Criminal Justice
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LeBron James Claps Back at LA County Sheriff Who Came for Him: 'What's Right Is Right, and What's Wrong Is Wrong'
As arguably the most influential and astute athlete of this generation, LeBron James might be a lot of things, but stupid isn’t one of them. So last week, when Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva took a break from attempting to reinstate former deputies accused of domestic violence in order to issue a challenge to…
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Pittsburgh Steelers to Honor Antwon Rose Jr. With Helmet Decal This Season
In 2018, The Root reported on a recurring theme that we just can’t seem to escape: the fatal shooting of yet another unarmed Black person at the hands of police, but what made this particular instance so disturbing was that the victim, Antwon Rose Jr., was only 17 years old. Antwon was a passenger in…
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Family of Black Woman Who Died Attending a Slumber Party in Georgia Speaks Publicly for the First Time: ‘None of This Makes Sense’
The family of Tamla Horsford, a 40-year-old mother of five, is speaking out for the first time about her mysterious death at a 2018 slumber party in Forsyth County, Ga. Horsford, who was the only Black attendee of the slumber party, was found the next day face down in the backyard of the home. Police…
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A Judge Asked Harvard to Find Out Why So Many Black People Were In Prison. They Could Only Find 1 Answer: Systemic Racism
It wasn’t Black-on-Black crime. Violent video games and rap songs had nothing to do with it; nor did poverty, education, two-parent homes or the international “bootstraps” shortage. When a judge tasked researchers with explaining why Massachusetts’ Black and Latinx incarceration was so high, a four-year study came up with one conclusion. Racism. It was always…
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Dak Prescott Hopes Jerry Jones Doesn't Treat Cowboys Players Like Runaway Slaves When They Inevitably Protest the National Anthem
I know, I know, he means well. With professional athletes more expressive about social justice causes than ever before, NFL star Dak Prescott believes that Cowboys players will inevitably join the fray despite their plantation owner Jerry Jones’ wishes to the contrary. However, the two-time Pro Bowler believes that his teammates shouldn’t subscribe to groupthink,…
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Naomi Osaka Honors Breonna Taylor With Mask at U.S. Open, Has 6 More Masks Lined Up Because She Ain't Losing Any Time Soon
Just so we’re clear, Naomi Osaka has no intention of losing in the U.S. Open anytime soon. I say that because, on Monday night, she took the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City donning a black face mask with Breonna Taylor’s name on it. She then proceeded to stomp a mudhole in…
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Baltimore Ravens Apply Pressure, Urge Mitch McConnell to Do His Damn Job by Bringing George Floyd Police Reform Bill to Vote
In the immediate aftermath of the Milwaukee Bucks refusing to take the floor during Game 5 of their NBA playoffs series in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, the Baltimore Ravens canceled practice on Friday and issued a statement demanding police reform and addressing systemic oppression in America. “This is bigger than sports,”…
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Family of Layleen Polanco Reaches History-Making $5.9 Million Settlement Over Solitary Confinement Death
The family of Layleen Polanco, a trans-Afro-Latina who died while in solitary confinement at Rikers Island jail last year, will receive a historic $5.9 million settlement—the largest New York City has ever paid out for a death in one of its city jails. In a statement to The City, family attorney David Shanies said the…
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Because Police Refuse to Stop Shooting Unarmed Black People, We Now Live In a World Without Professional Sports
I had no intention of watching the game. As a lifelong fan of the Orlando Magic—I still have nightmares of my Dad chasing me around the house with a broom after we got swept in the 1995 NBA Finals—I wanted no parts of the inevitable coup de grâce that would be Wednesday’s Game 5 against…
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At Age 73, I Feel Younger and Bolder Because of the Movement for Black Lives
When people my age think of the Black Lives Matter uprising, many picture young people taking to the streets and marching for change.But there’s also another story: the story of people like me, aged 73, sitting at the table with young people and spending hours to develop strategies, draft legislation like the BREATHE Act and…