covid-19
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Oprah Gives Sound Advice on Failure During 'Some Good News' Appearance
The Office and Jack Ryan star John Krasinski is trying to offer glimmers of joy during this dumpster fire of a year with his weekly YouTube show, Some Good News. The premise of the show finds the actor and director highlighting some of the best things he’s seen on the internet through fan submissions, such…
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Essence and Naomi Campbell Celebrate Their 50th Birthdays Together—With a Supermodel Self-Portrait
Two paragons of black beauty turn 50 this month, and as much of the world continues to shelter-in-place, Essence magazine and Naomi Campbell are celebrating their joint milestone together—yet apart—as the soon-to-be 50-year-old supermodel provided a series of “self-portraits in isolation” for the magazine’s May/June special collector’s issue. It wasn’t the plan, but it’s a…
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Teen Sister and Brother Host Virtual ‘We Are Well Prom’ to Honor the Class of 2020
Along with the pomp and circumstance of graduation, one of the signature rites of passage for high school students that has also been canceled by the pandemic is the senior prom. But two students from Forsyth County, Ga., provided hundreds of fellow high schoolers with a virtual senior prom Saturday via Instagram Live that was…
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DJ Jazzy Jeff Looks to 'Break the Monotony' With Virtual Block Party Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Last week, fans fiending for nostalgia were treated to an impromptu The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion courtesy of Will Smith, who helped transform the show into a cultural phenomenon. And as the cast and critics continue their yearlong celebration of the 30th anniversary of this landmark sitcom, DJ Jazzy Jeff will be hosting a…
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Tina Knowles-Lawson and Beyoncé's BeyGOOD Initiative Offering Free COVID-19 Testing in Houston
While undeniably heartbreaking, it’s no surprise that black and brown people are disproportionately affected by the devastating effects of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the CDC, as of mid-April, roughly 33 percent of COVID-19 fatalities are African-American people. In order to combat the spread of the illness in her home state of Texas, Beyoncé and…
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During COVID-19, Black Women Are Still Dying From Not Being Taken Seriously
About a year ago I made up my mind to never give birth to a child in the United States. The decision came after I stumbled into an urgent care clinic in the Chicago neighborhood I lived in, after hours of lying on the couch in my apartment feeling weak and severely dehydrated yet unable…
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Trevor Noah Is Paying Daily Show Crew Furloughed by COVID-19 Out of His Own Pocket
Trevor Noah reminds me of Barack Obama in a lot of ways. He’s written a successful memoir about his upbringing and mixed identity, he’s extremely well-spoken and handsome with slightly protruding ears that somehow manage to make him look just more adorable, and he seems like the kinda guy you just can’t help but like.…
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May Is Mental Health Awareness Month. You Hanging in There?
How you doin’, fam? Obviously, as of late, we’ve been talking a lot about health here at The Root. As the world—and the United States, in particular—faces an unprecedented health crisis in the outbreak of COVID-19, our concerns have largely been focused upon the physical aspects of the coronavirus; how to avoid it, combat it,…
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For White People Who Have Considered Genocide When Coronavirus Wasn't Enough
Like Coco dancing. I imagine hate feels like Coco dancing. Erica Gimpel played dance student Coco Hernandez on the 1980’s television show Fame. Coco didn’t comb her hair. She didn’t care about anything else but dancing. And, in every third episode, the Fame producers would write a scene that required Coco to bust every available…
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Janelle Monae to Perform in Verizon Live Series Benefitting Small Businesses
Across the board, celebrities are trying to do what they can with their platforms to help those who have been affected by the devastation brought on by COVID-19. Actress Octavia Spencer donated respirators to hospitals in her home state of Alabama and the epicenter of the illness, New York, while Rihanna has donated over $5…