These 17 Blatantly Racist Moments Are Bound to Creep You Out

From songs about lynching to Blackface at high schools, here are 17 recent times when white Americans got a little too comfortable with being racist.

When it comes down to race in this nation, Black Americans still feel a thick tension. Continuous cuts to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and Black politicians being threatened on top of everyday racist attacks are clear examples that some folks are a little too comfortable with spewing racism… And it’s time we talk seriously about it.

Video will return here when scrolled back into view
Tramell Tillman Talks Sparring with Tom Cruise and Bringing That Severance Heat to Mission: Impossible

President Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again — or white again as former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi famously called the slogan— has seemingly emboldened many Americans to share their real thoughts about Black people. Unfortunately for us, however, these dangerous opinions have devastating consequences. Just take a look at some of the many examples of racists and MAGA supporters coming for Black Americans.

White Man Allegedly Threatens Black Man

Jarvis McKenzie, a Black man from South Carolina, wants his story to lead to real change in the state– one of only two with no hate crime laws. According to McKenzie, he was targeted by a white man named Jonathan Felkel while on the way to work, the Guardian reported. On July 17, McKenzie said Felkel picked up a rifle and fired over his head while shouting “you better get running, boy!” Felkel was later arrested, according to WIS 10. The case is considered Richland County’s first ever hate crime case.

Blackface at Ga. High School

Screenshot from YouTube

We previously told you members of the Fayetteville, Ga. community are up in arms after five white people showed up at Whitewater High School dressed in complete Blackface. The racist spectacle happened during a “black-out” themed volleyball game. Pictures of the five individuals– covered from head to toe in black paint while wearing curly afros and shirts with letters written on them– have gone viral, causing the school’s principal and the NAACP to condemn the act.

Laura Loomer v. Jasmine Crockett

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) questions witnesses during a roundtable discussion on Supreme Court Ethics conducted by Democrats of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee Image: Getty Images Jemal Countess

As we told you yesterday, far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer took to X calling Crockett a “ghetto black bitch” after the congresswoman called out white Democrats, who voted to honor far-right conservative Charlie Kirk. He was assassinated on Sept. 10, and ever since then, MAGA has made a push to honor his legacy, despite Kirk being a known racist and bigot– especially against Black Americans. After Crockett voiced her frustrations, Loomer was quick to call the Texan out of her name, which has clear racial undertones. Crockett has yet to respond.

Pa. Corrections Officer Waves Racist Bat

Screenshot taken from CBS News

Early this year, an employee at Allegheny County Jail (ACJ) in Pittsburg was suspended after a racist video resurfaced online. Brian Davis was featured in a now-deleted Instagram video showing him wearing a Patriots sweatshirt while holding a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire. Written on the bat was “n****r beater,” which expectedly sparked outrage for civil rights groups. Davis reported has worked for ACJ since 2018.

Stephen Miller Gives Charlie Kirk’s Eulogy

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 11: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as Senior Advisor to the President Stephen Miller (C) listens during a round-table discussion on border security and safe communities with State, local, and community leaders in the Cabinet Room of the White House on January 11, 2019 in Washington, DC. As the second-longest government shut down continues, Democrats and Republicans have not found a compromise for border security funding and President Donald Trump’s proposed wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Trump aide Stephen Miller’s speech at Charlie Kirk memorial has drawn major pushback from folks accusing Miller of taking things too far. “We are the storm. And our enemies cannot comprehend our strength, our determination, our resolve, our passion,” he said before adding, “Our lineage and our legacy hails back to Athens, to Rome, to Philadelphia, to Monticello. Our ancestors built the cities. They produced the art and architecture. They built the industry.” Miller went on to paint Trump and MAGA as a good force against an evil enemy, which has been compared to a the rhetoric of Joseph Goebbels, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party during World War II.

Racist TikTok Troll Gets His Karma

Tamo, a Black YouTube gamer known on TikTok as @norratamo, got his revenge against a racist online troll who kept calling him racial slurs. We previously told you, Tamo was live-streaming when the slurs started flooding his comments. He later announced he took action against the racist.

“To the white guy that called me slurs over and over again in my livestream the other night for no reason, guess what, you’re going to get kicked out of the United States Navy,” Tamo said on TikTok.“You know how they tell us we should be careful what we do on social media because there could be real life consequences? Hi, my name is real life consequences. I’ve done a thorough background check and now I know everything about you.”

