As someone who lives in Los Angeles and fraternizes with more public figures and celebrities than I care to admit, one thing I can say with complete certainty is that many of their lives are a façade.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to threaten the health and very lives of the general public, one police officer has apparently committed what could arguably be called a new form of police brutality.Read more...

President Joe Exotic has found another Carole Baskin to blame for his inept and lackluster response to the Tiger King of viruses.

The tongue-in-cheek assertion that “black folks can’t get the coronavirus” hasn’t aged well.

Around Christmastime, rapper, new father and Crip extraordinaire O.T. Genasis gifted fans with a spirited take on Keyshia Cole’s “Love” titled “Never Knew.” Much to our delight (and Keyshia Cole’s chagrin), O.T. took the original lyrics and made them gang-friendly, while also showing off his incredible singing pipes.

The tea is piping hot and continuously flowing during the stay-at-home order—and there may be some love brewing in the air.Read more...

Renowned pastor and televangelist Joel Osteen is not letting the COVID-19 calamity impact his upcoming Easter Sunday service, and by the sound of what he’s reportedly planning to do, it looks like this will be a big event.Read more...

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system. Sign up for their newsletter or follow The Marshall Project on Facebook or Twitter.Read more...

As the deadly coronavirus crept its way across America unimpeded by the Trump administration, on February 13, 24 days after the first case hit the U.S., Vice President Mike Pence attended a “Trump Victory” campaign fundraiser at the sparkling new high-tech facilities of Nephron Pharmaceuticals in Cayce, S.C. Lou…Read more...

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As Americans stock up on supplies to get through quarantine, grocery store workers have become some of the most essential workers in the country. Unfortunately, they’re also some of the most vulnerable when it comes to contracting COVID-19.Read more...

The president’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic can only be described as a shitshow. From responding way too late to touting unproven treatments, Trump has been a hindrance to the recovery effort. When he’s not just poorly managing the crisis, he’s trying to take advantage of it.Read more...

Racial disparities in education have long been an issue that black people want addressed and remedied. From redlining to a general lack of resources, schools in black communities have gotten the short end of the stick for some time. In Mississippi, a group advocating for education reform seeks to take action in…Read more...

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has recently received criticism for his handling of the coronavirus crisis after having initially refused to shut down nonessential businesses in his state, a decision he reversed a day later.Read more...

Wisconsin voters face an impossible choice this Election Day: protect their health, or protect their voice at the ballot box. That difficult decision was placed at their feet this week thanks to the Supreme Court, which, in a partisan decision, ruled to toss out tens of thousands of absentee ballots cast after Tuesday.Read more...

On March 31, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made their exit as senior members of the British monarchy final—and accordingly bid a fond farewell to their Sussex Royal brand identity and foundation, via a post on their highly popular Instagram account, writing:Read more...

She’s the face of Chicago—and in recent weeks, the star of countless memes since sternly yet effectively locking down the nation’s third-largest city in hopes of containing the coronavirus outbreak. But while Mayor Lori Lightfoot has successfully gotten Chicagoans to “stay home [and] save lives,” the popular…Read more...

Ebony Magazine has been going through it.Read more...

Spike Lee has undoubtedly inspired many up-and-coming black filmmakers; specifically, his role in the independent film circuit and his penchant for addressing race relations in a no-nonsense way has earned him critical acclaim and respect. Much like celebrities who have such a strong personality that they are perfect…Read more...

Kentucky police are “investigating” a video of a local physician defending his community by wrapping his hands around a teenage girl’s throat in an apparent attempt at teaching her a very valuable lesson about social distancing. While the culprit’s violent reaction may have violated black America’s common-law…Read more...

The Trump administration has more employee turnover than a traveling carnival.Read more...

As COVID-19 continues to spread across the United States, there have been more and more calls for data to be released detailing the racial disparity in cases and care. In New York City, that data will hopefully be released sooner rather than later.

Remember how it was such a big deal when Neo (Keanu Reeves) finally realized he was “The One” in The Matrix? Take all of the power and acclaim from that feeling, replace it with patronizing stereotypes, add a dash of microaggression and you have, “The Black One,” also known as the Token Black Friend.Read more...

Longtime Georgia Congressman John Lewis has been a steady presence in the midst of a storm more than a few times in his life. On Tuesday, the revered civil rights icon and politician endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden, telling reporters, “he will help us regain our way as a nation and as a people.”Read more...

Actress, writer and overall busy bee Issa Rae graces the April cover of Teen Vogue, where she discusses Insecure’s highly-anticipated return, her blossoming film career, and more. Much to the chagrin of its fans, the beloved HBO series––which kicks off its fourth season on Sunday, April 12––has been on hiatus since…Read more...

