15 Scary Black Folk Legends For Halloween, Black Celebs Who Attended HBCU Homecomings, MTV’s Ananda Lewis Has Sad Health News, Angel Reese Addresses Her WNBA Salary and Other News From the Culture This Week

A collection of The Root’s best posts of the week in culture

More Black Celebs Who Have Attended HBCU Homecomings Throughout the Years

LaLa Anthony; Drake; Ludacris and Taraji P. Henson Photo: Getty Images Brian Stukes; Prince Williams; Mark Gail

If it’s one thing Homecoming at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) will do is bring out the stars! Since the early days of Homecoming season, celebrities have always found their way to HBCU campuses for great times and even better performances. – Phenix S Halley Read More

Video will return here when scrolled back into view
Inside Lenny Kravitz’s Jaw-Dropping Paris Mansion

Bath & Body Works is in the Hot Seat for a Design Some Are Calling Racist, But is It?

HAYWARD, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 12: Customers shop at a Bath & Body Works store on June 12, 2024 in Hayward, California. Photo: Getty Images Justin Sullivan

Bath & Body Works is in the hot seat this week after a design for a new candle went all the way wrong. The chain, known for its yummy-smelling home and body fragrances, is being called out for the packaging of their “Snowed In” candle, which some say looks eerily similar to a reminder of this country’s racist past. – Angela Johnson Read More

Former MTV VJ Ananda Lewis Reveals Heartbreaking Update in Her Cancer Battle

Photo: Getty Images Paul Archuleta

For the past four years, fans of Ananda Lewis have been following her cancer journey. And although some have questioned her course of treatment, everyone has hoped for the best possible outcome. – Angela Johnson Read More

Black Celeb Women Who Are the Bread Winners in Their Relationships

Photo: Getty Images Prince Wiliams; Kevin Mazur; Stephane Cardinale

In 2024, women are taking over all the way from classrooms to board rooms. And despite the fact that society has made tremendous progress past traditional gender roles in relationships, we all know money matters. In the case of several of our favorite celebrity couples, Black women are taking the lead and holding down the household while also breaking boundaries in their respective fields. – Phenix S Halley Read More

Angel Reese Says Her WNBA Salary Would Have Her Broke-Broke Out Here

Photo: Getty Images Geoff Stellfox

As much as we’ve enjoyed the thrilling WNBA Finals competition between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx, it also means the history-making 2024 WNBA season is coming to an end. For a lot of players, that means moving on to their offseason jobs. Yes, WNBA players typically have second jobs in the offseason, because the majority of players — the ones who aren’t stars — need the money. – Stephanie Holland Read More

Racist Graffiti Was Scrawled On the Walls of a Small Black Texas Church, Then It Was Burned to the Ground

Screenshot: KXII-TV

It’s a sad tale that’s been repeated too many times before: a Black church becomes a target of racial violence. More than 200 years after the first recorded Black church was burned to the ground by white supremacists, another church community in Texas is picking up the crisp remnants of their spiritual home after it was set ablaze in 2024. – Phenix S Halley Read More

The Very Surprising Story of How Jay-Z Became Worth $2.5 Billion

Photo: Getty Images Daniela Porcelli

Since becoming Hip-Hop’s first ever billionaire in 2019, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter has more than doubled his fortune. After transforming his musical career to one of the most profitable financial ventures in recent history, even fellow billionaire Warren Buffet said Jay-Z is “the guy to learn from.” – Phenix S Halley Read More

Oh No! Serena Williams Reveals Health Update About Her Scary Procedure

Photo: Getty Images Arnold Jerocki

Serena Williams is one of the greatest athletes of all time, but even she has to slow down when a health crisis hits. On Tuesday, the tennis champion shocked fans with a TikTok video that revealed she’s been dealing with a cyst on her neck. – Stephanie Holland Read More

Wait, What! This HBCU President Created a Shoe That Literally Grows Over Time

Image: Getty Images [{‘styles’: [], ‘value’: ‘Dimitrios Kambouris; @kustoo on Instagram’, ‘type’: ‘Text’}]

Dr. D’Wayne Edwards is known for being an innovative force within the design world. With over 32 years of experience in the footwear industry and as the founder and president of the only design-focused Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the country, Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design, Edwards continues to be a top runner in the sneaker industry. – Phenix S Halley Read More

15 Black Folklore Stories to Know Ahead of Spooky Season

Photo: Getty Images David Wall

If you’re Black, you’ve been told by someone in your family about some haint, a reappearing phantom or a folktale that left you with chills. In honor of spooky season coming, it’s only right for us to recount some of our Black favorites. – Kalyn Womack Read More

Straight From The Root

Sign up for our free daily newsletter.

Latest from The Root

A Full Timeline of Candace Owens' Bizarre Political Flip-Flops

A Full Timeline of Candace Owens’ Bizarre Political Flip-Flops

Candace Owens’ political affiliations have flipped and flopped so many times that now it’s time we finally talk about it all …
Carl Carlton and Other Black Celebs We Lost In 2025

Carl Carlton and Other Black Celebs We Lost In 2025

We are recognizing the Black celebs who left us in 2025 …
Inside the Explosive Delineation Debate Picking Apart Black Folk's Identity, History, and Who 'Belongs' 

Inside the Explosive Delineation Debate Picking Apart Black Folk’s Identity, History, and Who ‘Belongs’ 

From ancestry and reparations to defining identity, the delineation movement is sparking conversations, and controversy, across Black America …
Why Teyana Taylor's Latest Role Has Folks Comparing Her to Halle Berry in 'Monster's Ball'

Why Teyana Taylor’s Latest Role Has Folks Comparing Her to Halle Berry in ‘Monster’s Ball’

Teyana Taylor’s role in ‘One Battle After Another’ is sparking some serious conversations and it involves Halle Berry and broader representations of Black women …
Chicago-Area Man Allegedly Sexually Assaults Wheelchair-Bound Woman on Train, But it Gets Worse...

