The Root

Do you remember that scene in The Devil Wears Prada when Miranda Priestley looks at two nearly identical turquoise belts and the assistant holding them murmurs, “I know, they’re so different,” only for Andy to laugh and that sets off the whole monologue about cerulean?

Joy-Ann Reid sees Donald Trump in very clear and simple terms: a con man.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings took on new meaning yesterday when Daniel Hernandez—formally known as professional irritant Tekashi 6ix9ine—testified in the racketeering case against Anthony “Harv” Ellison and Aljermiah “Nuke” Mack, his one-time allies within the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods.Read more...

If you were participating in the betting pool on what it takes for a rich white man to face justice in America, I’m sorry if you put your money on a single dead body or even two dead black men. As it turns out, three black men must overdose at a wealthy white man’s home before police will finally say: “Enough is…Read more...

To date, there have been 22 school shootings in the United States in 2019, with 2018 the deadliest on record for school shootings—94 incidences of school gun violence were reported (h/t Vox). In fact, according to the Washington Post, more than 228,000 students have experienced gun violence in their schools since the…Read more...

Welll, I’m gonna take my horse to the old town road, I’m gonna … house party ‘til I can’t no more?Read more...

When someone is a complete and total jerk for no reason, we as a collective love to see them get what is coming to them. Don’t bother denying it; there is a (not so) secret satisfaction in watching a deserving jackass get their comeuppance.Read more...

25% Off Select Favorites | DevaCurl | Promo code HELLOFALLRead more...

Never one to say die, Donald Trump was out on the campaign trail, presiding over a rally in New Mexico, in a bid to win over a state he lost by 8 points to Hillary Clinton in 2016 while also making an appeal to “the Hispanics.”Read more...

Talk about killing a story. A North Carolina sheriff has been indicted on charges he knew of a credible threat against a deputy but did nothing to stop it — even going so far as to encourage the wannabe killer to “take care of it” — in order to stop the deputy from releasing a recording that would reveal the sheriff…Read more...

While it’s widely celebrated as a major work of American theater, Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf is rarely professionally performed onstage. That’s changing beginning in October when the choreopoem will be revived at New York’s Public Theater, the stage where …Read more...

It’s been 13 years since Andre 3000's last studio album—long enough that many casual and devout fans of the rapper had squared up with the reality that Andre may never do one again. In fact, Mr. Three Stacks has seemed perfectly content acting, making Anita Hill merch, and occasionally hopping on a track to remind us…Read more...

We fell in love with Angelica Ross as the always-ready-with-a-clapback “Candy” on FX’s Pose, but it’ll be the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates who will soon get a taste of the actress and activist’s charm and wit. This Friday, Sept. 20, Ross will host a national presidential candidate forum on LGBTQ+ issues at…Read more...

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

Baby, you may have been born this way, but if you enjoy enhancing your natural beauty with bold makeup looks from time to time—or if you’re just a major Little Monster—head over to Amazon, where Lady Gaga’s Haus Laboratories is now on sale.

Imagine treating a donation to an alleged pedophile/ephebophile like an incorrect Postmates order.Read more...

In what has become an all too familiar outcome, another officer of the law will go unpunished for his role in taking a young black life.Read more...

You know how kids have a list of things they want to be when they grow up and toggle between them until they actually do grow up and (maybe) decide on one thing? Well, for me, one of those things was a tap dancer.Read more...

Do you use paper towels? Laundry detergent? Ziploc bags? Assuming the answer is yes, you stand to save money from this limited time Amazon promotion. Just spend $50 on household essentials on this page, and you’ll get $15 off at checkout. Just make sure they’re all shipped and sold by Amazon.com directly to be…Read more...

Before you roll your eyes at the above headline, let’s get a few facts out of the way:Read more...

Using ThermoWorks’ Billows and Signals makes me rue the hours I’ve lost and the energy I’ve spent manually maintaining charcoal-fueled temperatures in my smoker.Read more...

The movement known as the Women’s March announced a change in leadership on Monday, as co-founders Tamika Mallory, Linda Sarsour and Bob Bland stepped down from their co-presidential roles in the organization. The march’s fourth founder, Carmen Perez, will be staying on.Read more...

I don’t condone violence, but if ever there was a story that completely justifies throwing hands, you’re about to read it.

You ready for Awkward Black Heist?!Read more...

One in 16 American women considers her first sexual experience a forced one, according to a new study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study, titled “Association Between Forced Sexual Initiation and Health Outcomes Among US Women,” analyzed 13,310 American women between the ages of 18…Read more...

Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley plans on introducing a House resolution Tuesday calling for an impeachment inquiry of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who recently became the subject of another sexual misconduct allegation.Read more...

