The Root

Police officers are well aware of the tremendous power and authority they wield, yet historically they’ve abused it at the cost of black lives. Time after time, instance after instance, we’ve borne witness to innocent black men who are harassed, demeaned or slaughtered simply for existing, while those who have sworn…Read more...

Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and holder of a top-level security clearance as an adviser to Trump, participated in a one-on-one sit down with Axios on HBO that can only be described as a one-night-stand between a drunken circus clown and a shitshow that then gave birth to a Jared Kushner interview.

The rapper Drake doesn’t play basketball. In fact, after losing leg mobility to gun violence in high school, when he went by the name Jimmy, Drake was confined to a wheelchair and therefore was unable...

On May 31, Netflix released the Ava DuVernay-helmed miniseries, When They See Us, which delves into the case of the Central Park Five, the five black and brown boys who were convicted in 1990 in both the media and the courtroom for a crime they didn’t commit. In 2002, they were exonerated after the actual perpetrator…Read more...

With his gender-defying style and wonderfully inventive red carpet looks, it’s safe to say Billy Porter is the reigning king of what we know as “camp.” Now, the Grammy and Tony winner and Pose star is taking his dynamism back to the Met Museum on June 23 to “discuss the concept of camp in performance and the impact of…Read more...

You’re getting a twofer today; it’s a celebration, bitches! This weekend I made my way up to Philadelphia for the 12th annual Roots Picnic (whole article comin’) to celebrate my 40th birthday (more on this coming soon, too) and because of the amount of drinking and shenanigans I participated in, Day 2 got lost in the…Read more...

Winter always comes.Read more...

Big pimpin’, spendin’ cheese—but more more importantly, big pimpin’, makin’ cheese. A billion slices, in fact.

He’s the son of a single mom and already has an endorsement from Luke Skywalker. (Fine, it’s actor Mark Hamill, who played Skywalker, who showed love—but if I said that Hamill endorsed him, would you even have known who he was?) He’s running a campaign under the hashtag #SendLindseyHome—as in President Trump’s…Read more...

If, like me, you spent a good part of your weekend tearfully watching Ava DuVernay’s masterful When They See Us on Netflix, you likely walked away wanting to ensure the world never forgets what was done to Yusef Salaam, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Korey Wise and Raymond Santana.Read more...

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I’d spent two years on this earth when I met my paternal grandmother Julianna Oni for the first—and last—time. As I was her sole olo’oruko mi—the only heir to be her namesake—she took an immediate liking to me, often raising my youthful frame in her firm, mahogany arms and chanting “Julie Julie Julie Julie” with a…Read more...

Every great soul food plate is symphonic in nature. There’s the rich medley of textures and flavor profiles: the satisfying, savory crunch of fried chicken skin, giving way to the juicy, slick meat underneath. The electric orange comfort of candied yams, sweet and buttery and sliding around your tongue. The bright…Read more...

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Rihanna is dropping clues that her much-anticipated new album is in the (work, work, work, work, work) works.Read more...

Leave it to ‘Yoncé to outdo even The Lion King.Read more...

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It turns out the Affordable Care Act may have acted to make care affordable and accessible to black folks.Read more...

A group of black voters represented by a foundation affiliated with former Attorney General Eric Holder’s National Democratic Redistricting Committee is challenging Mississippi’s Jim-Crow era laws written to place black candidates for statewide office at a disadvantage.Read more...

DeWayne Craddock, the 40-year-old engineer who officials say murdered 12 people at the government building where he worked in Virginia Beach, Va., submitted a formal letter of regulation from his post as an engineer for the city, according to the Washington Post.Read more...

Donald Trump’s reelection campaign Twitter account was lampooned by social media on Saturday for being as dumb as Donald himself. The Official “Trump War Room” claimed it was “fake news” that Trump had labeled Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, as “nasty” (his favorite misogynistic insult for women)—the only problem…Read more...

In an incident that shocked communities Friday, Michael Comeau, a school principal and recipient of the prestigious Milken award for educators, thought it was a good idea to get belligerently drunk, hit up the strip club, then refuse to pay … all while on a school field trip.Read more...

