The Root

The leading voice in America’s leading publication for black women is making way for new leadership. On Monday, Essence Communications made the unexpected announcement that as of March 31 its CEO, Michelle Ebanks, will be stepping down from the role she’s held since 2018, prior to which she had been in leadership…Read more...

There has been one thing consistent in Trump’s life from the time he announced that he was running for president until now: rallying.

Harvey Weinstein, previously known as a scapegoat to rape apologists everywhere, has been sentenced to 23 years in prison. Other than the sentencing duration itself, the lede here is that the one-time Hollywood heavyweight’s sentence is much longer than Bill Cosby’s. (Shout-out to The Root’s Michael Harriot for the…Read more...

Josie Harris, who shares three children with boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, was found dead Monday night at her Valencia, Calif., home. She was 40 years old.Read more...

We’ve been down this old town road before.Read more...

I’ve been to SXSW as a patron. I’ve been to SXSW as a member of the press. I’ve always dreamed of going to SXSW with a project.Read more...

There is an old black saying that goes: “When white folks catch a cold, black people get pneumonia.”Read more...

We’ve all heard the phrase “an eye for an eye,” and after enduring a lifetime of racism, that was the exact justification that accused killer Kori Ali Muhammad gave authorities for his decision to allegedly murder four people in 2017.Read more...

At this point, it might be time for independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders to start thanking his supporters and urging them not to be petty Bettys and make sure that they support the eventual Democratic presidential nominee, former Vice President and lifeguard Joe Robinette Biden.

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There is a saying in journalism that “all politics are local.”Read more...

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There is a certain level of irony to an elected official being turned away from voting. This was the case for Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas.Read more...

ICE seems devoted to proving it is one of the worst organizations in the American government. ICE is not a punitive organization. There is no reason anyone should be dying in their facilities. Especially someone who was coming to this country to seek asylum.Read more...

Cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have been steadily rising throughout the country. As a result, we’re seeing more and more states take drastic measures to try and contain the spread of the disease.

So is it just me or is it starting to feel like Joe Biden can’t go anywhere without having someone try and run up on him? Today’s installment of “Square up with Joe Biden” takes place at an auto factory.Read more...

In today’s “pot-meet-kettle” news, President Donald Trump would like all of America to know that Democratic front-runner Joe Biden—wait for it—may lack the mental capacity to be president.Read more...

With the latest Star Wars installment now in his rearview, actor John Boyega is shifting his priorities to bring more diverse content to American audiences.Read more...

The election of Donald Trump has really emboldened the “I don’t have a racist bone in my body” crowd. Seeing the president talk crazy with impunity has inspired his admirers to see if that lack of consequences also translated to them. In news surprising no one but white men, they don’t.Read more...

FLINT, Mich—Political surrogates for presidential candidates have a tough job.

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz is an asshole.

Giving birth has always put women at risk, but for women giving birth in America, it has become a deadly proposition, as the United States has become the most dangerous place to give birth in the developed world. For black women, the risk has been rightfully classified as a crisis, as black expectant mothers are three…Read more...

I’m all for people getting a second chance at life, but looking to test that credo is a convicted felon named Angela Stanton-King, who took a break from laying hands on Donald Trump to announce that she’ll be running for a U.S. Congressional seat in Georgia against the much more deserving incumbent, Rep. John Lewis.Read more...

If you had one shot, one opportunity to help someone, would you capture it or would you let them die of thirst?Read more...

For years and years, black people and people of color all over America have been calling for white supremacist terrorism to be given the same energy as Islamic terrorism. Recently, our concerns have been vindicated as we’ve seen report after report after report of government officials, on both the state and federal…Read more...

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Looks like evil billionaire and former 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg is giving $2 million of his own money to a nonprofit that works to register black voters in time for November’s general election.

To know me is to know that I’m a huge fan of one Robert Barisford Brown, better known to the world as Bobby Brown. And if we’re all being honest, we all should be fans. Just think for a minute about all of the things that Bobby Brown has given to the black community. The list really is too long so I’ll share just a…Read more...

