Curating in the crosshairs: Is this the Smithsonian chief’s last show?, The New York Times

Lonnie G. Bunch III, the secretary of the Smithsonian, was profiled by the New York Times. Bunch said that the “American Aspirations” exhibition for America’s 250th anniversary may be one of his final acts as secretary.

Related: For The Atlantic, Camille Borders wrote about the uncertain future of the Smithsonian’s smallest museum — the Anacostia Community Museum. It was a pioneer in preserving Black history. But will that be enough to save it from President Trump?

Imagining what comes next for Black America, Harper’s Bazaar

wrote about her visit to an exhibit of Betye Saar’s Black doll collection, a trip to the iconic Schomburg Center’s centennial gala, and New Yorker staff writer Lauren Collins’ new book “They Stole A City.”

Supreme Court approves Alabama map that erases majority-Black district, The Guardian

Alabama can use a redrawn congressional map that eliminates one of the state’s two majority-Black districts in this year’s midterms, the Supreme Court ruled.

Derrick Coleman, the former star NBA power forward, pulled out of a state recognition ceremony in response to the redistricting push.

What’s In The News

Across America

California: As of the publication of this newsletter, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has advanced to the November election as she awaits her opponent…

Colorado: The homicide convictions of two ex-Aurora paramedics charged in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain were reversed…

Florida: Four Black candidates are reportedly considering consolidating behind one candidate to defeat Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz…

Georgia: Fort Valley State University Choir has been nominated for the inaugural Stellar Awards HBCU Choir of the Year…

Illinois: Hyde Park high schoolers are protesting the removal of community groups that supported students through a traumatic year…

Massachusetts: Boston hosts its first Black Men’s Health Summit to confront a 9-year life expectancy gap…

Mississippi: A massive legal win for Black Mississippians that was supposed to lead to new elections for the state Supreme Court was erased…

New York: As the departure of New York’s Black residents changes neighborhood culture, Maya King attended a gathering that paid tribute to one of the remaining Black institutions, the Tip-Top Bar and Grill…

North Carolina: Former police officer Karson Hyder, who was seen in a viral video repeatedly punching Cherrie Moore during an arrest, has been charged with assault, authorities said…

Pennsylvania: The Trump administration is arguing for power to change a memorial to enslaved people who lived at George Washington’s residence in Philadelphia in the 18th century…

South Carolina: An attorney representing the family of Cyrus Carmack-Belton said that the family vowed to continue pursuing a civil lawsuit against Rick Chow… has the full story…

Tennessee: Six Tennessee State University coaches have signed a vote of no confidence letter against the athletic director, Mikki Allen…

Texas: The murder trial for Karmelo Anthony began this week in Collin County…

Washington: Kameirah, a high school senior, shared the inspiration behind her winning Google Doodle and what defines her superpower…

Wisconsin: Milwaukee activists have traveled to Cuba to bring aid to the island nation during the Trump administration’s oil blockade...

What’s Happening

The prominent Riverside Church in New York held a service to honor Assata Shakur, featuring dancing, a speech from Marc Lamont Hill and Angela Davis, and more. Watch above…

George Floyd’s family criticized the Minnesota GOP for honoring Derek Chauvin during the party’s state convention, and pointed to Tony Hinchcliffe’s racist joke…

for Stateline: Black midwives are suing Southern states, claiming regulations make it harder for them to help patients…

Former Washington Post columnist ’s case against her ex-employer headed to arbitration this week…

Stacey Abrams told that the erosion of democracy and Black power in the South won’t just stop there…

AP News: Trump’s Education Department is backing away from addressing civil rights for Black students…

After a “botched” lethal injection attempt, Tony Carruthers’ family, supporters and lawmakers seek transparency…

explains: Black Texans are not yet sold on James Talarico’s Senate run…

Semafor reported on the anxiety growing inside the Congressional Black Caucus in the wake of Louisiana v. Callais… Related: The GOP is targeting Black voters in the former Confederacy with surgical precision…

More in the New York Times: Civil rights activists are gearing up for the fight of a generation as Republicans rush to redraw congressional maps in the South…

Capital B News’ Adam Mahoney reported on Miami’s disappearing black neighborhoods…

has been working on this story for years — Elgon Wilson’s grandfather was a Western Union Telegram Delivery boy during the Tulsa Race Massacre. He was one of the very few white people who spoke about it after it happened…

Have you heard of Estevanico? Here’s how the enslaved, shipwrecked African became the first great explorer in the United States…

Entertainment News

For Black Music Month, Floetry took a break from their first tour in a decade to visit the NPR Tiny Desk. Watch above…

Keith David was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Watch the full ceremony here. But he’s not close to being done…

Serena Williams has announced her comeback to professional tennis…

EBONY’s Sidney Madden interviewed nine directors who left their mark on the American Black Film Festival...

