The Root

For 364 days out of the year, I ignore Major League Baseball entirely.Read more...

Early on April 15, folks flocked to social media to report that their promised stimulus checks made their way into their bank accounts. Others were attempting to grapple with the strange quaran-dreams that continue to occur during these uncertain times.

It’s one thing to do something nice; it’s another thing to do something nice and then demand that you be acknowledged. But it’s a whole other thing to be the president of the people and send them the most minimal bailout you possibly can during a global pandemic and then hold that desperately needed money up so that…Read more...

Donald Trump is such a camera hog that he does his own press briefings. It’s a moment for the narcissist-in-chief to preen like a peacock. What he can’t stand is anyone who questions the image he wants projected to the people.

A Republican congressman has joined President Trump and others in hastily looking to “reopen America” despite a very much still active global health crisis. This congressman, however, went so far as to flat-out say that people dying is acceptable as long as the U.S. economy gets back on track.Read more...

The Lyon King known as Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) is ending his reign much sooner than expected and even Lee Daniels couldn’t have drummed up this kind of drama.Read more...

The emergence of COVID-19 has forced the music industry to adapt to unprecedented circumstances, and with virtual entertainment establishing a new normal, it only makes sense that LiveXLive Media is joining forces with social media juggernaut TikTok for a massive music festival.

The Good Fight fights the good fight and never bites its tongue.Read more...

Kenya Barris is Black-ish no more; now, he’s #BlackAF.Read more...

In a year in which the outbreak of COVID-19 has not only threatened the lives of millions but life as we’ve known it (because rather than “going back to normal,” we’re likely looking at a “new normal”), another highly anticipated cultural event has become a casualty. To the chagrin of aunties and Flossy Posses…Read more...

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Cardi B has been open about her interest in politics for quite some time, famously commenting on Donald Trump’s 2019 government shutdown due to his incessant whining about building a border wall between the United States and Mexico. (“I really feel bad for these people that gotta go to fucking work to not get…Read more...

If we’ve learned anything over these past few months, it’s that leadership matters.Read more...

Those currently incarcerated are among the most vulnerable of our population when it comes to COVID-19, as the crowded living conditions make them far more susceptible to catching the disease. Exorbitant calling fees have also made it harder for inmates to check in on their loved ones during these trying times. At…Read more...

The current crisis facing our country has consistently shown that President Trump straight-up isn’t built for this job. From constantly being two steps behind to turning the daily press conferences meant to inform the public about the virus into campaign rallies, dude stays doing the wrong thing. One Georgia Democrat…Read more...

It may not cover everything, but for people who have lost work or wages due to the coronavirus outbreak, the stimulus check promised to them by the federal government could mean the difference between putting food on the table and paying bills or being unable to do either. Imagine the impact on individuals and…Read more...

The 2020 elections will forever be marked by the coronavirus, but how the pandemic will affect voter turnout—and equally as important, voter mindsets—remains to be seen. A new poll from the political action committee BlackPAC, however, provides some important insight into the pandemic’s impact on black voters in…Read more...

When I have some spare time on my hands, my brain tends to wander to the important questions. Questions like: “Why does Smart Guy still hold up?” and “Why haven’t they ported the Rogue Squadron trilogy to Switch?” Perhaps the most important question that comes to mind is “Who is the Super Mario of the rap game?” While…Read more...

Since the beginning of the 2020 election season, one subject seems to pop up in political discussion again and again: the coveted black vote. Now, with the general election soon upon us, two liberal political action groups are joining forces and planning to launch a multimillion-dollar digital campaign targeting young…Read more...

Newly released data on COVID-19 infections and deaths in South Carolina reveals that the global pandemic seems to be disproportionately targeting the state’s rural black residents in the same way it has targeted non-white people in more populous states.Read more...

The coronavirus pandemic is a crisis unlike any we’ve seen in our lifetime. In the United States alone, hundreds of thousands of people are confirmed sick, more than 20,000 people have died, and more than 16 million have filed for unemployment.Read more...

Monday marked the fourth anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s final NBA game. And to commemorate what’s gone on to become Mamba Day, Vanessa Bryant paid tribute to her late husband’s life and legacy with a touching Instagram post.

A few years ago, West Coast Customs—the auto repair and body shop featured on the early-aughts MTV series Pimp My Ride—was outed for adding fake or faulty accessories to the cars they claimed to have pimped out, and also for instructing the young people featured on the show how to act.Read more...

The Lifetime network doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to black biopics. My life has never quite recovered from their attempt at the Aaliyah story. That particular movie was so bad in casting, thought, mind and deed that while watching the movie with all of social media, when Aaliyah showed up dating a…Read more...

Wisconsin Republicans, backed by the Supreme Court, gave voters an unenviable ultimatum: Go outside during a global pandemic, ignoring countrywide pleas of sheltering in place, to cast their votes or stay in the safety of their homes and not vote at all.

