The Root

Black people in the U.S. are dying from coronavirus at a rate higher than any other demographic, and at almost 3 times the rate of white Americans. Structural racism and bias embedded in the country’s health systems along with other inequities have contributed to COVID-19's disproportionate impact on black people in…Read more...

My daughter, who is 4 years old, is currently in a superhero phase. Yesterday, for instance, I spent much of the day in an extended, five-hour-long riff with her where she’d approach me every 40 minutes or so to share she’d discovered a new superpower, and then she’d display it for me. (“Jumping jacks with my eyes…Read more...

Frank Baker, an African-American investor who heads the billion-dollar private equity firm Siris, has paid off the remaining tuition balances for the 2020 class of graduates at Spelman College and established a $1 million scholarship to help future graduates of the all-woman HBCU.

Aldis Hodge is a treat.Read more...

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Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is reportedly in the running to be Joe Biden’s choice for vice president candidate, is apparently now trying to shore up her credibility with the black community.

Tennis Star Naomi Osaka has broken the all-time record for female athlete’s earnings in a single year, according to a new report from Forbes. 22-year-old Osaka earned $37.4 million in the last 12 months from prize money and endorsements, making her the world’s highest paid female athlete.Read more...

If there’s one thing Jamaicans know how to do, it’s put on a show. And if anyone can put on a show it’s veteran dancehall artists Beenie Man and Bounty Killer, whose Verzuz battle on Instagram Live last night was reminiscent of a clash at a real life Jamaican concert.

Prosecutors in Louisville, Kentucky say they will drop charges against Kenneth Walker, the boyfriend of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor, who shot at police when they entered Taylor’s home on a “no warning” warrant to search for narcotics at 1 a.m. on March 13.

New figures released by an independent research organization reveal that more than 20,000 black Americans have died from the COVID-19 disease, confirming indications that African Americans have been disproportionately impacted by coronavirus.Read more...

Though two churches in Georgia and Texas recently had to re-close their doors after their congregations predictably began being razed by coronavirus, President Trump says governors across the country must allow places of worship to open this weekend.

Joe Biden is a white man in America.

It’s a widely accepted belief that the legal system will almost never hold police officers accountable for their actions, and now, a recent study has provided the numbers to back that claim.Read more...

In the aftermath of ESPN’s The Last Dance, there have been quite a few ruffled feathers. Reports have surfaced about Scottie Pippen being “beyond livid” at his portrayal and another former teammate, Craig Hodges, ripped Michael Jordan for statements that he made about the team he joined as a rookie.

Quavo is officially a 2020 high school graduate, y’all.Read more...

It’s Friday and we’re headed into a holiday weekend. This week is a pretty robust one for trailers (we already gave some special love to Da 5 Bloods and Body Cam), so let’s get right to it!

Yes, we know Mother’s Day was nearly two weeks ago, and that we’re now well into graduation season. We also know feel-good moments have sadly been far and few between, as of late—so bear with us, because this mother-daughter graduation story is a bright spot.Read more...

For five decades, former White House butler Wilson Roosevelt Jerman helped make sure everything at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue was as it should be. He began his career there as a cleaner when Dwight Eisenhower took office in 1952, eventually rising through the ranks of White staffers and serving each U.S. president up…Read more...

In honor of the upcoming Verzuz battle between legends Bounty Killer and Beenie Man on IG Live, The Root is bringing you a playlist full of the staff’s favorite West Indian island jams.Read more...

On March 13, 26-year-old Breonna Taylor was at home with her boyfriend when police entered her residence, shot and killed her. Much controversy has surrounded the case as there are two different accounts of what transpired and the officers weren’t wearing body cameras.Read more...

A reporting investigation by the New York Times and the Baltimore Sun has uncovered deep racial disparities in nursing homes hit by the coronavirus. From the beginning of the pandemic, the elderly were identified as particularly vulnerable to suffering the worst effects of the novel virus. But the data parsed by the…Read more...

If you’ve been spending more time coloring with your kids lately—or just enjoy the occasional adult coloring book as much as we do—you know the unique joy of picking the perfect colors to execute your vision. And if you’re an adult of a certain age, you no doubt remember the days when the peachy Crayola crayon was…Read more...

According to numerous internet historians, including Social Media Today, in 1997, a website called Six Degrees was the first social media platform on the world wide web. Then came Friendster, which began in 2002. Then Myspace and LinkedIn burst on the scene in 2003. Facebook emerged in 2004, which begat Twitter in…Read more...