“The Roots Picnic wasn’t just a concert. It was a reminder of what made the empire possible in the first place,” writes of Jay-Z’s return…

Michelle Obama is embracing her “last chapter” as a podcaster…

“Cheers” actor Ted Danson apologized in a podcast for appearing in blackface while roasting Whoopi Goldberg in 1993…

Russell Wilson has confirmed in a video posted to social media that he’s retiring from the NFL…

For the Hollywood Reporter, spoke with 50 Cent and documentarian Alex Stapleton about how “Sean Combs: The Reckoning” became an Emmy contender…

The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office said it is reviewing new sexual assault allegations against Sean Combs…

Alfre Woodard shared her secret to Hollywood longevity with NPR’s Tonya Mosley…

Softball is still a mostly white sport. UCLA standout Jordan Woolery wants to inspire change on and off the field…

Queen Latifah, LL COOL J, Bob Johnson and others are among BET’s first-ever Board of Advisors...

Netflix’s “A Different World” sequel series has set its premiere date…

Obituaries

Peabo Bryson, the legendary soul singer who captivated audiences with his voice for decades, has died. He was 75…

David Henderson, a poet who rose to prominence with the Black Arts Movement in the 1960s and later wrote a biography of Jimi Hendrix, has died. He was 83…

Ronald LaPread, the former bassist and co-founder of the Commodores, has died. He was 75…

Foster Sylvers, the former child star and singer-songwriter who later joined The Sylvers, has died. He was 64…

Spencer Leak Jr., the Chicago funeral director who handled the funerals of Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. and many others, has died. He was 56…

Don’t Miss

Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute, 29 seconds…

Re’Nyqua Farrington, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Riverside, is conducting a research study on Black former high school students’ experiences with and resistance to school policing and surveillance…

Meet the new Prince George’s County team of the Baltimore Banner as they host a community listening session on June 10 at Greenbelt Library...

The Library Company of Philadelphia is hosting its annual Juneteenth Lecture on June 16 at 5:30 pm ET…

AFRAM—one of the largest Black festivals on the East Coast—is seeking media and volunteers...

The Association for the Study of African American Life and History is hosting a live digital teach-in on June 18 at 7 pm ET, on the push to eviscerate the 1965 Voting Rights Act…

Submissions are now open for The Black Press at 200, a symposium commemorating 200 years of Black journalism, March 17–18, 2027, at Howard University. Abstracts (300 words max) due Sept. 18…

The Voting Rights Act is dead. Here’s a new model for Black politics, The New Republic

After the Supreme Court’s decision to weaken the Voting Rights Act, and Jake Grumbach argue that now is the time for a new “framework for Black politics—fresh strategies, tactics, leaders, and goals.” In The New Republic, the two writers explain that past civil rights strategies won’t work in this dire moment.

AI models are going viral – and they’re stealing real Black women’s faces, Glamour Magazine

explored the insidious world of digital Blackface, which involves AI influencers that are built by “scraping real Black women creators’ content without consent, replicating their faces, bodies and movements for views and profit.”

Pope Leo XIV makes historic apology for Vatican’s role in legitimizing slavery, The Associated Press

Pope Leo XIV made an historic apology for the “Holy See’s own role in legitimizing slavery and for failing to condemn it for centuries.” Black American catholics have called for the Vatican to publicly atone for its role in legitimizing slavery for European colonizers.

What’s In The News

Across America

Alabama: A federal court blocked a map that would have eliminated a Black-majority congressional seat…

California: Chaka Khan opened up about her time as a member of the Black Panther Party in Chicago during a fireside chat in Oakland...

District of Columbia: D.C. taxpayers are funding broadcasting legend Donnie Simpson’s talk show, but no one seems to know exactly how much it costs…

Georgia: Atlanta officials say they are partnering with Morehouse School of Medicine on a proposed $800 million hospital…

Kentucky: An anonymous group of Kentucky State University students are suing over a new law to transform the HBCU into a polytechnic institution...

Florida: The popular American Black Film Festival is celebrating 30 years in Miami Beach…

Maryland: Morgan State University announced it is expanding student housing to meet strong demand, adding more than 300 beds…

Mississippi: The Supreme Court sided with Terry Pitchford, a Black death row inmate, who claimed there was racial bias in the makeup of the jury that convicted him…

New York: New York state officials have agreed to push back a long-awaited report on reparations to 2029…

Pennsylvania: Paul Beale’s Flowers has been in business in Philly since 1971. The family wants to keep the Black-owned business going as long as they can…

South Carolina: The South Carolina Senate rejected Trump’s push to redraw the state’s congressional district before the midterm elections…

Tennessee: ​​A school district has reversed its ban on Alex Haley’s “Roots” after weeks of community backlash and statewide criticism…

Texas: Rep. Christian Menefee has won the Democratic primary for the 18th House District in Texas, defeating Rep. Al Green in a GOP-engineered showdown…

Virginia: The historic Alfred Street Baptist Church announced it will fund the Black student government whose funding was cut at Mizzou due to DEI restrictions…

What’s Happening

I listened in on a focus group of Black men who voted for Joe Biden and Donald Trump, and found they are increasingly getting their news from nontraditional media outlets…I talked about my story with NBC 4 Washington above…

The Congressional Black Caucus sent a letter to over 250 companies, calling on them to oppose redistricting efforts by Republican-led states…

Nikole Hannah Jones in the New York Times: “Black representation may once again disappear in the South, where more than half of Black Americans live. This could lead to the largest decimation of Black political power since the fall of Reconstruction”...

