In its commitment to addressing the failures of the prison industrial complex—as it pertains to mental health, drug dependency, chronic homelessness, and other issues—Patrisse Cullors, founder of Reform L.A. Jails, knew her organization would require a unique strategy in order to build a stronger rapport with Los…Read more...

Y’all know me.Read more...

We see a lot of deals around the web over on Kinja Deals, but these were our ten favorites today.Read more...

“The marathon continues” may have been Nipsey Hussle’s signature line (may he rest in peace), but it is equally applicable to champion American middle-distance runner and fellow 2019 Root 100 honoree Alysia Montaño. One of the most decorated women in track and field, Montaño began shifting paradigms in the sport in…Read more...

When we last spoke (about Jacquees), it was in the midst of Mr. Rodriguez Jacquees Broadnax’s ill-advised decision to proclaim that he was the “King of R&B,” a title that none of the contenders were really laying claim to, but that nearly all agreed was not Jacquees. And because of his claim, he became a punching bag,…Read more...

Ask anyone who is the greatest basketball player of all time, and you’ll surely get a diversity of opinions—including Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Magic Johnson and that dude who played for your cousin’s high school in 1987 whose jump shot was wet but he got shot in his layup leg running from the police his senior…Read more...

A jury has convicted the 67-year-old-frat boy who literally wears a motherfucking top hat of lying his ass off and obstructing the congressional investigation into Russian interference into the 2016 election.Read more...

Happy Friday!

In case you’ve missed it, actor Lakeith Stanfield is embroiled in a family feud with black media.Read more...

The NCAA is big business.Read more...

When it comes to sexual health, it’s never been more crucial to know your status on any number of sexually transmitted diseases—including syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea—as the 2018 STD Surveillance Report indicated a five-year surge in rates of infection. But as if that news isn’t disconcerting enough, the National…Read more...

It’s that time again—the biggest night in music will be kicking off the new decade with a familiar host!

What do the Loch Ness Monster, Santa Claus, hot Travis Scott verses, and “cancel culture” have in common? They don’t exist! (Or perhaps they only exist on tracks also featuring Drake.) Watch for some raw and uncut fallacy debunking, and stay for a useful list on who we should actually cancel.Read more...

It’s often said that your friends are a direct reflection of your own character. And if that’s to be believed, it should come as no surprise that Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City and personal attorney of one Donald John Trump, is being investigated for campaign finance violations and a bunch of other…Read more...

As the fight to uphold Roe v. Wade wages on, this week, Planned Parenthood lobbed a virtual clapback at legislators and anti-abortion advocates seeking to roll back the reproductive rights granted in the landmark case. As reported by the New York Times, on Tuesday, the organization debuted an online tool called the Abo…Read more...

Eddie Murphy is winning.Read more...

There’s not much hype right now around Senator Cory Booker becoming president, but he deserves a lot more attention than he’s gotten. That’s because when it comes to the intersection of the environment and racism, at least, he’s got it covered.Read more...

After years of wearing wigs and quick weaves, I recently decided to give my hair a break and try protective styles—and the transition sexually liberated me in ways I never expected. For years, I’d navigated anxiety and insecurities around body image and my sexual performance, but I can also say I’ve spent countless…Read more...

A grand jury declined to press charges against two Colorado Springs police officers who were filmed shooting and killing a black teen earlier this year.Read more...

In the history of Hollywood, there are few talents as multifaceted as actress, singer, dancer and legendary beauty Lena Horne. In her decadeslong career, the four-time Grammy-winner was known for her iconic renditions of songs like

It’s not quite rocket-surgery or anything, but I definitely believe in the maxim that too much of anything can be bad. And when I say “anything” I mean literally anything, from obvious stuff like food or crime, to less obvious stuff like talent, Kenny G albums or Target runs. Put a pin in “talent.”Read more...

We see a lot of deals around the web over on Kinja Deals, but these were our ten favorites today.Read more...

Last weekend, realizing of the vision of artist Dread Scott, hundreds of volunteers—in costume as 19th-century enslaved people—marched 26 miles to New Orleans’s French Quarter in a reenactment of the Louisiana Slave Rebellion. The rebellion, which occurred on Jan. 8, 1811, and was suppressed by white militia two days…Read more...

Disney+ is all of 48 hours old and has already suffered its first casualty.Read more...

A shocking video has surfaced of a 15-year-old amputee being violently attacked by an unidentified Pima County, Ariz., deputy.Read more...