An Akro-Mils 44 Drawer Hardware Cabinet, a PNY Gold Box, and an American Metalcraft Taco Holder lead off Tuesday’s best deals from around the web.Read more...

If you’ve ever longed to have Will Smith read you Jack and the Beanstalk or Where the Wild Things Are before bed, your dreams are one step closer to reality, as the former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air will be reading bedtime stories later this year for a very good cause.Read more...

The late, great Marvin Gaye once sang that he “heard it through the grapevine.” Little did I know I’d be expressing the same sentiment…about his son’s music video from 6 years ago.Read more...

The first time I visited Baltimore, I was covering the uprisings after the death of Freddie Gray. To discover more about the turmoil in the city, I met with local residents who explained their contentious relationship with police. I researched the poverty and housing crisis that enveloped the city. I spoke with local…Read more...

Sterilite Footlocker | $20 | WalmartRead more...

PNY Gold Box | AmazonRead more...

Kendrick Lamar has made hip-hop history. His 2012 studio album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, has appeared on the Billboard 200 chart for the most weeks of any hip-hop studio album ever, pushing Eminem out of that No. 1 spot.

Years after an Oklahoma mom was released from prison after being handed a 12-year sentence for making $30 in weed sales, she landed in jail again for not paying court costs related to the case.

A moment when fans should have been focused on celebrating the fact that Saturday Night Live had (finally!) promoted an Asian American, Bowen Yang, to join its cast of characters on the long-running NBC sketch comedy, was rudely interrupted by the racially slurred past of one of the show’s other new hires — that of …Read more...

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

Most of the fashion world (read: this writer) is still recovering from New York Fashion Week, but the die-hards among us subsequently made their way across the pond to see what the British are serving for Spring-Summer 2020, as London Fashion Week kicked off last Friday.Read more...

When you get an opportunity to see Audra McDonald perform, you take it. The record-breaking six-time Tony Award winner, Grammy and Emmy winner and 2015 National Medal of Arts recipient has conquered both stage and screen with her acting and singing and is lauded across the globe as one of the brightest lights of…Read more...

Nike took a major gamble aligning its brand with exiled quarterback Colin Kapernick, and on Sunday, their risk yielded what most would’ve never expected: an Emmy.Read more...

The Obamas’ deal with Netflix—a lucrative bag secured last year—trended on Twitter Monday morning after Donald Trump used it to shield himself from accusations he was using the presidency to enrich himself.Read more...

I’ve known about the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference for years, but I have never attended because a very close friend of mine went one year and came back infected with a disease from which she still suffers to this day. I know it makes no sense, but even after people told me it…Read more...

It was revealed late this morning that sentient house arrest anklet stuffed into an empty Iron City bottle Ben Roethlisberger needs surgery on his mysteriously injured elbow and will miss the rest of the NFL season. The Pittsburgh Steelers are dumpster juice this year—which is what tends to happen when you call losing…Read more...

As the most recent New York Fashion Week wound down last week, several members of our team here at The Root found ourselves at perhaps the hottest party of the week. In fact, it was figuratively and literally the hottest, as legendary burlesque venue The Box was surprisingly short on air conditioning as it hosted a…Read more...

Our readers have weighed in on their favorite hotel and airline-branded credit cards over the past few weeks, but what about for travelers who aren’t loyal to a particular company? For those hotel and airline free agents (and I count myself among them), a travel rewards card that lets you use your points for a variety…Read more...

A week after being accused of sexual assault and rape in a civil lawsuit, NFL star Antonio Brown has been accused of sexual misconduct by a second woman.Read more...

Nearly a month after a framed KKK application was found in his home, the Muskegon Police Department has fired veteran police officer Charles Anderson. The cop had been placed on administrative leave after a black homebuyer came across the KKK memorabilia and other racist insignia in Anderson’s home, which was up for…Read more...

Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar once again clarified her remarks about 9/11 on Sunday, days after a family member of a 9/11 victim alluded to the Muslim congresswoman at a remembrance ceremony.Read more...

The slogan “Make America Great Again” infamously became popularized in 2016 as a rallying cry for conservatives, white supremacists, and other sycophants and deplorables before eventually propelling Donald John Trump—a woefully underqualified xenophobe accused of everything from collusion to fraud to multiple…Read more...

“I have taken trauma and turned it into triumph,” says Brittany “Tru” Kellman, founder of Jamaa Birth Village in Ferguson, Mo. At the age of 13, Kellman found herself in an unfamiliar city, running away from a violent home, and pregnant. At 37 weeks into her pregnancy, a physician decided to induce her labor without…Read more...