The New Yorker: Justice Clarence Thomas has made clear that he views Progressivism, past and present, as anti-American…

for Boston Globe: Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt says Jim Crow is gone. Many Black Americans aren’t convinced…

The Southern Poverty Law Center is seeking dismissal of what its lawyers call a “vindictive” indictment by the Justice Department…

Three years after Monica and Shawn Williams witnessed a cross burning outside their house in South Carolina, their white neighbor has been charged. But the state still won’t call it a hate crime, Aallyah Wright reports…

Employees at the Department of Labor were urged to file whistleblower complaints and report anyone prioritizing DEI…

BuzzFeed is now a Black-owned company after Byron Allen closed the acquisition this week. Disclosure: I work at HuffPost and BuzzFeed is our parent company…

seeks grand jury transcripts in his Minnesota civil rights case, citing misconduct…

spoke with Kimberlé Crenshaw about her new memoir, how she coined the term “intersectionality,” and much more...

“Rising carbon dioxide is stripping nutrients like iron, zinc, and protein from staple crops such as rice, wheat, beans, and potatoes—the building blocks of Black American diets,” Adam Mahoney reports for Capital B News…

The New York Times reviewed ’s “America, U.S.A.,” a book about how race shadows the nation’s anniversaries…

Entertainment News

Comedian sat down with “CBS Mornings” about finding humor in everyday life, how storytelling is at the center of his jokes and his first HBO special, “Symphony.” Watch above…

George Clinton is suing UMG Recordings, claiming the music corporation owes him more than $1.1 million in royalties…

The Athletic columnist Candace Buckner writes that it is “unreasonable to expect 20-year-olds to move to the front lines” of the NAACP’s fight against gerrymandering in the South…

For Newsone, Nicky Childers defended Naomi Osaka and Taylor Townsend organizing a dinner celebrating Black tennis players...

Here’s how Issa Rae built TikTok’s first micro-drama hit, drawing over 150 million views…

Kathy Sledge, one of disco’s biggest stars, answered all of your questions in this new interview with The Guardian…

The cast of “The Chi” spoke with Essence writer Victoria Uwumarogie about the show’s eighth and final season…

For EBONY, Malik Peay talked with director about his latest film, “I Love Boosters,” and his vision…

Kevin Hart defended the layoffs and restructuring at his media company, Hartbeat, during a recent appearance on “The Breakfast Club”...

After over a decade, VIBE announced it is relaunching print and the first issue set to be released next week…

Big Tigger announced that NPR Music will pay homage to BET with a stacked lineup of artists for its Tiny Desk series…

Obituaries

Sonny Rollins, one of the most influential jazz musicians of our time, has died. He was 95…He was the last of the jazz titans…

Clarence B. Jones, a lawyer and speechwriter who drafted part of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech, has died. He was 95…

Rob Base, one-half of Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock, who was best known for the hit “It Takes Two,” has died. He was 59…

Grizz Chapman, the massive actor who played Tracy Jordan’s bodyguard in “30 Rock,” has died. He was 52...

John McClain, the visionary music executive who served as co-executor of Michael Jackson‘s estate, has died. He was 71…

Don’t Miss

Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute, 11 seconds…

I spoke with WTOP’s JJ Green about the Washington Association of Black Journalists, and its impact over the past 50 years…

Interested in working at Essence Fest in New Orleans? Fill out the waitlist form to be considered....

Check out “Master Teachers: Foundation to Future Soul,” an exhibition at Manifest 002 exploring DC’s role in the creation of Black Music Month. The exhibit is open to the public in Washington June 4…

The application for the tuition-free Schomburg Center’s Junior Scholars Program in New York is now available. The deadline is June 15...

will present her landmark new book, “The Price of Exclusion,” at the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Library in D.C. on June 18th…

An East Tennessee school district has reversed its ban on “Roots: The Saga of an American Family,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alex Haley, after weeks of community backlash, board member pressure, and statewide criticism, all unfolding in the same city where a 13-foot bronze statue of Haley has stood for nearly three decades.

Knox County Schools Superintendent Jon Rysewyk said the district will return the 1976 novel to school library shelves, walking back a decision that had added Roots to a growing list of banned books and ignited debate about race, history and the reach of state law into public school libraries.