Neo-Nazism Rising in the U.S.

WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 12: White supremacists, neo-Nazis, members of the Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups, gather for the Unite the Right rally in Lafayette Park across from the White House August 12, 2018 in Washington, DC. Thousands of protesters are expected to demonstrate against the ‘white civil rights’ rally, which was planned by the organizer of last yearÕs deadly rally in Charlottesville, Virginia (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Within the last few years, white supremacy demonstrations have been occurring more often in compared to past decades, according to Newsweek. Last summer was dubbed the “Summer of Hate” after 64 white supremacist events went down across 25 states. In many cases, these demonstrations were meant to invoke fear among minority groups, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported.

Shiloh Hendrix Gets Donations After Racist Tirade

After being caught on video spewing slurs at a young Black boy, a white woman named Shiloh Hendrix became known as the “playground Karen.” Hendrix went on to create a fundraiser on GiveSendGo— similar to GoFundMe– to “protect” her family. Despite cries from civil rights activists, the CFO of GiveSendGo defended an individual’s right to fundraise and to free expression.

“Shiloh is going through a dark moment, just as much as this other family is, and we want to be a light in all of these moments,” CFO Jacob Wells said. “When you start going down the road of cancellation and cancel culture, it actually brings the very things that we say that we’re against.” In total, Hendrix has raised $828,866.

Minnesota prosecutors said last month Hendrix will be charged with three counts of misdemeanor disorderly conduct. We told you each count against her carries a maximum penalty of three months behind bars and a $1,000 fine.

Rep. Diana Harshbarger Attacks Rep. Al Green

Texas Rep. Al Green made headlines in February when he interrupted Trump’s first congressional address, as The Root previously reported. Tenn. Rep. Diana Harshbarger, who was in the Capitol when it happened, later took to “the Christian F.A.M.E. Ministries” podcast to attack him. “I wanted to go over there and grab a few of ‘em,” Harshbarger said of Democrats present for Green’s demonstration.

She added, “Al Green was over here with his cane, and I’m like ‘Gosh dang it, boy,’” she shockingly said. But if the “boy” comment wasn’t fire enough, Harshbarger fueled her own flames with the suggestion that Green’s cane is fake. “He does not need that cane. That cane is a prop,” she alleged. “I swear it’s not real.”

MAGA Rappers Drop Song About Lynching

Screenshot from YouTube

Self-proclaimed rappers Forgiato Blow and JJ Lawhorn– two known MAGA supporters– released a song called “Good vs Evil,” which gives a tutorial on how to lynch someone. On the record, the two men sing, “We need a big tall tree and a short piece of rope / hang ‘em up high at sundown.” If that wasn’t bad enough, Lawhorn continues the hook saying “Leave ’em swinging so the folks all know / you don’t mess around in our town.” According to Statistica, thousands of Black people were lynched between 1882 and 1968. The racist practice was condemned decades ago.

Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith Defends Slavery

Ind. Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith took to X to shockingly defend a slavery-era law. He said, “the Three-Fifths Compromise is not a pro-discrimination compromise.” Beckwith went on to defend the agreement saying, “Know your history. Go back and study the documents. Read them for yourself like I have.” He continued inaccurately stating the racist agreement “and many other things like that were designed to make sure that justice was equal for all people and equality really meant equality for all.”

This was in direct response to Democrats in the Senate comparing a bill getting rid of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in higher education to the Three-Fifths Compromise. The GOP led legislation was ultimately passed back in April, according to Fox News.

MAGA Dentist Pleads Guilty to Sending Threats

Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office 

In 2020, we reported Richard Kantwill, a former dentist in Tampa and Trump supporter, was accused of sending more than 100 racist threats to folks who simply don’t like the president. His threats caught the attention of the FBI, who indicted him on three counts of interstate transmission of a threat to injure. Kantwill pled guilty in 2024, and he was sentenced to 24 months behind bars, according to the Department of Justice.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Comes for Barack Obama

WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 07: U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaks during the hearing on “Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” held by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Subcommittee at the U.S. Capitol on May 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. The hearing comes after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in February that withholds federal funding from programs that allow transgender women and girls to compete in women’s sports events. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

Former President Barack Obama has withstood his fair share of racially-charged insults since he became president in 2008. But even with him being nine years removed from the White House, Obama still remains a key topic of discussion for MAGA. Ga. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene once said Obama only won because of his skin color before she accused Democrats of using identity politics to divide the nation, according to FOX 5. Not only that but Greene has also repeated the baseless birtherism conspiracy theory that Obama is Muslim and not American, CNN reported.