In just a few short weeks, the coronavirus epidemic has affected not only public health but travel, education and trade. But among the goods affected by the spread of the virus, one has escaped mention: as reported by Black Enterprise last week, with China as one of the top exporters to the United States, the booming…Read more...

Charles Barkley is well-known for being generous with his opinions, but now the NBA hall of famer is pouring that same generosity into something a bit more benevolent: building affordable housing.Read more...

Without explanation or warning, the Trump administration reportedly postponed an annual intelligence report that explained that the U.S. isn’t even remotely ready to handle a global pandemic.

Rihanna may not always come when you call for a new album, but she’s always on time with a trend. Case in point: The multihyphenate just made her mark on a social media phenomenon; as Allure reports, last week, the star hosted the opening of Fenty Beauty’s first “TikTok House,” a Los Angeles-based destination…Read more...

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Sentencing children to life in prison with no possibility of release has long been a controversial aspect of the American justice system. Now, it appears the Supreme Court is set to weigh in on when it’s appropriate.

Two years ago, Maya Moore made the surprising choice to put her WNBA career on hold to advocate for 39-year-old Jonathan Irons. Moore believed that Irons was wrongfully convicted and has fought to have him released from prison. On Monday, her efforts look to have paid off.Read more...

More and more states are having to adjust to the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). We’ve seen companies mandate employees work from home, large-scale events and festivals canceled and now one of the largest school districts in Georgia is having to drastically respond to the virus as well.

In times of crisis, heroes often come from an unlikely source.Read more...

A federal court has refused the defendant’s request to dismiss Lamonte McIntyre’s claims against a Kansas City, Kan., police officer who allegedly sexually assaulted his mother and the Kansas county that wrongfully convicted him of a 1994 murder that landed him in prison for 23 yearsRead more...

This is why you can’t just let anyone appear on your network: the classism (and underlying racism) might just jump out—on-air. As has been widely reported, the royals formerly known as Prince Harry (just kidding; he’ll technically always be a prince) and wife Meghan Markle made their final appearances as members of…Read more...

On Friday, while touring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s headquarters in Atlanta—and this was only after his punk ass backed out of the trip when it was reported that a worker in the center may have tested positive for the virus—Donald Trump noted that he was shocked to hear that people died from the…Read more...

The grifter/scammer/absolute fraud seems to always pop up in the event of a crisis. They typically come through with the one magical fix to cure whatever ailment is plaguing society. The novel coronavirus(COVID-19) outbreak has proven to be no different.

DETROIT—There are few towns in America in which you can gauge black enthusiasm for the political process better than the Motor City. With a population of more than 600,000, close to 80 percent of which is black, it is literally the biggest black city in America.Read more...

I’m not quite sure when exactly it happened, but at some point in the past week my coronavirus-related anxiety shifted from “this is a thing I should think about, I guess” to “this is a thing I should actively worry about.” Even if we’re able to effectively contain the spread of it, it now seems inevitable that our…Read more...

White people are racist, straight people are homophobic, men are sexist and everyone is stupid.Read more...

Sen. Cory Booker, a former Democratic presidential candidate, has made it Facebook official and formally endorsed Joe Biden on Monday.

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There are different levels of “ain’t shit,” but Cheryl Hall is in a class of her own.Read more...

The Truth Awards were created to celebrate the accomplishments of the black LGBTQ+ community and its allies, and on Saturday night, Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade’s show of support for their child Zaya Wade was a parade-worthy act, in and of itself.

Since his release from prison in 2018, Meek Mill has blossomed into an ardent proponent of criminal justice reform. In doing so, he’s gone to great lengths to not only rehabilitate his image, but help others avoid the pitfalls of our broken criminal justice system with the launch of the REFORM Alliance. Despite his…Read more...

Trump started the morning the way he normally does: he kicked a baby kitten in the face, drank a half goblet of baby goat milk which he promptly spat into the toilet that his interns call Sen. Lindsey Graham, and demanded that he be given a noggin of eel blood.