In a memo to the Knox County Board of Education dated May 26, 2026, Rysewyk said the decision to return “Roots” to shelves was effective immediately and that the initial removal “was in no way a commentary on the historical, cultural, or literary value of the novel.

He said he spent the weeks following the ban consulting independently with multiple attorneys to review the specific content flagged under the law, and found no consensus.

“There were discrepancies even among the legal experts I consulted regarding their interpretation of the relevant sections of the Tennessee Code and the referenced terms as they applied to “Roots,”” he wrote. Rysewyk noted that his review committee had applied the law consistently and in good faith, but said the legal uncertainty ultimately drove his decision.

“Removing any book from circulation is, and should be, an immense decision. Our intent will always be to err on the side of access, which is the decision I have made with regard to ‘Roots,’” Rysewyk said.

The reversal drew immediate attention not just because of the book’s stature in American literature, but because of where it happened. Haley spent part of his childhood in Lauderdale County, and later lived and wrote in Knoxville and Alex Haley Farm in nearby Clinton. Two miles from where the Knox County school board meets, his likeness sits frozen in bronze in Morningside Park, in what was, at the time of its 1998 installation, the largest public statue of an African American in the United States.

District spokeswoman Carly Harrington confirmed that Roots was added to Knox County Schools’ banned book list in May 2026, bringing the district’s total to 124 banned titles, up from 113 in May 2025.

The removal was triggered by Tennessee’s Age-Appropriate Materials Act, a state law that broadly restricts materials from school libraries if they contain nudity, sexual abuse, sexual content, or excessive violence. The law is stricter for library materials than for classroom instruction, as a book can still be taught by a teacher as part of a curriculum, but cannot remain on library shelves for independent student checkout if certain content is present.

In an interview, Assistant Superintendent of Academics Keith Wilson said that an internal review committee identified a specific passage in the novel that it determined crossed the legal threshold. Wilson noted this was the second time this year a passage from the novel had been brought up for review, but the first time it did not result in a finding of violation. He said the law’s focus is on specific passages, not the historical significance of a work as a whole.

The ban sparked swift and pointed criticism from a board member, educators and state lawmakers.

Knox County School Board member Katherine Bike sent a memo to her colleagues demanding the book’s return.

“Removing Roots is not a neutral act,” Bike wrote. “It sends a message to our students, particularly our Black students, about whose history is worth protecting. I don’t believe that is the message any of us intends to send. Intent and impact are two different things.”

On Tuesday after the reversal was announced, State Rep. Sam McKenzie, whose district includes the Haley statue, called the ban a grave injustice and said he was disappointed but not surprised.

“’Roots’ won a Pulitzer Prize and became a cultural touchstone that inspired and united millions of Americans,” McKenzie said. “I knew that taking it out of the hands of thousands of schoolchildren in Knox County would be a grave injustice.”

McKenzie said he has taken legislative action in response to book removals like this one. During the current 114th General Assembly, he sponsored HB2434, which would prohibit the removal of books until a final determination can be made about their appropriateness for the age and maturity level of students, and whether the material is consistent with the educational mission of the school. He also filed the Freedom to Read Act, HB1051, aimed at keeping books like Roots accessible to students.

McKenzie pointed to the particular irony of the ban’s timing and location.

“I am often reminded of the importance of Mr. Haley’s pivotal works when I see the statue of him in Alex Haley Heritage Square in Knoxville and also his significant contributions to the University of Tennessee, where many of his historical documents are housed,” he said. He also noted that the state legislature designated Roots as one of the first ten official Tennessee state books in 2024.

State Rep. Gloria Johnson went further in her criticism, writing on Facebook her memory of visiting the Haley statue with Rep. Justin Jones, and called the ban part of a broader pattern.

“I’m so disgusted that a law passed by the TN legislature has resulted in the book Roots being banned,” she wrote, connecting the timing of the removal to what she described as a legislative special session aimed at diluting Black voting power in Tennessee.

“This isn’t coincidence folks, it’s the agenda of the white supremacist supermajority working exactly as intended.” Johnson said she is planning legislation for the next session to address what she called white supremacy in the Tennessee legislature.

The controversy in Knox County is part of a broader national debate over book bans in public schools. The reversal does not change state law. The Age-Appropriate Materials Act remains in effect, and the district’s review process that led to the removal of “Roots,” along with 123 other titles, continues to operate across Knox County school libraries.

Rysewyk said district staff will present to the board at a June 1 work session on the Age-Appropriate Materials Act and how it will be applied going forward.

This story was initially published at Tennessee Lookout.

Sonny Rollins, one of the most influential jazz musicians of our time, died Monday afternoon at his home in Woodstock, New York, according to a statement from his publicist. He was 95.