Long Beach Students Spell Out Slur With T-shirts

Screenshot: NBC 4 News
Screenshot: NBC 4 News

A high school parent posted a now-viral photo of students during a school assembly wearing offensive T-shirts. “Yesterday my son showed me a picture circulating online of students at Cabrillo high school where ASB students gather together to form a derogatory statement in their shirts,” the parent wrote on social media, according to Fox 11 News.

The photo showed eight students— none of whom appear to be Black— all wearing shirts that spell out “i <3 n**gers.” The parent continued saying, “Hundreds of parents were outraged as we have been emailing the district and school just to be hit with vague and AI-like responses.” It’s unclear when exactly the photo was taken, but apparently, none of the students involved received any disciplinary actions directly after the spectacle.

Racists Brutally Carve Slur Onto Black Student’s Chest

Last year, we told the story about how a Black student at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania was violently attacked by his white “friend.” The school’s male swim team members got together for a small gathering in Sept. 2024, but during the event, one white student allegedly carved the N-word onto his Black teammate’s chest using a box cutter.

The alleged aggressor has since been expelled. “We can report now that the individual who scratched a slur onto another person is no longer enrolled at the College,” the private college said in a statement obtained by NBC News.

Sending HBCUs Threats After Charlie Kirk’s Murder

COLLEGE PARK, GEORGIA – MAY 18: Spelman graduates arrive at 2025 Spelman College Commencement Ceremony at Georgia International Convention Center on May 18, 2025 in College Park, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have been subjected to violent threats for generations. In 2022 alone, Howard University in Washington, D.C. received eight bomb threats– two occurring in less than 72 hours, the university reported. But seemingly in direct response to Charlie Kirk’s death, over 24 HBCUs across the country reported racist threats to their campuses and students, according to the Guardian. Authorities are still unclear who sent these threatening messages to the Black schools, but activists and others online said the timing of these threats coincide with Kirk’s assassination, which explains everything.

Detroit Karen Attacks His Black Neighbors

Screenshot from Hazel Park Police

As we previously reported, Michigan police were called to a neighborhood twice in the same day after a man named Martin Sitto was seen attacking his Black neighbors. The first time they arrived, Sitto was warned to stay away from his neighbors after trespassing and threatening them.

Hours later, police returned to the same house following a call about Sitto physically attacking the same people while yelling that the “white race is ending!” He was arrested and charged with hate crime using force, assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer, assault and battery and trespassing, according to WDIV. His bond was set at $25,000, and he is not allowed to contact the victims.

Straight From The Root

Sign up for our free daily newsletter.

Latest from The Root

Everything You Need to Watch, Listen To Before You See the New Michael Jackson Movie

Everything You Need to Watch, Listen To Before You See the New Michael Jackson Movie

There’s exactly one week before the new Michael Jackson biopic hits theaters. But if you can’t wait to enter into MJ land, consider this your pre-viewing and listening syllabus! …
A Look Inside Prince's Famous Paisley Park Mansion in Minnesota

A Look Inside Prince’s Famous Paisley Park Mansion in Minnesota

An all-new Prince celebration is set to take place soon, so what better time to revisit the place Prince called home? Let’s take a look! …
Expert Tips to Help Black Families Navigate Dementia Care

Expert Tips to Help Black Families Navigate Dementia Care

In many Black families, caregivers pour their hearts into taking care of loved ones. Here’s what an expert wants families to know about managing dementia care …
5 Things You Won't See In New Michael Jackson Movie

5 Things You Won’t See In New Michael Jackson Movie

‘Michael’ arrives this week—but don’t expect these storylines to make the final cut …
Charles Barkely And Michael Jordan Squash Their Decades-Long Beef

Charles Barkely And Michael Jordan Squash Their Decades-Long Beef

After more than ten years of silence, the two NBA icons have set aside their differences and reconciled …
Why Millions are Risking AI Medical Advice Despite Fading Trust

