The Real Background Of The Alleged New Orleans Killer, A Group of New Jersey Cops Sent N-Word-Filled Text Messages, Black New York Inmate Dies After Being Beaten By Corrections Officers, What Happened After North Carolina Woman Mistook Nail Glue For Eye Drops And More

The Root’s most powerful news stories from the last seven days.

Folks Are Calling the Alleged New Orleans Killer a ‘Terrorist,’ But His Background Will Surprise You

Screenshot: FBI

On New Year’s Day, 15 people were killed and 30 were injured after a vehicle drove into a crowd celebrating 2025 in the French Quarter. The cops have their suspect who has since been described as a “terrorist.” However, his profile describes him as quite the opposite. – Kalyn Womack Read More

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Meet the Masterminds Behind the Beats: Celebrating Black Music Producers by Region

A Whole Group of New Jersey Cops Sent Racist, N-Word-Filled Text Messages. Their Consequences are Infuriating.

Photo: Monmouth County

An officer in Monmouth County, N.J. has been fired after it was revealed he sent racist slurs in text messages to other police officers. The group wasn’t being investigated for racist behavior. The texts surprisingly came to light after a police-involved crash crash exposed cell phone data. – Candace McDuffie Read More

A Black New York Inmate Dies After Being Beaten By Corrections Officers in What Politician Calls a ‘Modern Day Lynching’

Photo: Office of the New York State Attorney General

Just weeks before Christmas, a Black inmate at a New York prison was allegedly beaten to death by a group of correctional officers. The footage of the incident was so horrid, even the police union called it “incomprehensible.” – Kalyn Womack Read More

A North Carolina Woman Mistakes Nail Glue for Eye Drops and…Ouch!

Screenshot: [{‘styles’: [], ‘value’: ‘TikTok’, ‘type’: ‘Text’}]

A medicine cabinet mixup just left a North Carolina woman hospitalized as doctors try to help her out of a painful situation.

The unidentified woman apparently mistook her nail glue for eye drops and accidentally glued her eyes shut.

In a post she captioned, “POV: your mom thought her nail glue was her eye drops,” Ria Faggart, the woman’s daughter, shared video footage of her mother lying in a hospital bed. The video shows the woman blinking but unable to open her eyes as the sticky substance apparently has them sealed shut. – Angela Johnson Read More

Black Twitter Reacts to President Jimmy Carter’s Death at 100

Photo: Getty Images David Hume Kennerly

Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States of America and the longest-living American president, passed away at the age of 100 on Sunday.

Due to his age, it wasn’t necessarily a shock to many that Carter passed. But his death did garner some unique reactions from Black Twitter as users remembered one of the country’s most respected political figures. – Noah A. McGee Read More

Students Allegedly Asked This Black Utah Grad Student For An “N-Word Pass,” But Wait…There’s More

Photo: The Salt Lake Tribune

A former Utah student has filed a lawsuit against both the Davis School District and her former basketball coach for racial discrimination. According to ABC 4, Ebony Davis says that she experienced harassment on a regular basis, and even alleges that she was called the N-word while walking through the halls. – Candace McDuffie Read More

First A Nazi Rally, Now Even More Racism Found Throughout Ohio

Photo: WOIO

After a Nazi march that took place last month in Columbus, Ohio, disturbing racist signs are now popping up in Cleveland. The flyers, which promote white supremacist ideology, have been seen in the Tremont neighborhood as reported by local station WOIO. – Candace McDuffie Read More

Joe Budden Charged For Being Naked Outside of His Neighbor’s Home, But What Really Happened?

Photo: Getty Images Johnny Nunez/WireImage

Before celebrating the new year, former rapper and popular podcaster Joe Budden has found himself in some legal trouble.

On Monday, a statement by the Edgewater Police Department in New Jersey claimed that on the morning of December 4, officers responded to a call at an apartment complex claiming that Budden was naked outside of someone’s door. – Noah A. McGee Read More

The Root Remembers One of Our Own: Stephanie Holland

Staff Writer Stephanie Holland at the 2024 Primetime Emmys. Photo: Courtesy of Stephanie Holland’s family

Death is never an easy thing to deal with. But it’s especially tough when it involves a colleague here at The Root and someone who I personally considered as a friend: Stephanie Holland. According to her family, she passed away on Dec. 31. She was 47 years old. – Shanelle Genai Read More

The MAGA Faithful Pressured These Major Companies to Abolish DEI Programs in 2024…It Will Only Get Worse In 2025

Photo: Getty Images Michael Siluk

In 2024, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs at several of the nation’s largest companies came undone as prominent figures like Elon Musk voiced their disapproval. And it looks like the trend of coming for the programs will continue in 2025. – Candace McDuffie Read More

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