Born Walter Theodore Rollins in Harlem in 1930, he was inspired at an early age by jazz legends Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong, as well as his hero, saxophonist Coleman Hawkins.

Rollins’ musical journey would eventually lead him to cross paths and collaborate with monumental figures like Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk. In the 50s, the jazz legend recorded his classic “Tenor Madness,” his team-up with John Coltrane, and his breakthrough album “Saxophone Colossus.”

After a career that spanned several decades, Rollins was forced to retire in 2014 after he was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease.

No public memorial is planned at this time, his publicist said.

“I think when the creative person ends, he continues in the next existence. I’m a person who believes this life isn’t the be-all and end-all of everything. A spiritual person doesn’t feel like that,” the musician is quoted as saying in 2009.

For a complete obituary on Sonny Rollins’ incredible life, please read The New York Times.

Big Tigger, the former host of BET’s iconic music shows “Rap City” and “106 & Park,” announced that NPR Music will pay homage to BET with a stacked lineup of artists for its Tiny Desk series.

The artists include:

• GENA with Liv.e and Karriem Riggins

• Shaboozey

• Joe

• Ayra Starr

• The Paradox

• Eve

• Fred Hammond

• Bow Wow

• Floetry

• 8Ball & MJG

Created in 1979 by pioneers Kenny Gamble, Ed Wright, and Dyana Williams and backed by President Jimmy Carter (watch the YouTube video below), National Black Music Month celebrates the genres Black Americans created and developed.

Though it was conceived in 1979, it wasn’t until 2000 that President Bill Clinton signed a proclamation formally recognizing Black Music Month.

“Black music remains one of America's greatest cultural and economic exports to the world to the tune of billions of dollars and immeasurable joy to the human population,” Williams told NBC BLK in 2015.

NPR Music officially launched its celebration of Black Music Month in 2022, with performances from Usher, Monica, Maverick City Music, and more.

The historic Alfred Street Baptist Church announced Sunday that it would fund the Legion of Black Collegians, the Black student government that had its funding cut at the University of Missouri.

“Although they’ve been defunded by the government, we have decided we are not going to let that student organization fail to have programming,” said Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley, pastor of the Alexandria, Virginia church.

“So I wanted to let you know that Alfred Street Baptist is funding the Legion of Black Collegians on the campus of the University of Missouri so that this government and this administration knows when you won’t support us, we will support our own. We take care of our own people,” he continued.

In April, the University of Missouri announced it would remove annual designated funding for the Legion of Black Collegians and several other affinity groups, starting in July, to bring the school into compliance with Justice Department restrictions on DEI practices.

The university said the groups will still be able to apply for funding, but it will no longer sponsor them directly.

“It was determined that the university must change the way we have been providing funds for these five student organizations to comply with federal requirements and avoid jeopardizing crucial funding for student financial aid, research and other university programs,” Mizzou spokesperson Christopher Ave told the Columbia Missourian.

“Blackness is under attack in the United States of America. Our history, our heritage, our rights are all being pushed back under this administration,” Wesley said at a later service.

“It just broke my heart as one who graduated from a predominantly white institution and knowing the value of a Black student union,” he said. “We moved on it, and we helped them create a separate 501(c)(3), and now we are funding that Black student organization on the campus of that white college for the world to know.”

The 220-year-old church is known for its major donations. Last year, the church donated $132,469 to wipe out the student debt of graduating seniors at Saint Augustine's University, an HBCU in Raleigh, North Carolina. In March, the congregation paid $1 million toward overdue rent for over 300 families facing eviction.

Watch the 11 am worship service at Alfred Street Baptist Church below. The announcement begins at 1:42:28.

A racist streamer shot a Black man in Tennessee. Viewers rewarded him handsomely, MS NOW

My former HuffPost colleague reported on the rise of one of the internet’s most dangerous characters, Dalton Eatherly — known as “Chud the Builder” to his online fans — and how his net worth skyrocketed after his supporters rewarded him following being charged with attempted murder after a recent shooting. Here’s the latest in his case.

Democracy is a racial entitlement now, The Atlantic

The Atlantic’s Adam Serwer writes that the weakening of the Voting Rights Act represents an “evolution of Jim Crow–era disenfranchisement, the purpose of which is to shape the electorate into one where inequalities” can be “maintained with a veneer of democratic consent.”

The Black American artists who dazzled post-war Paris, Hyperallergic

Daria Simone Harper visited “Paris in Black: Internationalism and the Black Renaissance” at the DuSable Black History Museum, which celebrated Black painters, writers, and performers who left their mark on the city in their pursuit of freedom.

Watch “W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause,” the new American Masters documentary on the life and legacy of Black scholar and civil rights pioneer W.E.B. Du Bois.

What’s In The News

Across America

Delaware: Delaware State University is celebrating the largest graduating class in the HBCU’s 135-year history…

District of Columbia: U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro is planning to go after the parents of the children participating in the so-called “teen takeovers”...

