The Root

In 1994, Notorious B.I.G. would release his groundbreaking album, Ready to Die. The first single from the seminal hip-hop classic was “Juicy,” a Dickensian tale of a young black man’s ascension from having nothing to having everything, assuming, of course, that young black men can have Dickensian tales. The lyrics of…Read more...

All the White House wanted was their flowers. Apparently, A$AP Rocky doesn’t think that’s his fucking problem.

When the remake of It dropped in 2017, it spawned an influx of memes that included its horrifying star Pennywise creeping in sewers, yellow raincoats and red balloons. Today, in 2019, a clown means something equally as scary: being made out to be Boo-Boo the Fool.Read more...

It’s hard to believe it’s been just over a year since the world lost the voice and unforgettable presence known as the “Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin. But as the battle over the diva’s estate heats up, there’s a chance one piece of Franklin’s history may end up outside of the family and in the hands of forever…Read more...

As if residents of Flint, Mich., haven’t endured enough when it comes to the city’s water supply, they now have millions of gallons of raw sewage to contend with.Read more...

OK, OK, OK, that pesky little thing called “history” in the real world says the first music video was filmed in a Thomas Edison studio in 1895 and was called the “Dickson Experimental Sound Film.” But, Melissa Arnette “Missy” Elliott elevated them, OK?!Read more...

We’re still struggling to reconcile historic trauma with the black experience in America. After years of systemic oppression, exclusion, and discrimination affecting generations of families, black America has been left to shoulder the burden of that trauma alone. It shows up when applying for jobs and facing…Read more...

REI’s Labor Day Sale is always one of the company’s biggest sales of the year. In fact, you could think of it as REI’s Black Friday, since the brand famously opts out of the post-Thanksgiving deal bacchanal. So get over there before all the good stuff is gone.

Most candidates push criminal reform packages that often lack the requisite muscle to make a dent in a system that warehouses black and brown people with reckless abandon. But Sen. Bernie Sanders’ plan to tackle some of the more contentious elements of the criminal legal system is just as radical as his economic…Read more...

Serena Williams has met, and defeated, rival Maria Sharapova at many a tennis tournament—Wimbledon, the Australian and French Opens—but she’s never gotten the chance to face off against Sharapova at the U.S. Open in New York. That’s all about to change.Read more...

It’s well-known that Colin Kaepernick started his protest on the gridiron to bring attention to the police brutality and racial injustice plaguing this nation, but in a recent interview, the former quarterback reveals what specifically inspired his activism.

Sixty-one cents on the dollar. That’s what black women currently make, in comparison to their equally qualified white male counterparts (of non-Hispanic origin). Despite being the most educated demographic, black women—also 80 percent of breadwinners in black households—are no closer this Black Women’s Equal Pay Day…Read more...

The man charged with shooting six Philadelphia cops during an eight-hour standoff with police as they tried to serve a warrant was a snitch for the feds for years.Read more...

Meena Harris never intended to start a movement. The attorney, CEO and founder of the Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign—and coincidentally, also the niece of the only black female presidential candidate running in 2020—was just trying to make a statement when she launched a line of t-shirts that read “Phenomenal Woman”…Read more...

The year is 2019, marking the fifth annual Diamond Ball hosted by Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty’s Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF). The CLF foundation was founded by Rihanna in 2012, in honor of her grandparents, Clara and Lionel Braithwaite.Read more...

Sunday Scaries CBD Flight Bundle | $69 | Sunday Scaries | Promo code SIDEPIECE plus monthly plan discount.Read more...

South Africa’s Equality Court has banned flying the country’s apartheid-era flag, saying that “gratuitous” displays of the flag are acts of hate speech and racial discrimination.Read more...

For former Trump administration officials, there are really only two places to go after leaving the White House: reality TV or Fox News, which is really reality TV for white people who hate the truth.

Of the myriad possible metaphors for the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich craze of 2019—which is a thing I will tell my kids about when they ask how America voted for Donald Trump—my favorite is that the sandwich itself represents heaven. The line to wait for the sandwich? That’s life on Earth. Those who get their sandwiches…Read more...

The day was Sept. 13, 2009. Heaps of celebrities gathered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City to honor each other with shiny moon men at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs). The “Best Female Video” award was up and Taylor Swift’s name was announced for her “You Belong With Me” video. However, Kanye West wasn’t…Read more...

There’s a scene in the latest episode, “Oh Mamere,” of season 4 of Queen Sugar that is maddening to watch. In it, Darla Sutton (I legit had to look up her character’s last name; I’m not sure I’ve heard it uttered a single time on the show), played by fountain of youth-er Bianca Lawson, is sitting in a restaurant as…Read more...

Early Wednesday morning, parents and school administrators came across a tangle of heavy rope hanging from a chainlink fence at Chabot Elementary School in Oakland, Calif. It looked like a noose.Read more...

On Wednesday, Trump gave what might have been his most bizarre, impromptu press conference to a pool of waiting reporters. Trump’s presidency has been famous for unhinged soundbites; we should never forget that this is a man who was caught on a hot mic proclaiming that sexually assaulting women is perfectly fine—if…Read more...

Two American gold medalists were put on probation for a year as punishment for their decision to demonstrate during the National Anthem at the 2019 Pan American Games.Read more...

Cardi B doesn’t need to take a BuzzFeed quiz to realize that if she were a Powerpuff Girl, she’d be Buttercup. (By the way, I searched to see if there’s an actual “Which Powerpuff Girl Are You?” BuzzFeed quiz, and you’re damn Skippy peanut butter, there is.)Read more...

