The Root

My real name, while not traditional, isn’t exactly unique. This means that I remember when Gmail first dropped, I did a mad dash (did you have to be invited back then? I can’t remember) to get my FIRSTNAME.LASTNAME@gmail.com account. And I did. I’ve had that email account for well over a decade now and,…Read more...

SPARTANBURG, S.C.—There are few political operatives who have turned the role of national press secretary on its head like Briahna Joy Gray. As Bernie Sanders’ top messenger, she speaks for the senator in ways he often can’t articulate himself. More directly, she not only speaks for the campaign, she defends his…Read more...

In these trying times, we could all use an extra grace period to get all of our affairs in order. Of course, there are those of us who wait until the last minute to get things done regardless of the times.Read more...

It has been 10 years since the Affordable Care Act was signed into legislation. Given the amount of bitching that’s been done around the law over the last decade you would think it was a deeply unpopular policy. Turns out, that’s not the case at all.

When faced with a life-altering and potentially life-ending crisis—a cancer diagnosis, for instance, or a terrorist attack—the performance of resilience can be an anesthetic; an anxiety-engulfing balm that allows us to make space for an effective counter-punch. Also, it just feels good to tell ourselves and others…Read more...

It’s fairly well known that Madam C.J. Walker was the nation’s first female millionaire, but did you know she was also an activist?Read more...

During this global pandemic, Trump has displayed the steadfast leadership skills of children once the piñata breaks. He has literally told governors Prince’s lyrics from “Let’s Go Crazy,” in which the Purple One says:Read more...

Not all heroes wear capes; some of them design luxury sportswear. Nevertheless, as the fashion industry struggles internally to adapt to the drastic sudden changes wrought by the spread of the novel coronavirus—including an abrupt end to international Fashion Month, the indefinite postponement of the Met Gala, and, as…Read more...

If you scrolled through social media, it would seem everyone is working from home in the wake of America’s coronavirus outbreak. There are “WFH fit” selfies, guidelines on how to set teleworking schedules, and tips on how to separate your work and home life. But like much of American life, this, too, is a segregated…Read more...

In the days since Los Angeles issued an emergency order to shut down restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and pretty much anything involving social interaction or fun, the city I’ve grown to know and love since moving here in 2014 is completely unrecognizable.Read more...

For centuries, if you wanted something to be done right, black women typically had to stand up and say, “I’ll do it.”Read more...

Donald Trump is a white supremacist.Read more...

While the president was busy telling America that the coronavirus was well under control, lying about the number of people infected and claiming that health experts’ data on the virus’ death rate was false because of a hunch, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee was warning a small group of rich donors…Read more...

The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t just a threat to our personal health, it has also presented a massive challenge to our economic well being. Many companies have already laid off workers, and those who are still working face shorter hours and possible exposure to the virus. Those who have been given paid leave for the next…Read more...

Two police officers at a historically black college in North Carolina have been placed on administrative leave after they were caught on camera forcefully arresting a student leader who committed the dangerous crime of being exactly where he was supposed to be.Read more...

Oh, y’all thought a pandemic was going to stop the President from being trash? Nah, b.Read more...

With the entertainment industry decimated by catastrophic losses and indefinite delays as it endures the ugliest shutdown it’s ever seen, fan favorites like Lizzo and Anderson .Paak are calling on President “China Virus” to intervene.

Drake is ubiquitous.Read more...

Dolemite is his name and being the comeback king is his game!Read more...

Mere weeks after its first emergence into the global news cycle, the side effects of the coronavirus pandemic are already multifold. Aside from the as-yet-unknown longterm impacts on both physical and mental health and growing anxiety and misinformation about how the virus is contracted, spread and contained, we’ve…Read more...

I went to Target today. Actually I went to PetSmart and Target today because one of our fish went to be with his ancestors and one of my kids was despondent over this fact. Now, we told him that because he was sick that Petco came to pick him up when the UPS guy stopped by a few days ago. We thought we were sparing…Read more...

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted, well, everything. The travel industry has already taken a hit and an upcoming announcement by the U.S. Department of State isn’t going to make it any better.Read more...

When I was a little girl growing up in Jamaica, my schoolteachers frequently recited the phrase: “No man is an island, no man stands alone.” The saying effectively transmitted to me and my peers’ childhood minds the message that we’re all in this together and that as humans, we need each other to survive, even though…Read more...

Coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, has traveled across the world, and its numbers—of new infections and deaths—are quite distressing.Read more...

Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, Russia’s favorite operative not named Donald Trump, has officially dropped out of the race for Democratic presidential candidate. Gabbard is the woman who calls you three years into your new marriage to tell you that she’s moved on. Gabbard is the woman that wants the McDonald’s…Read more...

I believe it was the great poet laureate Talib Kweli who once said, “Life without knowledge is death in disguise.” And while that might hold true, there are plenty of black men scattered throughout Trump’s America and the rest of the world who feel the exact same way without access to professional sports.Read more...

The president of the United States—the same man who avoided war by claiming bone spurs and who has never served a day in his life yet harassed one of the most decorated and beloved senators who was captured and tortured during his time in Vietnam—is now referring to himself as a wartime president.

Thanks to the coronavirus, outside has been canceled.

Access to healthcare isn’t universal in this country, but access to the coronavirus certainly is.Read more...

Life in the time of coronavirus has been scary, anxious and most of all, fucking bizarre. I didn’t think the latest Cardi B hit was going to be a remix of a rant about coronavirus but here we are. I also didn’t think the shit would kinda bop.

As more places across the country are coming to grips with the urgent and unprecedented nature of the coronavirus outbreak, school districts are mulling over whether to close for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year.Read more...

While Facebook seems to give less than a shit about the rampant racism crippling its platform, they at least appear to be vigilant in their quest to keep users safe and informed regarding the coronavirus.Read more...

We finally have some good news out of this coronavirus crisis.Read more...

The world is changing day by day.

Eric Reid is a man.

While many of us are responsibly stuck at home during this time of pandemic concern, the need for entertainment and mental stimulation is high. For many, that means scouring the catalogs of the various streaming services available to us, or rewatching classic movies and series. Perhaps it involves marathon games of…Read more...

Updated: 03/18/2020, 4:19 p.m ET: According to The Hill, despite Sen. Rand Paul’s best efforts to delay, the Senate has ultimately voted 90-8 to pass the Coronavirus bill and has sent it to President Trump for approval. The bill includes enhanced unemployment protections and provides free testing for COVID-19. Paul’s…Read more...

If you know me, it shouldn’t be a shock to you that this social distancing thing feels specifically tailored for me—-a bespoke social mandate. (If you don’t know me, I’m a Capricorn and apparently an INTJ; distinctions that greatly matter to the people they matter to, and don’t mean shit to anyone else.)Read more...

Because the NBA, the NHL and the NCAA have all suspended their seasons due to the coronavirus, The staff at The Root’s SportsCenta has gone to great lengths to find some semblance of athletic competition. Today’s highlight comes from Facebook user Dre Justice, who filmed an impromptu UFC (Unannounced Fighting…Read more...

Sentient salt lick Linda Fairstein has filed a federal suit against When They See Us writer-director Ava DuVernay due to Fairstein’s portrayal in the limited series, TMZ reports. Fairstein filed the lawsuit Wednesday, claiming she gave DuVernay a warning prior to the series airing on Netflix. She further claims…Read more...

The amount of news popping off around the coronavirus pandemic has made every day feel like a year. The situation continues to escalate with each day with more and more drastic measures having to be taken.Read more...

Houston megachurch pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell’s resume is no joke.Read more...

The first case of coronavirus was diagnosed in the U.S. on January 21, but the president knew that this was definitely something to keep an eye on at the end of December 2019. That’s when Wuhan, China, the reported epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, had been investigating an “outbreak of respiratory illness in the…Read more...

After suffering through Jussie Smollett’s star turn as the lead character in The Subway Sandwich Strongarm: A MAGA Mugging Mystery, Kim Foxx (No relation to Redd) successfully defended her seat as Cook County State Attorney.Read more...

There are two dates we’ll always remember when it comes to black joy: April 14, 2018 and April 17, 2019.Read more...

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There are people who lose and then there losers. Losers aren’t people who have lost, they are people who perpetually set themselves up for loss. They are people who walk into a situation knowing that there is no way in the world they are going to win and still do it anyway because at this point, even their…Read more...

Exactly a week ago, the coronavirus brought the NBA to a screeching halt.Read more...

Trump’s old tweets prove he’s a hypocritical idiot.Read more...

Social distancing has added yet another level to the meaning “too much time on your hands.”Read more...