Florida: spoke to South Florida women who got away from their abusers in the wake of Black women who were killed by their partners…

Georgia: Morris Brown College celebrated its largest graduating class since regaining accreditation in 2022…

Illinois: Malik Jackson will be the next publisher of the alternative newspaper Chicago Reader…

Michigan: Authorities have released video of the fatal police shooting of Isaiah Kirby, a Michigan State University student…

Mississippi: For The Guardian, Adria Walker went to Jackson where thousands of Mississippians rallied to protect voting rights…

North Carolina: Durham mayor Leo Williams addressed a violence reduction plan after the death of community gun violence advocate Michelle Keenan…

Pennsylvania: A $10 million restoration of Belmont Mansion will highlight its role in helping enslaved people escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad…

Tennessee: A school district has banned Alex Haley’s “Roots” under the state’s so-called ‘Age-Appropriate Materials Act’...

Texas: Tarrant County is an “extreme outlier” in targeting minorities in death penalty cases, according to a recent report...

What’s Happening

Last year, I took on the role of president of the Washington Association of Black Journalists. I penned a brief note of gratitude to my executive board for what we have accomplished so far…

The NAACP has launched a campaign urging Black athletes, fans, family and alumni to “withhold athletic and financial support” from public universities in states that “have moved to limit, weaken or erase Black voting representation”...

Elections: has won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Kentucky… Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Democratic nomination to become Georgia’s next governor… Jasmine Clark is set to become the first Black congresswoman with a science Ph.D…

For the Nation, slammed Trump’s creation of a “white grievance reparations fund”...

Spelman College alumna penned a love letter to HBCUs in her opinion piece for the New York Times…

As a pillar of democracy, the Black press deserves more from philanthropy, writes for …

explained the “hidden costs” of being Black in America to The Afro’s Megan Sayles…

Rep. James Clyburn sees the GOP’s gerrymandering push as part of a larger history of discrimination and disenfranchisement against Black Americans…

CNN’s Abby Phillip is expecting her second child with husband Marcus Richardson…

Waffle House workers rallied in Atlanta to demand a $25-an-hour wage and safer conditions…

The word ‘Black’ has disappeared from a set of bills aimed at addressing Black maternal health…

“As family homelessness hits record highs, school districts are offering parking lots as safe sites for students and their families to sleep at night”…

The American Bar Association voted to eliminate a ​rule that requires law schools to demonstrate their commitment to DEI…

Memphis is “under full-blown occupation” by ICE. Here’s why you may not know that…

Montgomery, Alabama’s Ben Moore Hotel, Philadelphia’s President’s House Site and more are on this year’s list of the most endangered historic places in the country…

The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis has reopened The Legacy Experience amid the institution’s 35th anniversary…

Texas attorney Michael Phillips was ordered to apologize to Brenda DeRouen after using a racist slur during a custody modification trial…

Fisk University announced a $900 million campus transformation that includes a 100,000-square-foot data center…

Entertainment News

The trailer for ’s Earth, Wind & Fire documentary is out. Watch it above…

Angelina Jolie’s daughter, Zahara, is officially graduating from college…

A call from Denzel Washington brought Debbie Allen back to Broadway with “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”...

For EBONY, Josh Rodgers explored how “ATL” became more than just a movie for Black Atlanta…

Andscape, formerly known as The Undefeated, is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Read this really interesting oral history…

USA TODAY spoke with Black former NFL stars Marshall Faulk, Eddie George and Michael Vick about college football’s hiring reality…

Quinta Brunson is set to develop and star in a ‘Betty Boop’ feature film…

Danielle Brooks is set to star in Apple TV’s “American Comfort,” a soul food restaurant comedy inspired by the Harlem restaurant Melba’s. Kenya Barris and Oprah Winfrey are also involved…

​​Courtney A. Kemp, the storyteller behind the hit “Power” universe, has signed a new multiyear deal with Apple TV...

The highly anticipated documentary “Once Upon a Time in Harlem,” completed by William Greaves’ relatives after his death, showcased at Cannes…

NPR’s speaks with Grammy-winning musician Mya about her new album “Retrospect.” …

For the New York Times, spoke with top romance writer Kennedy Ryan about her TV deal and much more…

The TLC musical “CrazySexyCool” has revealed its lead actresses...

Lauryn Hill explained why she didn’t release another solo album following “The Miseducation” in 1998…

Obituaries

Cynthia Newsome, a longtime TV anchor in Kansas City, has died. She was 68…

Charlie Neal opened a road to visibility for multiple Black journalists and HBCU sports, Bill Rhoden writes for Andscape…

Don’t Miss

Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 53 seconds!…

Watch Word In Black’s food series, “What’s on Your Plate? Food Access in Black America,” here…

From June 5 to June 11, the Brooklyn Academy of Music will host a series that challenges the representation of Black authority figures across 70 years of cinema...