Leah Chase, iconic executive chef, civil rights activist, and co-owner of the legendary Dooky Chase’s Restaurant in New Orleans, died Saturday. She was 96 years old.Read more...

A protester interrupted Senator Kamala Harris’ speech on Saturday, snatching the microphone from the presidential candidate and beginning a rant before being escorted from the stage.Read more...

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What started out as a normal night for a group of black people ended up being … a typical night for a group of black people.

Add Serena Williams to a growing list of recognizable names to see an early exit from this year’s French Open.Read more...

Harlem kingpin Frank Lucas, who inspired the 2007 feature film American Gangster with Denzel Washington, has died.Read more...

Rapper and revisionist historian Kanye West has launched a grant for young creatives, providing financial assistance and mentorship to up-and-coming designers.Read more...

According to CBS News, the State Department is now requiring nearly all applicants for United States visas to submit their social media usernames, previous email addresses and phone numbers, a vast expansion of immigrant and visitor screening under the Trump administration.Read more...

On Friday afternoon, Bloomberg News reported that Apple is soon to announce the end of its iconic iTunes digital store. Launched in 2003, iTunes took the business world by storm and started the massive movement of mp3 music sales.Read more...

There’s an actual Old Town Road in Marlborough, N.H., and residents are sick and tired of the constant attention.

On Saturday Virginia Beach officials identified 40-year-old DeWayne Craddock as the lone gunman who opened fire on a municipal complex Friday afternoon, killing at least 12 and injuring many others. The Wall Street Journal reports the shooting was retaliation for being terminated from his longtime job as a city worker.Read more...

Houston-based Activist Quanell X, leader of the New Black Panther Nation, claims that while visiting Derion Vence in jail Friday morning, Vence confessed to killing five-year-old Maleah Davis then dumping her body on the side of a road in Arkansas. Police later found human remains in the area Vence described.

June is Black Music Month and we here at VSB have decided to celebrate with aplomb and splender. Just like we did back in February with our 28 Days of Literary Blackness series, we also love music and relish in the opportunity to celebrate that love as frequently as possible. Sometimes you just have to kick back and…Read more...

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In what one may expect from an administration headed by someone who’s tried to make haute cuisine out of McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s and has an apparent love affair with KFC, the Trump administration is proposing adding “foods” like spray-can cheese, beef jerky and stuffed olives to the list of nutritious…Read more...

Missouri’s only abortion clinic — The. Only. One. In. The. Entire. State. — has dodged the bullet and will remain open, at least for now.Read more...

It’s a damn shame when you put up folks in your home and they — literally — piss all over it. That’s the charge NBA great Scottie Pippen is making in a lawsuit he’s filed against lawyer-turned-standup comic Lindsay Glazer Woloshin and her family — including her 5-year-old — whom he accuses of trashing his Florida…Read more...

In a case that conjures up portions of the George Zimmerman case, a woman who faces murder charges after police say she fatally shot a 62-year-old driver in the stomach after confronting him following a hit-and-run has been given a $100,000 bond.

At least 12 people were killed in a mass shooting in Virginia Beach, VA, on Friday, law enforcement officials said.

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Anyone who had the pleasure of watching actress Aisha Hinds monologue her way through a series of breathtaking appearances as Harriet Tubman on the tragically underrated (and sadly canceled) series Underground knew they were witnessing someone wondrous.Read more...

I know, I know. That’s a great headline.Read more...

Fourscore and 12 Fridays ago, our writers brought forth, upon this website, a new weekly feature—The Clapback Mailbag.Read more...

Hey, Happily Marrieds with Children, no need to pity the single, childless women in your life. As it turns out, their life choices may be a literal lifesaver.Read more...

I’ve never participated in a mock slave auction, but I would imagine a fourth-grade classroom isn’t the ideal place to have one—especially in 2019. Yet here we are, admonishing another teacher for contaminating their learning environment with racist bullshit.Read more...

Wake up! We got some more Steve Harvey news.Read more...

1. I got into the Wu-Tang Clan very late to the game. It’s not because I didn’t think they could spit—I did, but the sound was just too dirty for me. I was a very big fan of Dr. Dre and DJ Quik and they both produced very cleanly, so to speak. And also, one of my best friends from high school literally ONLY played the…Read more...