Amazon is full of perks that persuade you to buy more stuff: like free shipping for orders over $25, or same-day shipping for Prime orders over $35. In other cases, Amazon punishes you for not purchasing enough, like those add-on items that only ship in orders over $25.

I’m sure you’re wondering why, nine days into a 22-day series of blogs about attempting veganism (as Beyoncé and her trainer Marco Borges—among many others—have urged us to do), you’re looking at a perfectly seared, medium-rare steak. Did I break from the plan last night in a fit of bloodlust and stuff my face with…Read more...

A Butcher Box Ground Beef Welcome Offer, a simplehuman Kitchen Steel Frame Dish Rack, and a 50% off sale at PUMA lead off Thursday’s best deals from around the web.Read more...

You haven’t lived until you’ve been barred from entering an establishment because of its decidedly anti-black dress code. But instead of suffering in silence, one would-be patron of a Portland, Ore., bar opted to clap back with a lawsuit.Read more...

It looks like everyone has possibly gotten wrapped up in a case of “he said, she said” and Jermaine Dupri is here to tell us to “Get Your Shit Right.”Read more...

Some 80 percent of Florida’s ex-felons eligible to vote will be barred from registering under a new state law, including a disproportionate number of blacks, despite a clear majority of voters approving a change to the state’s constitution meant to restore their voting rights.

New York City Police Sgt. Kizzy Adonis, the only other cop officially implicated in the death of Staten Island dad Eric Garner, will lose 20 days of vacation for the role she played in the deadly police encounter five years ago.

After a controversial announcement that he was making a deal with the devil the oft-criticized NFL, word on the street (h/t TMZ) was that Jay-Z was in line to become part-owner of some unnamed football team.

For everyone who thinks 22 days of veganism will get you bodied like Beyoncé (or think that I think it will), think again—or so says my scale, which this morning registered approximately a pound of weight loss after a week of loosely following the 22 Days Nutrition plan. While those results are far from impressive (or…Read more...

Two weeks after her release from prison, Cyntoia Brown is sharing what’s she’s been enjoying the most about her freedom: the simple things.Read more...

Casper makes our readers’ favorite pillows, but they rarely get discounts outside of bundle deals that require you to buy a mattress. Well, you know what? You need to buy pillows a lot more often than you need to buy mattresses.

As I’ve noted before, FX’s Pose not only entertains but is out here saving lives. That little young LGBTQ+ child who is confused about their existence and questioning their worth can now turn on their television or streaming service and be greeted with the knowledge that they aren’t alone in this world; that there are…Read more...

With the integrity of the Philadelphia police department crippled by allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination, commissioner Richard Ross made the abrupt decision to resign on Tuesday.Read more...

While all the news has been about Donald Trump canceling a planned trip to Denmark because the Danish prime minister found claims that the president was looking into buying Greenland bogus AF, it turns out that the real story might be that Trump fears being upstaged by forever President Barack Obama.

During her sitdown interview with The Root, Marianne Williamson balked at suggestions that her dearth of experience in electoral politics makes her unqualified to be in the White House, saying that “Politicians are not the only people who sit around and have significant conversations about America” (00:55) and added…Read more...

“I just want to win more. I love winning more than I hate losing,” says Cori “Coco” Gauff. And since upsetting her idol, Venus Williams, at Wimbledon—her first Grand Slam event, in which she emerged the youngest female player to win a main-draw Wimbledon match—Gauff has been on a winning streak in the world of tennis.…Read more...

“Cranes in the Sky” … and cranes down under. Solange Knowles is giving the people of Australia what they want and need!Read more...

Since signing with the Los Angeles Clippers in July, NBA superstar Kawhi Leonard has spent his summer acclimating to his new surroundings after crushing the hopes and dreams of Lakers fans throughout the city. But in his efforts to endear himself to his new home—and perhaps give us a bit more insight into the man…Read more...

With three consumer credit card offerings ranging from a basic no-annual-fee card to a $450/year option with every bell and whistle, it can be tough to know which Marriott Bonvoy credit card is right for you.

Wayne Allyn Root, a conservative Christian radio host who hasn’t met a conspiracy theory that he hasn’t pushed to his batshit crazy audience of listeners, called Trump the “King of Israel” and the “Second coming of God,” and all Trump heard was “King” and “God,” and ran with it.

Caster Semenya is a two-time Olympic champion. She is also in the face-off of her career over her ability to compete, due to her naturally elevated testosterone levels. Most recently, the middle-distance runner was sidelined from defending her world championship 800-meter title in September after the Swiss Federal…Read more...

The fall for lying white men from the Trump administration is never really a fall. In fact, the “fall” is really just a series of shitty interviews in which the former White House employee laughs about the lies he told or basically sells himself as a Trump oracle, offering insight into the president’s darkest thoughts.

Hit ’em with the hee! Melissa Arnette “Missy” Elliott has a whole museum, y’all!Read more...

On Aug. 4, an El Paso, Texas, Walmart was the site of one of the deadliest mass shootings in the history of this country, sparking renewed debate about whether the retailer should still be in the gun business. This, after its Beavercreek, Ohio, location earned the dubious distinction of being the site of the 2014…Read more...

Within days of officer Daniel Pantaleo, the NYPD cop who caused Eric Garner’s death after using an illegal chokehold, being formally let go by New York Police Commissioner James O’Neill, a GoFundMe to support him has raised nearly $100,000.Read more...