The African American Museum in Philadelphia is seeking volunteers for its Juneteenth block party...

The NAACP has launched a campaign urging Black athletes, fans, family and alumni to “withhold athletic and financial support” from public universities in states that “have moved to limit, weaken or erase Black voting representation.”

The “Out of Bounds” campaign follows the Supreme Court’s decision that weakened a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

“What these states have done is not a policy disagreement. It is a sprint to erase Black political power,” Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, said in a statement. “These actions happened in days, in some cases in hours, of a Supreme Court ruling that gives extremist lawmakers a playbook to erode Black representation.”

The campaign aims to get student athletes to withhold their commitments to schools in GOP-led states that the organization said are working to dilute Black political power. The campaign asks the student-athletes and fans to consider HBCUs instead, and donors and alumni are implored to stop buying tickets and merchandise.

The NAACP calls out the following GOP-led states — Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas — and their flagship universities.

“This generation of Black athletes understands something that those who came before them were never afforded the chance to say so plainly: your talent is yours, and so is your community’s political power,” Tylik McMillan, a national director for the NAACP, said in a statement.

“These are not separate issues. The state that is working to erase your grandmother’s congressional district is the same state whose governor will stand on the field and celebrate your touchdown or game-winning shot,” he explained. “We are asking young people — recruits, current athletes, fans — to see that connection clearly and to act on it.”

It’s not the first time the nation’s oldest civil rights organization has called on Black student-athletes to reconsider their commitment to colleges and universities. In 2024, the NAACP encouraged Black student-athletes to avoid Florida’s public schools over the state’s anti-DEI laws.

This story was originally published by The 19th

The word “Black” has been almost completely removed from a package of bills that have long been viewed as Congress’ main legislative vehicle to address the Black maternal health crisis, frustrating some advocates who feel Black women are being erased from the policy.

The key change this year is the title. The Momnibus Act — filed in mid-March — was called the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act in 2023; before that it was the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021 and the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2020. None of the previous packages, which were championed by Democrats, have been enacted.

But references to “Black” in the package’s legislative text have also evolved. The 2020 version has more than a dozen, primarily referencing Black women. In the 2021 version, many of those were replaced with nearly a dozen references to “Black pregnant and postpartum individuals.” All those descriptions were removed in the 2023 bill, with the word Black appearing only once across the entire package, referencing a historically Black college or university or other minority-serving institution. Those 2023 changes carried over to the latest version.

The legislation — which does not appear to have a path forward in the Republican-controlled Congress — has long been touted as a way to address the United States’ abysmal maternal health mortality rates, as well as the stark disparities for Black women. Maternal mortality rates in the United States surpass all other developed nations. In 2023, there were 18.6 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births in the nation. The rate is far worse for Black women at 50.3; they are three times more likely to die than White women from a pregnancy-related cause, irrespective of income or education.

But removing “Black” from the title of the bill comes as the Trump administration attacks initiatives aimed at diversity, equity and inclusion. Advocates worry that the title change is both a signal that racial disparities shouldn’t be at the forefront of discussion — and a warning sign that they won’t be addressed.

Democratic Rep. Lauren Underwood of Illinois, a lead sponsor of the Momnibus package, said the title change reflected how people describe the legislation, which this year covers everything from the perinatal workforce to research investments.

“When people are like, ‘What’s going on with the Momnibus? Has the Momnibus passed? I’m looking for information on the Momnibus,’ or whatever — this reflects that,” said the congresswoman, who emphasized that the bill continues to help Black women. She also highlighted that the Black Maternal Health Caucus that she helps oversee has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for maternal health policies that center Black women.

For some, the changes and the explanation behind it are more complicated. The 19th spoke with leaders of more than a half dozen groups that work to improve Black maternal health, many who have not spoken publicly about this.

“There is a painful irony in a bill that originated as the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, that was named to address the Black maternal health crisis, no longer naming the population it was created to serve,” Angela D. Aina, cofounder and executive director of the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA), said in a statement. The group is not publicly supporting the Momnibus package this year but has in past years.

Several advocates also said they’re frustrated but still support Underwood, a Black woman who often speaks about Black maternal health through a personal lens. When the bill was reintroduced, Aza Nedhari, president and CEO of Mamatoto Village, which supports Black maternal health policies, frankly detailed her thoughts on the changes in a LinkedIn post. Yet she understands that there are lots of forces at play.

“I do think that Congresswoman Underwood genuinely cares about this issue,” Nedhari told The 19th. “She’s been working on this for so long. I think we need to put the focus on where it needs to be: Why does she even have to make this choice in the first place?”

A spokesperson for Underwood said removing the word Black from most of the legislation in 2023 was due to technical edits related to the Kira Johnson Act, a bill in the Momnibus package named after a Black woman who died in 2016 in the hours after childbirth. The legislation encourages investments in community-based organizations that support mothers.

