Sometimes, the pressure to do and say what’s right outweighs political position, or political correctness, and even employment. Sometimes something is so wrong that it is impossible not to call it such. Sometimes a public platform must become a public pulpit in order to help change things.

I’ve been gay as hell for some time now. I didn’t always have the language to articulate this, but I’ve had this affinity for a month of Sundays. Growing up, representation was lacking, so black women were what I turned to.Read more...

Bow down, Simba...because we already know who the real star of The Lion King reboot is.

Tacklife is perhaps best known for simple, affordable tools like electric lighters and laser measures, but the Amazon-native brand also sells a handheld circular saw that can be yours for just $52 with promo code HWFHK7SK.

When professor Henry Louis Gates founded The Root 11 years ago, he probably had no idea that its creation would one day become the internet’s number one source for black news (it’s not bragging if it’s true). He probably assumed he and his team were creating an outlet to give voice to a population that was ignored by…Read more...

Though at this point it should be expected, it’s always a gut punch when a police officer takes a life—on video—and said death is ruled a homicide by an independent professional and yet, not only does the officer responsible remain unjailed but gainfully employed and defiant about their actionsRead more...

After all of the threats and fighting with the president of the United States, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) arrived home and was greeted with a hero’s welcome at Minneapolis−Saint Paul International on Thursday.Read more...

Dear White People mastermind Justin Simien lives to torment us all.Read more...

We all know that President Trump met up with nepotism in a back alley, punched it in the balls, and hit it over the head with one of Ivanka’s kitten heels from her cruisewear line that seems to be exclusively sold at Marshall’s.

Anniversary Sale | NordstromRead more...

Is it just us, or is Serena Williams everywhere as of late? Just last week, we were in awe of the tennis phenom in all her unretouched golden glory on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar, and now she’s once again killing the game, covering Sports Illustrated’s fourth annual Fashionable 50 issue. The tagline for the cover?…Read more...

Nothing says “I stand with America” like doing coke off a Russian prostitute’s naked ass while using a Trump-branded straw, and thank God the president’s branding team saw fit to add his name and a ridiculous price tag to Trump straws!

Give them all the things.Read more...

A$AP Rocky will spend at least three weeks in a Swedish jail before being charged with a crime.Read more...

An independent civilian board voted Thursday night to fire four Chicago police officers for their involvement in covering up the shooting death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.Read more...

Confirming what most of us already know, a new poll places Michelle Obama atop its list of the most admired women in the world. As reported by the Hill, an annual study by global market research company YouGov places two black women in the top spots; Obama is followed by close friend Oprah Winfrey in second place,…Read more...

Writer’s Note: Shout-out to Editor-In-Chief Danielle Belton for the headline assist.Read more...

What is an American?Read more...

Extra 25% Off Sale | Stila

Jackie Robinson may have been the broken the color barrier in Major League Baseball overall when he took to the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers in April 1947. But it would take a dozen more years, and a baseball player named Elijah “Pumpsie” Green, before the very last all-white team in the MLB, the Boston Red Sox,…Read more...

A Baltimore man has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of Zoe Spears, a 23-year-old whose death last month outside Washington, D.C., marked the 10th this year of a black transgender woman.Read more...

Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar struck back Thursday against Donald Trump and his “Send her back”-braying fans, saying the raucous catcalls were not so much about her, but about what Trump stands for: fascism.

One day after the Trump rally in Greenville, N.C., where he allowed his supporters to shout “send her back” in reference to Rep. Ilhan Omar, the Minnesota congresswoman shares why defending Trump and his hateful rhetoric is wrong, as well as why dissent is patriotic.Read more...

In his efforts to further cement his status as the coolest former president of all-time, Barack Obama treated students at his Obama Foundation to a special surprise.

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

What does it mean when the most recognizable female athlete in the world can’t get the attention she needs when suffering complications after giving birth? For Serena Williams, it meant becoming intimately familiar with the crisis currently facing so many black expectant mothers—the threat of a life-or-death outcome.

