The Root

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Black men, historically, are reluctant to go to the doctor. I mean just speaking for myself I’ve only recently been proactive about going to get checkups and all that good stuff. Instead of waiting for us to come to them, doctors at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have taken the initiative to come to us.Read more...

There is a certain subset of the population that believes a person’s humanity should be disregarded if they aren’t American or came here illegally. Those are people that are a part of a group I like to call “total dicks.” Thankfully, the federal judge responsible for this evening’s story doesn’t belong to that group.Read more...

Okay y’all, I’m starting to think that schools might be some of the most racist places in America. We all know kids have zero chill, but the level of racist behavior coming from both students and teachers seems like it’s becoming more and more common.Read more...

Growing up in Tulsa, Okla., I distinctly remember learning all about the Sooner State’s transition from a Native American territory to becoming the 46th state in 1907, Oklahoma City supplanting Guthrie as the state’s capital in 1910 and about the land runs that began in 1889, transforming acres of public land into…Read more...

What’s wrong with this picture (above)? We see SZA, Megan Thee Stallion, and Normani, three brown-skinned, black leather-clad rising queens of the music industry in a photo evoking the height of Vibe magazine’s iconic covers—but this time, for Rolling Stone (shot by Campbell Addy, notably the first black man and only…Read more...

The Washington, D.C. area has been hit particularly hard with the flu this season. At my daughter’s school, for instance, as many as 41 kids were out at one time. My boys’ school also felt like a ghost town on several separate days. All three of my children came down with the flu; my daughter had influenza B, and my…Read more...

Roger Stone, the longtime ally of President Trump who unironically dresses like a 1920 gangster and a traveling magician had a child, was sentenced to just 3 years and 4 months in prison Thursday, for crimes involving the special counsel’s investigation into Russia’s remix of the 2016 presidential campaign.

As the amount of student loan debt continues to rise right alongside the cost of education, one major university is taking a step toward ensuring education is a possibility regardless of a family’s income.Read more...

Throughout the course of history, we’ve been taught that there is a clear hierarchy in regard to a black person’s place in society. As such, the term “uppity”—which first surfaced in the 1800s as the snarky descendant of its equally demeaning predecessor “ungrateful”—has served to both dissuade and disparage those of…Read more...

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You know that moment when you walk out of an experience and realize you’re still smiling much, much later? That’s the effect Bigger had on me.Read more...

On a cold night where all former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg wanted was a sandwich from Subway, he was attacked and beaten by two women and two men who police say were all wearing suits.

In life, she was known as the “First Lady of Song” and the “Queen of Jazz.” And though the world lost legendary jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald in 1996, her legacy has, for the most part, survived through her incredible musical catalog, which includes her inimitable interpretations of the Great American Songbook (much of…Read more...

Things to do with 157 pounds of weed:Read more...

A six-pack of dryer balls, a $25 Logitech gaming headset, and a refurbed Bird electric scooter lead off Thursday’s premiere deals of the day.Read more...

It appears that the saga at Ball State University has ended, for now.Read more...

Truth is a fickle thing in this day and age. One of the darkest and strangest phenomena to occur in the age of social media is the death hoax; where a false report about a notable figure’s untimely demise goes viral. Wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, Amari Cooper, found himself at the end of one of these hoaxes.Read more...

Republican attempts to suppress the voting rights of anyone who may be against them have become more and more prevalent in recent years. Luckily, courts have been stepping in to hit them with a “Nah.”Read more...

The newly liberated Duke and Duchess of Sussex are reportedly embarking on a hopefully quieter and more peaceful life with their infant son in North America since stepping back from their duties as primary royals in January, following years of abuse from both the media and a portion of the adjacent public, and weeks…Read more...

On Tuesday, President Trump went on a pardoning spree and granted clemency to 11 convicted criminals.

Parenthood is all about preparation.

Just when we thought Crocs had cemented their reputation as the ugliest (but supposedly most comfortable) footwear, the fried chicken industry’s oldest (but least delectable—fight me) fast-food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken has told us to hold its beer because these two beloved staples of middle-America (again, fight…Read more...

The great ones play through pain.Read more...