Even during the dark days of the pandemic, when a handshake will kill you and a Kushner will drink your blood, the sun occasionally shines on us, and it’s our duty to bathe in its luminance. Such a time happened on Sunday when, during an iRacing event, NASCAR star Kyle Larson lost communication with the spotter on his…Read more...

In the midst of celebrity messiness, Ciara and Russell Wilson have served as a “good mood pill” for a while now and that attribution is even more true as we desperately seek out some source of joy during the coronavirus pandemic.Read more...

In a 12-minute video that was a glimpse of what America used to look like when it had a compassionate, impassioned, courageous, loving president, former leader of the coronavirus-free world, Barack Obama endorsed his two-time running mate, former Vice President Joe Biden.

T-R-A-N-S-P-H-O-B-I-C, do you know what that means, mayne?Read more...

Contrary to the internet’s (...always correct...) attribution, Jordan Peele is not the director of the film Candyman, he is simply a producer and co-writer of the upcoming revival of the ‘90s horror flick. Nia DaCosta, who is rising up the ranks as a filmmaker thanks to her work on Netflix’s Top Boy and the…Read more...

A video of a FedEx delivery worker is being shared across the country for all the right reasons.Read more...

In a video posted to social media Saturday, police officers at the 145th Street subway station in Harlem appear to be aggressively dragging a visibly distraught child away from a woman later identified as his mother as people witnessing the spectacle expressed anger and concern for the child’s wellbeing. The boy’s…Read more...

Everyone is tired of King Joffrey Baratheon’s shit.

When it comes to the seemingly inexhaustible stream of films adapted from books, an age-old question inevitably arises: Do you read the book first or see the film? As one who finds merits in both approaches—as well as that rogue third option of picking one or the other and leaving it at that—I’m not here to judge; but…Read more...

Award-winning actresses Angela Bassett, Viola Davis, Halle Berry, Taraji P. Henson, Lynn Whitfield, Kimberly Elise and Mary J. Blige sat down with The New York Times’ T Magazine to discuss the importance of representation in media, as well as some of the issues they’ve come across during their time in the spotlight.

Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, the mother of NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns, died on Monday after a lengthy battle with COVID-19. She was 58.Read more...

As we navigate unfamiliar territory within the confines of our homes during self-isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic, it may feel like a little bit of our soul dies every day. Unfortunately, our hopes of a blockbuster summer is whittling away, as well.Read more...

Despite its status as a “developed” nation, about 700 women will die each year from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth in the U.S.—more than any of its peers. Of that number, a disproportionately high number are black women—from 2007 to 2016, black mothers died at a rate of 3.2 times that of white…Read more...

Every year, like clockwork, some Twitch streamer has what is called a Heated Gamer Moment. This usually involves said gamer incurring a series of embarrassing losses before inevitably dropping the Hard-R. The focus of tonight’s Heated Gamer Moment is NASCAR driver Kyle Larson.Read more...

As reports fill our newsfeeds about the bigotry and discrimination Asian people are facing amid the coronavirus outbreak, in China, African residents are alleging anti-black racism resulting from the pandemic.Read more...

Whether it’s being more likely to suffer from severe complications, being less able to work from home or being more at risk for losing a job, COVID-19 has had an inordinate effect on the black community. In Georgia, there is an effort to take racial profiling off the list of things to be concerned about while…Read more...

When it comes to bitter rap rivals Ja Rule and 50 Cent, there’s no such thing as friendly competition. And while the coronavirus pandemic has provided producers, songwriters and recording artists with the perfect opportunity to entertain the masses by putting their catalogs to the test with Instagram Live battles,…Read more...

Even in the midst of a pandemic, Florida stays finding new ways to be trash. You would think the death of a police officer would inspire a certain level of respect but uh, nah.

The numbers are staggering.Read more...

Before you criticize Trump’s new press secretary for rooting against everything black, you must acknowledge that everyone hates something.Read more...

Ever since Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle announced they’d be stepping down from their role as senior royals in the British monarchy—a designation that became final on March 31—as well as their intention to be financially independent, royal watchers have rightfully been asking, “How, Sway?” Meghan’s residuals…Read more...

Writer’s Note: The following article contains spoilers for Insecure’s Season 4 premiere.Read more...

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders had some really great ideas if he were elected president. He wanted to implement universal health care and free college for all, but it doesn’t matter now because Sen. Sanders wasn’t really personable. In fact, Sanders always looked like he just finished eating a rotten chicken salad…Read more...

Things are different across the pond: sweaters are called jumpers, cookies are called biscuits, and Karens are called Freyas, according to this helpful polemic by The Guardian’s resident fanny champion Hadley Freeman.

It’s no secret that Oprah has been using her massively influential platform to create awareness as we navigate the unprecedented world of the coronavirus age. Not only has the media mogul recently donated $10 million dollars toward coronavirus relief, but she has also launched an ongoing series, Oprah Talks COVID-19.Read more...