Watching Trump’s favorite footstool Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) twerk is becoming one of my favorite boredom activities.

All a Jefferson County, Ala., couple was trying to do was sell a damn house, but in what’s become an everyday occurrence in Trump’s America, racism wouldn’t let them be great.Read more...

Samira Wiley is an auntie. Nope, not that kind—we’re not getting into that again—the Emmy winner is an actual biological auntie of a 2019 Emmy nominee.Read more...

Have you ever caught your cat using your rug or carpet to scratch their own back? They very ineloquently wobble around on the floor until their itch has been relieved. If your cat needs a place to scratch, rest, rub, and do whatever else cats do, the KATRIS Nest might exactly what your pet craves.

Stay with me, for a second: A mediocre white man, who inherits the majority of his wealth, claims that he’s a fantastic businessman. The same white man claims he had bone spurs to avoid serving in a war and later desecrates the legacy of deceased Arizona Senator and war hero John McCain. The white man who paints his…Read more...

Lil Nas X is a goddamn masterclass in social media marketing.Read more...

The Joe Biden campaign for president has been a spectacle to behold this year. On the one hand, if you wrote out Biden on paper, it would look something like this: seasoned older white man, executive experience, wingman for the first black president. You’d think he’s a shoo-in for the Democratic nomination in 2020.…Read more...

Contrary to popular belief, I’m actually pretty damn old.Read more...

A RAVPower USB-C charger, Foreo Luna Mini 2, Philips Bulbs, and a Dewalt sale lead off Thursday’s best deals from around the web.Read more...

Jumbo Event | UltaRead more...

She may not have managed another Grand Slam at the French Open or Wimbledon (but that Australian Open, though), but Naomi Osaka is still a tennis phenom on the rise—with a rising profile that now includes the cover of Allure’s August issue. It’s the Japanese-Haitian athlete’s first American fashion magazine cover, and…Read more...

It looks like Netflix does not, in fact, gotta have it. (Had to do it; too easy.)Read more...

Microplane | $9 | AmazonRead more...

Powerhouse sports agent Rich Paul is bringing the basketball world to Hollywood as part of a major deal between his Klutch Sports Group and United Talent Agency, one of the major agencies representing talent in Tinseltown.Read more...

Donald Trump ramped up his efforts Wednesday night to demonize the four progressive, freshman congresswomen informally known as “the Squad,” reveling in a raucous crowd’s chants of “Send her back! Send her back!” in reference to his latest target, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.).

Well, that didn’t take long. As many politicos predicted, the House on Wednesday rebuffed an effort put forth by Texas Democrat Al Green to impeach Donald Trump.

Real talk? I’m not terribly prone to FOMO—I’m grown, respectably connected and have done my share of thangs, so to speak. Nevertheless, I must admit to feeling some significant event envy last fall when my press invite to ComplexCon once again got lost in the mail (and I may or may not have sent a few admonishing…Read more...

Authorities charged a California man with hate crimes upon finding a cache of weapons and ammunition in his home, after he was accused of sending threatening greeting cards to his non-white neighbors.Read more...

Once upon a 2017, Big Baller Brand was primed to become the next big thing.Read more...

Baton Rouge, La., police announced on Tuesday they had a suspect in the death of beloved community activist, Sadie Roberts-Joseph. The 75-year-old community leader and founder of the city’s African American Museum was found dead in the trunk of her car last Friday afternoon.Read more...

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

Jerry Foxhoven—his real name, not his rap name—was the director of Iowa’s social services agency. He was also a huge fan of late rapper Tupac Shakur and he reportedly let his workers know it.

It’s no secret that Nicki Minaj and late luxury designer Karl Lagerfeld had a deep mutual admiration for each other, with the two joining forces on a cover shoot for Elle last year and Minaj frequently fawning over Lagerfeld’s designs for Chanel. But if suspicions are correct, it may be Fendi, another formerly…Read more...

Well, it looks like President Trump’s racist tweet targeting the fab four freshmen congresswomen is working; not only has he distracted the public from his relationship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, his Republican base has heard the call and his support has increased.