Why Millions are Risking AI Medical Advice Despite Fading Trust

A new study found that consumer trust in AI as a medical decision-making tool is waning …
No, Janet Jackson Isn't In the New Michael Movie and Here's Why

No, Janet Jackson Isn’t In the New Michael Movie and Here’s Why

Michael and Janet Jackson shared a close relationship, but she won’t be featured in his highly-anticipated biopic. We’re breaking down why she’s not in the film …
Behind the Violent End of Justin Fairfax’s Marriage

Behind the Violent End of Justin Fairfax’s Marriage

They were a Duke University power couple with the world at their feet. But by April 2026, Justin and Cerina Fairfax met a tragic end during tense divorce proceedings …
Everything You Need to Know About the Black Woman Trump Nominated To Lead the CDC

Everything You Need to Know About the Black Woman Trump Nominated To Lead the CDC

Pres. Trump just nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz as the next CDC director. Here’s all you need to know about the Black woman who has been tapped to take over the nation’s top public health agency …
D4vd Arrested in Celeste Rivas Death Case: What We Know

D4vd Arrested in Celeste Rivas Death Case: What We Know

Authorities had been circling D4vd for a while now, but had nothing concrete to bring him in on until now. Here’s what we know …
Why Black Women Continue to Defend Meghan Markle Despite the Online Trolls

Why Black Women Continue to Defend Meghan Markle Despite the Online Trolls

Meghan Markle is opening up about the digital bullying she experienced, but Black women online aren’t letting her fight this fight alone! …
Why Bill Bellamy's Latest Message to Black Women Has the Internet Heated

Why Bill Bellamy’s Latest Message to Black Women Has the Internet Heated

While many people love Bill Bellamy for his comedy, he’s sadly coming under fire for his latest joke and message to Black women. Let’s get into it! …
Hilton Head's Gullah Geechee Community Built A Legacy, Now They're Fighting To Be Heard

Hilton Head’s Gullah Geechee Community Built A Legacy, Now They’re Fighting To Be Heard

The Legal Defense Fund says that the Hilton Head Gullah Geechee community is being shut out of key land talks that could shape their survival …
Dave Chappelle Says Republicans 'Weaponized' His Trans Jokes, But That's Not the Whole Story

Dave Chappelle Says Republicans ‘Weaponized’ His Trans Jokes, But That’s Not the Whole Story

Dave Chappelle is reflecting on his trans jokes and the role some Republicans seemingly played in making things worse—but there’s more to it than that …
Vogue Slammed Online After Trying to Rename The Afro

Vogue Slammed Online After Trying to Rename The Afro

The Black internet is giving Vogue magazine an earful after they tried to rename a classic hairstyle that represents Black pride …
Viral 'Demure' TikToker Jools Lebron Breaks Her Silence on the Brutal Toll of Internet Fame

Viral ‘Demure’ TikToker Jools Lebron Breaks Her Silence on the Brutal Toll of Internet Fame

In a new interview with Tamron Hall, Jools Lebron reveals the dark side of overnight fame after she went viral on TikTok for “demure.” …
LeBron James Should Retire Now While Greatness Still Defines Him

LeBron James Should Retire Now While Greatness Still Defines Him

The only thing left for King James to prove is that he knows when to walk away …
This Georgia Lawmaker's Blackface Photo Was Offensive Enough— But His Response Was Even Worse

This Georgia Lawmaker’s Blackface Photo Was Offensive Enough— But His Response Was Even Worse

Folks say if “tone-deaf” were a person, Georgia lawmaker Kasey Carpenter might be contending for top spot after a photo of him in blackface sparked fury …
Khloé Kardashian Claps Back at Lamar Odom Over His Comments About Her Role in His Recovery

Khloé Kardashian Claps Back at Lamar Odom Over His Comments About Her Role in His Recovery

After allegedly trying to downplay her role in helping Lamar Odom recover from his 2015 brother incident and more, Khloé Kardashian is now pushing back! …
Black Virginia Lt. Governor and Wife Shot Dead in Harrowing Murder-Suicide

Black Virginia Lt. Governor and Wife Shot Dead in Harrowing Murder-Suicide

Justin Fairfax made history as the second Black man elected as lieutenant governor in Virginia. Now, police say that trailblazer shot his wife, then himself …