Former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, rumored since last year to be contemplating a run for the White House, officially joined the 2020 Democratic presidential race today, prompting untold scores of people to ask: “Sir, are you serious??”Read more...

Mo’Nique isn’t nearly done sticking up for herself.Read more...

While thinking about the nebulous “workout” the NFL recently offered to Colin Kaepernick, I’m reminded of...He’s Just Not That Into You. Which, well, let me explain:Read more...

Vivica A. Fox has a strong opinion and she just—wait for it—set it off.

Everyone loves to get hand-written mail. It’s a fact. But it can be just as fun to send it, too, if you’ve got the right goods. These high-end writing supplies will make the snail mailer on your Christmas list so happy they’re bound to send you gorgeous mail in short order.Read more...

Summerton, S.C.—Sen. Elizabeth Warren is something of a MacGyver on the campaign trail. She has that rare ability to seamlessly break down the most complex policy challenges and not leave you feeling like an idiot. It has been this intellectual range—not to mention those hourslong selfie lines—that has elevated her to…Read more...

As the fight to lower the black maternal mortality rate continues, two new studies provide new evidence of stark contrasts in the way black and brown new mothers are treated postpartum, versus their white counterparts. Specifically, “Racial Disparities in Postpartum Pain Management” and “Racial and Ethnic Inequities…Read more...

I’m writing this from heaven.Read more...

There aren’t many experiences that have left me so truly speechless that they’ve stayed with me forever.

We see a lot of deals around the web over on Kinja Deals, but these were our ten favorites today.Read more...

Jayme Lawson is only 22.

Following an “under the sea”-storm of back-and-forth casting news, Halle Bailey’s Ariel has finally found her prince in the upcoming live-action film rendition of The Little Mermaid.Read more...

Byron Allen’s racial discrimination lawsuit against the Comcast Corporation, the world’s second-largest telecommunications conglomerate, lands in front of the Supreme Court Wednesday in a case that could greatly impact how future discrimination suits are brought forward.

Every time we think Rihanna has been replaced by some beautiful, unstoppable, empire-expanding cyborg, she manages to remind us that she is, in fact, human, and prone to the same real-life issues as the rest of us (except for poverty, which seems pretty firmly off the table for the richest woman in music). Case in…Read more...

The revamped American Express Green Card is one of our favorite new entry-level travel rewards credit cards, and it’s without a doubt one of the most attractive cards you can add to your wallet. So it makes sense that American Express would partner with luggage juggernaut Away to launch a limited-edition suitcase…Read more...

The House of Representatives began impeachment hearings for President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday. While everyone seems to have a different idea of what this actually means, we decided to prepare this handy dandy guide that breaks the process down into digestible language without relying on bullshit phraseology about…Read more...

Have we had enough talk about hymens yet? Assemblywoman Michaëlle C. Solages (D-N.Y.) certainly has; as black America continues to debate Atlanta-based rapper/producer T.I.’s parenting skills, the third-term legislator from Long Island, N.Y., has introduced legislation prohibiting the practice of “virginity…Read more...

The controversial hybrid documentary/drama American Trial: The Eric Garner Story premiered in mid-October at the 57th New York Film Festival, providing insight into the judicial process, police brutality and race relations in America. The experimental film features a mock trial that was filmed live to represent a…Read more...

Discounted AirPod Pros, inexpensive cast iron cookware, and an Alexa device for your car lead off Wednesday’s best deals from around the web.

All of People Magazine loves all of John Legend because they’ve just chosen the crooner and pianist as 2019’s Sexiest Man Alive.Read more...

Four Months of Amazon Music Unlimited | $1 | Amazon | New members only

As the 2020 presidential race continues to unfold, there are certain things I have come to expect from particular candidates during the Democratic debates. When it comes to former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro, I now anticipate him calling out racial inequalities and police brutality on…Read more...

After nearly three years of being whiteballed by the NFL, quarterback, activist and majestic 3C-Afro rocker Colin Kaepernick will reportedly audition for a roster spot at a workout arranged by the National Football League.Read more...

“Heavy lies the crown,” they say—and for celebrity hairstylist Sally Hershberger, the CROWN Act has come down heavy indeed, as she and business partner Sharon Dorram are on the losing end of a $70,000 civil lawsuit that in part inspired New York City’s ban on hair discrimination, according to the New York Times.Read more...

I love award shows.