The Root

The Star Plaza outside of the Staples Center in Los Angeles is about to get a little more crowded, as two-time WNBA champion Lisa Leslie is set to become the first female athlete to be honored with a statue outside of the arena.Read more...

Bye-bye, Barbie?Read more...

There should be a word to describe the thing that happens when you have a new favorite word for a month or so and you become so enamored with it that you inject it into as many conversations as you can. For instance, right now that word for me is zeitgeist. I’ve always had a deep affinity for words with prominent “Zs”…Read more...

A newly uncovered speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered in 1967 sounds curiously like the civil rights icon is speaking about current-day conditions as he preaches about underfunded schools, the wage gap, white backlash against black progress and the country’s need to address poverty.

Toni Morrison’s hometown of Lorain, Ohio, passed a resolution this week declaring her birthday, Feb. 18, as Toni Morrison Day.Read more...

Another day, another politician who refuses to atone for their racist past.Read more...

One of the consequences of electing a deceitful, dimwitted white supremacist to serve at the helm of a deceitful, dimwitted, white supremacist country, is that it sometimes becomes difficult to ascertain why certain things happen. Is Donald Trump spending billions of dollars on a wall because he’s so racist that he…Read more...

When Latham Thomas was preparing to give birth to her son, she knew she wanted the holistic birthing experience her Oakland, Calif., upbringing inspired, but the then-recent Columbia University graduate had no idea where to begin.Read more...

Are you runnin’ through The Six with your cinematic woes?Read more...

Nothing will have you praying for the rapture to hurry up and get her ass over here than hearing Iowa congressman Steve King speak.Read more...

A Trtl Travel Pillow, 12 months of Nintendo Switch Online, and Anker Alkaline AA Batteries lead off Thursday’s best deals from around the web.Read more...

The details surrounding Kevin Hart’s car accident this weekend have slowly begun to trickle out, and now we’re learning the extent of his injuries.Read more...

In an age where superheroes reign supreme thanks to a successful, multibillion dollar Marvel movies run, New York City’s Public Theater’s Public Works chose to take it back, way back, in terms of an O.G. superhero, in their delightful, multiracial, community-fueled production of Disney’s animated 1997 musical Hercules.

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The leader of a South African opposition party is making waves for calling on mobs to turn their anger over continued economic disenfranchisement on the country’s wealthy white minority as opposed to foreign African nationals.Read more...

A problem of global proportion perhaps demands a solution of similar dimensions, and on Wednesday, Democratic presidential hopeful and U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris proposed a $10 trillion plan to combat global warming, aka climate change.

R. Kelly’s federal trial in Chicago on charges he sexually abused girls and paid off witnesses and victims to rig his 2008 child pornography trial is set to begin in April of next year, a federal judge decided Wednesday.Read more...

Noted thespian, Obama critic and advocate for deregulating murder, Isaiah Washington sent progressive political supporters into a state of not-giving-a-fuck today when he told a Fox News wrestler that he was leaving the Democratic Party.

The universal impact that black people have had on music is undeniable. One could go as far to say that we invented music in all of its forms. We have not only used music to entertain ourselves and the masses, but we’ve also used it to heal, educate and inspire people to do and be better. Music continues to be the…Read more...

It only took 16 years, but the official trailer for Bad Boys for Life is finally here and we’re all better for it.Read more...

If you can glean one thing from singer Ari Lennox’s presence, it’s that she doesn’t suffer fools. This aspect of her personality shines through in her songs, as well as her occasional Instagram livestreams and her tweets.Read more...

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

In a system that is supposed to presume us all innocent until proven guilty, why is it that for black people, sometimes the goal is “just mercy?”Read more...

Despite my best efforts, I have yet to succeed in having Sallie Mae recognized as a domestic terrorist organization. But apparently, the NRA, another institution worthy of that title, has been properly categorized as such by officials in San Francisco, Calif.Read more...

There is no government.Read more...

The Big Three is back for Season 4!Read more...

Ah, the week after Labor Day—allegedly marking the start of fall, though I’ve been telling everyone willing to listen (to date, three people) that September is, in actual fact, a summer month. But since the world insists on spinning on an axis of delusion and lies, we are gathered here to mourn a single, tragic fact:…Read more...

The unspeakable destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian has destroyed far more than just property in the Bahamas. Thankfully, pop princess Rihanna has pledged to help restore what was lost.Read more...

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The black barbershop is not just a sacred space, it’s a safe space. Much like Vegas, whatever happens within the confines of that room colored with scattered floor follicles stays in that room.

A Netgear Gold Box, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey for PS4, and an End-Of-Summer Patio Sale lead off Wednesday’s best deals from around the web.Read more...

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You might not immediately recognize his name, but LaShawn Daniels, the Grammy Award-winning songwriter who penned the soundtrack to many of our lives, has reportedly passed away at the age of 41.Read more...

As Hurricane Dorian finally pulled out of the Bahamas Tuesday night, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis had a grim assessment of the devastation caused by the storm, which had pummeled the islands for three straight days.

Men can’t be great when they gotta be great, but Lizzo has stepped into her greatness just in time!Read more...

A University of Illinois math major may find himself adding up the years in prison if he’s found guilty of a felony hate crime charge for hanging a noose in a campus elevator.

When criminal-justice reform advocates speak of the ills of policies like “three strikes” laws that mandate long prison sentences for even the most minor of crimes for repeat offenders, the story of Alvin Kennard may just come to mind.

You may not like Donald Trump and his many minions supporters, but “you don’t have the right” to invade their privacy by outing them on public forums. That was Whoopi Goldberg’s take on The View Tuesday when she blasted calls to out Hollywood attendees to an upcoming Trump fundraiser.

Yes, I stayed vegan throughout the Labor Day weekend (so, sadly, no barbecues for me on the unofficial last weekend of summer). And yes, I’m ready for this 22 Days experiment to be over—not because I hate plant-based eating (quite to the contrary—it’s fine), but because I’m faced with the reality that my current…Read more...

When Greenleaf premiered June 21, 2016, it signaled a new direction for OWN beyond reality TV and Tyler Perry shows. As it embarks on its fourth season, the Memphis-set megachurch family drama, led by seasoned actors Keith David as Bishop James Greenleaf and Lynn Whitfield as Lady Mae Greenleaf, is still going strong.…Read more...

Last weekend, I ran 15 miles. By the grace of God, I am still here to blog about it.Read more...

Does Walmart finally have a conscience?

This is your regular reminder that your “president” is a complete and total idiot.Read more...

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The mayor of the third blackest city in America unveiled a plan that could fundamentally transform the future of the next generation with the promise of a debt-free college education.Read more...

In a world in which the trappings of allyship have devolved into Instagram likes or tawdry photo ops, premium ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s has quietly ignored fanfare in favor of doing the actual work.Read more...

There’s no doubt Naomi Osaka’s play was brilliant. But on Saturday, it managed to be the least remarkable thing about her.Read more...

On Sunday, R&B star Khalid returned to his hometown of El Paso, Texas, to host a benefit concert for the victims of the Aug. 3 mass shooting that left 22 dead and an additional 24 injured.Read more...

The magic number is 23 for one of the biggest festivals highlighting creators of color!Read more...

A state senate bill awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature could bring to an end the policy of suspending students in California schools for disruptive behavior.Read more...