-
Yeezy Will Soon Fall Into the Gap; Retailer Teases Late June Drop Date
With everything else that’s occurred in the world of Kanye West since last June, it’d be understandable if you’d forgotten about his upcoming collaboration with Gap altogether. After all, it was followed by a failed presidential run, a multibillion-dollar evaluation, a documentary announcement, a divorce announcement, a disgruntled former protégé and a multimillion-dollar lawsuit by…
-
VSB Co-Founder Damon Young Wins the Thurber Prize for American Humor
Once you’ve been a part of The Root family, we will forever claim you (because Black excellence deserves Black pride). So, despite his recent departure from the daily grind of our beloved news and opinion site, we are collectively overjoyed that one of our closest homies, Very Smart Brothas co-founder Damon Young was awarded the…
-
Harry Shares Details on Meghan's Mental Health Within 'The Firm'; Tells Oprah 'She Was Going to End Her Life'
Content warning: The following article discusses suicidal ideation. “I always wanted to be normal; as opposed to being ‘Prince Harry,’ just being Harry. It was a puzzling life,” the Duke of Sussex tells Oprah in the series the duo executive produced for Apple TV+, The Me You Can’t See, which premiered on Thursday. It’s just…
-
In Spite of Awareness and Legislative Efforts, New Data Indicates the Black Maternal Health Crisis Isn't Improving
As we’ve reported numerous times over the past several years, giving birth in the United States remains a dangerous proposition, as pregnant or birthing women are more than twice as likely to die from complications than in most other high-income countries in the world. For Black women, the risks are even higher; new data from…
-
'They Could Say Whatever They Wanted': Michelle Obama's Secret Service Couldn't Protect Her From Racist 'Hecklers'
If you thought the onslaught of racist vitriol directed at former first lady Michelle Obama was difficult to read and hear about, imagine how it felt to be helpless when tasked with protecting her. This week, excerpts from former Secret Service agent Evy Poumpouras’ 2020 memoir Becoming Bulletproof resurfaced, detailing how Poumpouras felt “outraged” but…
-
'We Need to Be Listening to Black Girls': The Root Presents: It’s Lit! Talks Black Girl Boundaries and Raising a Shady Baby With Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade
Of the handful of celebrity families who continue to capture our imagination —including the Carters, the Wilsons, and the Williams-Ohanians—as well as our attention each time they post pictures of their adorable broods on social media, perhaps the most refreshing is the blended and beautiful Union-Wade clan. Whether having open chats with their kids about…
-
Beyoncé and Beyond: Tyler Mitchell Is Your New MasterClass Instructor
Fashion lovers and the Hive alike hit nirvana in 2018, as Tyler Mitchell became the first Black photographer to shoot a cover of American Vogue, immortalizing the already iconic Beyoncé in a series of portraits which marked the next evolution of the homespun elegance she’d evoked in 2016’s Lemonade. One of his portraits of the…
-
'If You Fail, It's Everybody's Failure': Bozoma Saint John Pens Op-Ed Calling Out the Double Standard Facing Black Women
To be young, gifted and Black is a decades-long mantra, thanks in large part to the legacies of Lorraine, Nina and Aretha. To be gifted, Black and a woman is a different legacy, earned at an intersection often filled with contradictions, microaggressions and challenges to your very legitimate and hard-earned wins; a trajectory illustrated by…
-
Queer Spaces and Faces: A New Media Collection Seeks to Make LGBTQIA+ Lives More Visible
On Monday, we celebrated the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, a day launched to confront the biases, fear and outright hatred that threaten LGBTQIA+ lives and civil (and human) rights. While at The Root, we believe equality should just be common sense, we also know the part that increased representation can play in…
-
Naomi Campbell Announces a 'Beautiful Little Blessing' as the Supermodel Starts Her Journey Into Motherhood
Naomi Campbell’s career has spanned over three decades and brought the supermodel, activist and philanthropist worldwide acclaim, starring on countless magazine covers and counting world leaders like Mandela among her personal mentors. But just days before her 51st birthday on May 22, Campbell announced what is undoubtedly her greatest achievement yet, posting on Tuesday morning…