I am not now nor have I ever been married. It just never happened.Read more...

While I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a sneakerhead—perhaps that’s some sort of reluctant denial; my wife is absolutely tired of my sneaker deliveries—I spend more than a little bit of time perusing sneaker websites and videos from people named Foamer Simpson, Jacques Slade and Seth Fowler, watching sneaker…Read more...

I’m not religious, and I know that thunder and lightning are caused by electrostatic charges superheating the air, producing a rapid atmospheric expansion that causes a sonic boom. I don’t think my hallucinations during REM sleep give me information about fertility, nor do I believe stop signs and telephone poles…Read more...

During a pandemic, your body is the biggest thing there is.

This year’s election is going to be tough and it shouldn’t be, but now I’m fully accepting that America is either voting for a Russian-loving, sun-beaten orange Skittle or a soggy white sock with a black stripe and a Southern old white man blaccent.

With each passing day, it’s looking more and more likely that NBA basketball is imminent.Read more...

When they retired from the slave trade, Isaac Franklin and John Armfield had amassed a fortune worth billions in today’s dollars by building a business that was essentially the Amazon of slave-selling.Read more...

Oh, you thought we were having a regular Verzuz weekend? Nope!Read more...

On Wednesday, President Trump attacked states like Michigan and Nevada for protecting voters’ from COVID-19 in upcoming elections by sending applications for absentee ballots. Voting by mail is a key way for states to protect voters’ health and safety, which states have a moral and legal obligation to do. It was yet…Read more...

President Trump is a senior citizen. The coronavirus hates senior citizens. One of the ways to prevent the spread of the coronavirus is to wear a mask. The president refuses to wear a mask—mostly because he’s a maverick, and by maverick, I mean asshole.

We’ve long lived under the assumption that everything’s bigger when there’s a billionaire involved. But leave it to Oprah to prove that theory true on Thursday, showing off a mammoth cabbage plucked from her presumably all-organic, undoubtedly perfectly manicured garden located somewhere we can’t afford.Read more...

Welcome to VSB Ruins Your Favs, a series where we’ll take a look at some of the most beloved parts of our culture—movies, cities, television characters, people, foods, decades, etc.—and ruin them for you. You’re welcome.

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Earlier this month, graphic video depicting the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery was publicly released. The video resulted in Gregory McMichael and Travis McMichael, the men who allegedly murdered him, to be arrested on murder charges. In recent weeks, calls have increased for William “Roddy” Bryan, the man who…Read more...

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds recently made history by adding the first black female officer to its ranks.Read more...

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Around this time of year we’d typically be wrapping up the basketball season and in the midst of the baseball season, while pretending we care about tennis in the lead up to Wimbledon. Obviously, that ain’t happening and with The Last Dance wrapping up last Sunday, there really isn’t much going on in the world of…Read more...

The Michigan attorney general doesn’t have time for Trump’s maskless fuckshit and told him that he has a “legal responsibility”—under state law—to wear a mask when he visits a Ford Motor Co. factory Thursday, or he should not come back to visit factories.

Harlem’s Fashion Row (HFR) was founded to bring attention and a much-needed platform to designers of color—and it’s done so for over a decade, garnering groundbreaking respect throughout the industry and enviable corporate partnerships. In the midst of the coronavirus, HFR’s mission continues, as on Wednesday, its CEO…Read more...

Cory Booker is at a crossroads.

Tiwa Savage, Davido and Mr. Eazi are the cover stars for Billboard’s latest special issue, which is entirely devoted to the continent of Africa.

In recent years, United Airlines has been battered by accusations of racial discrimination and failing to prevent mishap after mishap as its reputation has gone from pristine to swirling around the bottom of a toilet bowl. Unfortunately, that notoriety has grown after an unnamed NFL player has decided to sue United…Read more...

There’s been a lot of speculation as to whether Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden will pick a black woman to be his running mate in the upcoming 2020 election. Well, there still aren’t any definitive answers as to who his vice president pick will be, but in the meantime, Biden has chosen another black woman…Read more...

Question for Lana Del Rey:

Rihanna already told you she’s a savage—and her Savage x Fenty collection may have found its spirit animal in Megan Thee Stallion, whose “Savage Remix” featuring Beyoncé is still riding high on the Billboard 100 as we speak. But one savage turn deserves another, which is why it should come as no surprise that Thee…Read more...