Root reported that a 60-day moratorium on evictions issued by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) may mostly protect homeowners struggling to pay their mortgage due to the coronavirus crisis, but not so much for renters, leaving it to local governments to pick up the slack. Fortunately…Read more...

Raise your hand if you’re the family member with the Netflix account that everyone else asks to log into ‘cause they refuse to spend $8.99 a month for their own subscription. *raises hand* Now raise your hand if you’re the one who’s always asking, so you can get your hand out of my pocket!Read more...

If you solely blamed those inconsiderate Generation Z narcissists for putting the country at risk by partying on the beach for spring break instead of practicing social distancing during the global pandemic, maybe you should rethink your accusations.Read more...

The fate of the 2020 Olympic Games has been in the balance since the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic spread across the world. While the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was incredibly bullish about the prospects of this year’s games going on as planned, it appears they have finally grasped the severity of the situation.

Whoever said “racism will go away once older generations of white people die off” severely underestimates how much bigotry gets passed down from one generation to the next. They also need to pay more attention to how often young white people behave in a manner that shows apples not falling far from their trees.Read more...

Sadly, the 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is one of the most recent high-profile events to be added to the array of cancellations and postponements amid the coronavirus pandemic.Read more...

When you think of the craft brewing industry or even beer consumption in general, you might picture a white man with a beard and a curly mustache. But check the facts, beer bros: Women actually invented beer. Despite that, women are heavily underrepresented in the brewing industry. It’s estimated that…Read more...

Governor Jared Polis officially repealed capital punishment in Colorado on Monday, capping off a heated legislative battle to get rid of the death penalty in the state.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, there are currently 107 historically black colleges in the United States serving more than 228,000 students. If you’ve ever attended one or have close family or friends who have, you know the lasting impact the experience of being an HBCU student has on black people and…Read more...

Since taking office, Trump has judged his success as president on the stock market. Before the coronavirus, Trump often pointed to Obama’s accomplishments in improving the economy as his own. He took credit for it all.

Jazz legend Manu Dibango has died at the age of 86.Read more...

An Arizona couple made the costly mistake of listening to the president.