-
A Prince Documentary Is in the Works at Netflix—with Ava DuVernay at the Helm
“Black excellence” is a phrase oft-used at The Root, but we’re not sure it’s quite adequate to describe this news: In the midst of completing her highly anticipated drama for Netflix, The Central Park Five, Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay is also in production on another documentary for the network, this time about…
-
For the Culture: 2018's Pop Culture Becomes Halloween's Most Popular Costumes
Fun fact: I’ve been low-key lobbying for us, just once, to turn The Root 100 into a costume party, where all of the guests and honorees are expected to come as their favorite black historical figure or pop cultural reference. After all, our annual gala takes place close to Halloween—and it’d be an understatement to…
-
‘This? It’s Fashion Nova.’ Cardi B’s Next Collab Gets a Drop Date
You better get that “Money,” Honey. Proving that no one is stopping her bags, Cardi B’s long-awaited collaboration with fast-fashion retailer Fashion Nova finally has a drop-date: Her highly-anticipated capsule collection will debut on Nov. 15! Even the most casual Cardi followers know that the entertainer and fashion lover has been a longtime wearer of…
-
Al Roker Joins a Full-Color Cast in Megyn Kelly’s Today Slot
If you tuned into the third hour of the Today show on Monday morning (or tuned in for the first time, out of sheer curiosity), no doubt you were greeted with some friendly and familiar faces. It was likely the most colorful the hour has been in over a year—or at least since Megyn Kelly…
-
In Memoriam: For Colored Girls Who Grew Up on Ntozake Shange
If you were a colored girl lucky enough (or “enuf,” as she might write) to grow up on the words and work of playwright, performer and author Ntozake Shange, learning of her death at age 70 on Saturday no doubt left you aching. One of the original conjurers of what we now know as “black…
-
Telling Untold Stories: Playwright and Performer Dael Orlandersmith Gets Under Our Skin
A community in the aftermath of unrest. The painful legacy of abuse, as experienced by black boys and men. The intimately insidious effects of colorism. The remembrance of a life lived and love lost, inspired by a chance encounter with a famously tragic jazz singer. Playwright and actor Dael Orlandersmith’s particular skill is to tell…
-
Ethiopia Just Made History by Electing Its 1st Female President
History was made in Ethiopia on Thursday when former United Nations official Sahle-Work Zewde became the nation’s first woman to be elected president. The appointment of the veteran diplomat comes amidst a “pink wave” in Africa’s second-most populated country, with the full support of Ethiopia’s progressive new prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, who was elected in…
-
Billionaire Topshop CEO Accused of Sexual Harassment, Abuse of NDAs
Fast fashion retailer Topshop may be at the forefront of fashion trends, but the brand is now embroiled in an old-fashioned scandal, as the chairman of its UK-based parent company, Arcadia Group, is now the subject of multiple sexual harassment allegations and accusations of racial abuse, brought against him this week. As reported by Vox,…
-
It's a Wrap: NBC Officially Cancels Megyn Kelly Today; Fox Passes on Her Return
Looks like morning show audiences will be spared any further angst from Megyn Kelly. On Friday, NBC officially canceled her hour on the Today Show, Megyn Kelly Today, and, according to the Hollywood Reporter, isn’t even waiting until her season ends in December. “Megyn Kelly Today is not returning. Next week, the 9 a.m. hour…
-
Drake Threw Himself a 2000s-Themed Birthday Bash and We Officially Feel Old
We don’t know how old you were during the “Y2K” scare, but some of us were already fully grown adults with emerging careers (and, in some cases, families). So leave it to borderline-problematic fave Drake to throw some peak-millennial shade, reminding us that he was but a tender 14 years old at the turn of…