What’s the best way to clap back at haters who act like what you eat gives them cellulite? Show up on the red carpet looking like a damned snack, which is exactly what Lizzo did on Tuesday night at the 2020 Brit Awards in London.Read more...

Contrary to white-washed belief, black folks have had a profound impact on the evolution of the entire musical landscape. From country crooner DeFord Bailey injecting the Grand Ole Opry with a taste of the blues as one of its very first stars in the 1920s, to funk metal gods Bad Brains revolutionizing contemporary…Read more...

In case you needed further proof that this country is continuing its slow descent into chaos, Mayor “Stop and Frisk” himself, billionaire Michael Bloomberg, has managed to buy his way into qualify for tonight’s Democratic debate.Read more...

Satan reportedly only had two children—one of whom has ascended to the highest office in the land and the other who is in Florida living a dismal life after killing a 17-year-old and continuing to remind everyone that he’s a soulless killer by ripping away at the child’s death.

It was a Tuesday afternoon and I was browsing my Twitter timeline, minding everyone else’s business when I saw it.Read more...

Because it’s 2020 and racism is still alive and well, we have North Carolina, whose new voter identification law just hit a snag—and by snag, I mean it’s apparently sorta-kinda racist.Read more...

Attorney General William Barr, aka Evil Fred Flintstone, aka The White Unsullied, walked out of his Senate confirmation in January 2019 and into the White House where he gave President Trump a gift. Turns out that gift was Barr’s balls as he’s not used them since becoming attorney general and now that it’s becoming…Read more...

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: Growing up, I didn’t see myself represented in the media.

Esther Scott, most known for her roles in Boyz n the Hood and Beverly Hills 90210, has died at the age of 66.

Editor’s Note: This week, The Root commemorates Black History Month with a series on little-known or forgotten rebels, celebrating black America’s legacy of defiance.Read more...

Black folks love Crown Royal.Read more...

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, an evil, pumpkin-colored king named Dottard Grump ruled the land.Read more...

You know, the more stories like this come out the more I’m convinced that maybe we don’t need school resource officers.Read more...

I really don’t understand transphobes’ devotion to not using someone’s preferred pronouns. It’s literally one of the easiest things to do.Read more...

The American education system is rife with problems. Schools go underfunded, teachers barely can make a living wage and students have to worry about either getting shot at or body-slammed by school resource officers. While many of those problems tend to be attributed to schools in lower-income areas, a study shows…Read more...

So…Read more...

Unfortunately, we have to start the evening with some sad news.Read more...

Why aren’t our children exposed to the crucial contributions made by African-Americans toward the independence and formation of the United States? Names like Crispus Attucks, Phillis Wheatley, Peter Salem and James Armistead Lafayette should be mentioned alongside the founders of America.Read more...

There are some words and phrases in the English language that are open to interpretation, while others—like “criminal”—are pretty cut-and-dried.Read more...

He famously helped Beyoncé get in “Formation”—and the rest of us get into the “No Flex Zone.” Now, Swae Lee, one half of sibling hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd, is bringing his unique style to fashion, releasing a capsule collection with luxury footwear designer Giuseppe Zanotti. What’s more? The line of sneakers, loafers,…Read more...

Iowa authorities (hopefully not the same ones who count caucus votes) have arrested a black man, who may be Black History Month’s most ardent advocate, for an alleged plot that involved kidnapping, black cinema and an impromptu crash course in racism.Read more...

Unfortunately, we live in a world full of people who often believe far more in accountability and punishment than they do in redemption and second chances. Citizens make mistakes, get locked up, serve their time and pay their debt, only to be released into a society where they still don’t feel like citizens anymore.…Read more...

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“What do you call a black man in first class?” I asked the gate agent, as I stood first in the first-class line, so I could be first in first class. I like to be first in first class, so I can sit first and watch all the white people watching me, the black man in first class, sitting first.Read more...

Nearly two years removed from the spectacle that was the 2018 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the annual gala will return to its comedic roots.Read more...

“People kept saying that I [came out]...I didn’t do that,” actress-activist Rosario Dawson recently told Bustle magazine, referencing a 2018 Pride Month post on Instagram in which she seemed to identify and align herself with the LGBTQ+ community—her “fellow LGBTQ+ homies,” to be exact. In the video accompanying the…Read more...