COVID-19 has devastated the world and canceled or postponed schooling, sporting events and even our fave girl’s trip festival, but Tiffany Dena Loftin, director of the NAACP Youth & College Division, reminds us that it is our duty to continue to be civically engaged.

As President Trump continues to push the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19 symptoms, medical experts remain divided on the use of a drug that has yet to be proven as a safe and effective remedy for the virus. Despite the conflicting narratives, one Democratic state representative appears…Read more...

Saturday Night Live head writer and “Weekend Update” anchor Michael Che took to Instagram to disclose that his grandmother lost her battle with COVID-19. In a two-slide post uploaded on Monday, the comedian wrote that he’s still trying to grapple with his devastating loss.

Picture it: a Sicily-themed nook, where a Becky sits scrolling through her “Turning Lululemons Into Lemonade” Pinterest board with a self-satisfied smirk on her face. All of a sudden, she receives a DM from her girl Karen with an interesting proposition: a hit-for-hit battle on Instagram Live.Read more...

It’s a rare feat to score a spot on the New York Times’ bestseller list with your first book—and even rarer to have your finger on the pulse of a national moment with your second. Michael Arceneaux, author, 2018 Root 100 honoree and occasional contributor to The Root has managed to do both; following the success of…Read more...

R&B fans had laid out their best couch ‘fits for the latest Instagram Live musician match-up, Teddy Riley vs. Babyface. The event was supposed to take place on Sunday, April 5, one day after the highly-viewed T-Pain/Lil Jon battle, however, it was announced that morning that the battle was postponed.

The founder and publisher of Black Enterprise, Earl Gilbert Graves Sr., was an internationally recognized authority on black-owned businesses, a guru for African-American entrepreneurs and a tireless advocate for black business and consumer power. Graves died Monday night at the age of 85 after a long battle with…Read more...

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While most of the media coverage regarding Netflix’s Tiger King has focused on the plight of Joe Exotic and his cast of characters, Senior Writer Michael Harriot scored an exclusive interview with one of the seemingly forgotten victims of the limited docuseries that has taken the country by storm.Read more...

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As COVID-19 continues to spread across the country, one of the places that are being most affected are jails and prisons. They are also the places most likely to be overlooked in the government’s horribly mismanaged response efforts.Read more...

In today’s “Y’all’s president be wilding” news, Donald Trump shows us that he’s a lot of things, but a medical professional is not one of them.Read more...

Tyler Perry’s new BET+ show may be “Ruthless,” but his recent act of charity was the very opposite.

You really don’t need me to give you the customary “yo this pandemic shit is crazy” intro. At this point, I’m sure you’ve realized that this pandemic shit is indeed crazy. What’s even crazier is that cops have still found a way to keep with the bullshit, even as people are doing their best to keep themselves safe.

Since couch clubs and concerts have become a thing in recent weeks, one element we could use a lot more of is live instrumentation.Read more...

Coronavirus was meant to be the “great equalizer,” according to pundits, public officials and a few errant celebrities, but its impact has been anything but equal. Across the country, black people have been contracting the virus and dying from its complications at higher rates. And protective measures put in place to…Read more...

For every melanated individual over the age of 35, Sunday night was slated to be the music version of boxing’s “Rumble In The Jungle,” the spectacular fight between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali in Kinshasha, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), in October 1974—arguably the greatest sporting event of…Read more...

NFL Hall of Famer and former Washington Redskins player Bobby Mitchell, the first black player for the franchise, passed away Sunday at the age 84, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.Read more...

Wow. Two explainers in one day? I thought you retired these years ago?Read more...

As the child of Jamaican immigrants, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to trek across New York City to attend one of the most exclusive high schools in the country (Stuyvesant High School), and one of the country’s best historically black colleges (Hampton University). After serving as an Air Force…Read more...

Last month, actress and COVID-19 survivor Rita Wilson impressed fans with her quarantined rendition of the Naughty by Nature classic “Hip Hop Hooray,” which she rapped bar-for-bar on Instagram. Today, it was announced that she and the New Jersey rap legends will be joining forces on a remix of the song in order to…Read more...

Despite President “China Virus’” ‘insistence that the NFL season should start on time, there’s this thing called the COVID-19—perhaps you’ve heard of it?—that’s doing everything humanly possible to disrupt those plans.Read more...

What is a Bubble Guppy?Read more...

The first jail inmate to test positive for COVID-19 at Rikers Island, Michael Tyson, died on Sunday. According to multiple people familiar with Tyson’s case, he contracted and died from the disease while awaiting a hearing on a parole violation.Read more...

Listen, we’re all itching to go back to our old reality and ditch the coronavirus craziness, so if you’re losing your mind, you’re not alone. For many of us, heading to the salon and tackling our hairstylists with a running-start hug before they work their magic is first on our to-do list when society opens back up. B…Read more...