Chicago-Area Man Allegedly Sexually Assaults Wheelchair-Bound Woman on Train, But it Gets Worse…

Rasheed Griffin, of Calumet City, is accused of sexually assaulting a wheelchair-bound woman on the CTA. Then did the unthinkable in court …
How 'Owning Manhattan' Has Everyone Talking About Black Women's Struggle in Corporate America

How ‘Owning Manhattan’ Has Everyone Talking About Black Women’s Struggle in Corporate America

The newest season of ‘Owning Manhattan’ has Black women calling out the rough landscape of working in corporate America and the things they have to deal with! …
TikTok's Brenay Montague Breaks Her Silence on the $1.7M Cheating Scandal— And Fans Are Gagging

TikTok’s Brenay Montague Breaks Her Silence on the $1.7M Cheating Scandal— And Fans Are Gagging

Brenay Montague had viewers in a chokehold after admitting the $1.7 million cheating scandal “wasn’t worth it.” And the internet has some thoughts …
OnlyFans Model Connected to Sherrone Moore Breaks Her Silence About <i>That</i> Graphic Request

OnlyFans Model Connected to Sherrone Moore Breaks Her Silence About That Graphic Request

As the story around the Sherrone Moore scandal continues to get weirder, one OnlyFans model says the former football coach was frequently in her DMs …
Rep. Ilhan Omar's Beef with Trump Hits New Low After ICE Detains Her Son

Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Beef with Trump Hits New Low After ICE Detains Her Son

After months of beefing with Trump, Rep. Ilhan Omar claimed her son was targeted by ICE in Minnesota …
TGI Fridays Server’s Good Deed Goes Viral -- But There's a Problem

TGI Fridays Server’s Good Deed Goes Viral — But There’s a Problem

TGI Fridays server Brittany Bell touched millions with her heartfelt act of kindness, but the restaurant chain’s reward left social media unimpressed …
Why a N.C. Teen <i>Won't</i> Face Charges After Allegedly Stabbing His Classmate to Death

Why a N.C. Teen Won’t Face Charges After Allegedly Stabbing His Classmate to Death

A fight over a THC pen left one North Carolina 16-year-old dead. Now, his family wants justice after authorities refuse to press charges for this reason …
The Full Timeline of Ebro's Fiery Exit and Hot 97's Sudden Morning Show Collapse

The Full Timeline of Ebro’s Fiery Exit and Hot 97’s Sudden Morning Show Collapse

Now that the popular syndicated morning show “Ebro in the Morning” has come to an end, here’s what we know so far …
Stacey Abrams, New Report On Why Supreme Court's Louisiana v. Callais Is So Terrifying

Stacey Abrams, New Report On Why Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais Is So Terrifying

Stacey Abrams and Cliff Albright say Louisiana v. Callais could roll back the core of the Voting Rights Act, putting the future of Black voters at stake …
Russell Simmons Finally Responds to Ex Kimora Lee Simmons With This Shocking Claim

Russell Simmons Finally Responds to Ex Kimora Lee Simmons With This Shocking Claim

Russell Simmons isn’t letting ex Kimora Lee Simmons latest words paint him in a negative light without speaking up! …
Photo by Evan Agostini/Getty Images

Professor: Why Have Black Women Stayed Silent About Diddy, Other Men For So Long?

The Diddy docuseries does more than expose Sean Combs’s misdeeds. It shows how Black women sometimes hurt themselves in their attempt to protect Black men …
Christian Louboutin African Looks and Roots Will Surprise You

Christian Louboutin African Looks and Roots Will Surprise You

Did you know that Parisian designer Christian Louboutin has African ancestry? …
Black Women Find Connection Through Ebony & Orchid Dinners in New York City

Black Women Find Connection Through Ebony & Orchid Dinners in New York City

The Root spoke with Danielle Belton and Junny Ann Hibbert about their mission to foster community among Black women with Ebony & Orchid dinners in NYC …
Y’all Wanna Make Sherrone Moore About White Women…at the Expense of Black Women

Y’all Wanna Make Sherrone Moore About White Women…at the Expense of Black Women

OPINION: Sherrone Moore’s profound fall from grace may involve white women…but they aren’t the reason for it all …
Black Love Blooms In A Surprise Central Park Wedding

Black Love Blooms In A Surprise Central Park Wedding

A young Black couple got married in Central Park and TikTok is loving it! …
Internet Backlash  Follows Video of Uncle Nearest Whiskey Co-Founder with Man Claiming to be Former Schoolmate

Internet Backlash  Follows Video of Uncle Nearest Whiskey Co-Founder with Man Claiming to be Former Schoolmate

A video circulating online shows Fawn Weaver, co-founder of the whiskey company Uncle Nearest, reacting to a man who approached her at a recent book signing (most likely for her latest book, “Love & Whiskey: The Remarkable True Story of Jack Daniel”). When he did speak, he asked her if …