Though it has not been enacted, aspects of the bill have been implemented through congressional funding directed to the Office of Minority Health under the Department of Health and Human Services. These appropriations, first approved under the Biden administration, total more than $30 million to date. Underwood’s spokesperson said removing the word Black in 2023 aligned the legislative text with language used by the Office of Minority Health to avoid future regulatory hiccups under existing regulations.

Some of the references to Black people were replaced with “demographic groups with elevated rates of maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, maternal health disparities, or other adverse perinatal or childbirth outcomes.” The latest bill also links to a formal definition for “racial and ethnic minority groups” that includes Black people.

“The definitions in the bill are designed to make sure that the money can get to the communities that need it,” Underwood told The 19th, who emphasized the substance of the bill has not changed and has been expanded to encourage more research funding.

The bill retains language aimed at addressing data collection of Hispanic people and has provisions acknowledging Indigenous populations.

“BMMA supports those provisions and the communities they serve, and we recognize the importance of that specificity. The asymmetry is what gave us pause,” Aina said.

Several organizers told The 19th they raised their concerns about the bill’s title and text changes privately to Underwood.

At least some advocates were aware of the 2023 changes at the time but supported the legislation because of the political and social climate under President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, both vocal supporters of Black maternal health policies.

But since then, President Donald Trump has targeted the Office of Minority Health for elimination amid efforts aimed at dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion.

When asked if the bill’s title change is related to the political climate, Underwood responded: “The Momnibus does talk about the Black maternal health crisis. So it is not accurate to say that the Momnibus has removed references to Black and it doesn’t aim to address the Black maternal health crisis.”

Underwood’s explanation — which doesn’t appear to acknowledge the text changes — is unsettling for Nourbese Flint, president of All* Above All, a national organization that supports reproductive justice by expanding abortion access. Flint’s organization is weighing whether to support the legislation this year.

“It suggests that there’s something wrong with it being about Black women,” she said. “I think that is the piece that I am really concerned about, is that there’s nothing wrong with having a bill that is trying to close the gap for Black women dying.”

Underwood reiterated that the Momnibus legislation is the signature bill from the Black Maternal Health Caucus, which she has co-chaired since its launch in 2019. The Momnibus package also still has the support of hundreds of groups, companies and affiliations.

“Our number one singular priority is advancing the Momnibus, period,” she said. “That has not changed. That has always been the case.”

The National Partnership for Women & Families, which advocates for policies that improve maternal health and tracks state-level Momnibus efforts, is among the groups no longer supporting the legislation.

“The National Partnership for Women & Families firmly believes that the need to address the Black maternal health crisis is urgent and that the commitment to addressing this crisis effectively begins with clearly naming the problem,” Jocelyn Frye, president of the group, said in a statement. “At a time when this administration too often refuses to confront the prevalence of racial disparities — and in some cases denying they exist altogether — it is more important than ever to center those most affected.”

Jamila K. Taylor is president and CEO at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, a national think tank that examines gender and racial inequities from an economic lens. The group has endorsed the Momnibus in the past but has not this year — but it is supporting some of the individual bills that make up the package.

“We are in the midst of a fraught social and political moment as a nation. People of color, and Black women in particular, are facing diminished political power, disproportionate job loss, and poorer health outcomes — including higher maternal death rates than their White peers,” Taylor said in a statement to The 19th. “It is more important than ever to center the needs of Black women in the policy solutions to address racial biases and injustices.”

Frye and Taylor said separately that they hope to keep working with Underwood and other members of Congress to make progress on Black maternal health issues.

Underwood declined to comment on the views of advocates or private concerns in a follow-up inquiry to her office.

Trump’s attacks on DEI have had a ripple effect across corporations, research grants and college campuses. Recent federal cuts to Medicaid, which accounts for 40 percent of all live births and 65 percent of births to Black mothers, are expected to worsen health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum people.

It’s part of why changes to the bill may be so concerning for some advocates, said Deva Woodly, a professor at Brown University who studies the impact of public discourse on social and economic issues. She said the changes — even if some predate Trump’s return to office — could lessen the efficacy of the bills if they’re passed.

“There is no race-neutral way to address Black maternal mortality. It has to be addressed honestly and unabashedly, and trying to address it in a way that does not name the subject is going to be inefficacious,” she said. “Because if you leave the language cloudy, then it can be misapprehended and deliberately misused by whomever is in power and enforcing the law.”

Woodly offered a hypothetical scenario in which a women’s health bill makes its way through Congress over several years but references to women are gradually taken out.

“The health bill that doesn’t name women cannot address women’s health,” she said. “The Black maternal health bill that does not name Black women cannot address Black maternal health.”

Elizabeth Dawes, director of maternal and reproductive health at The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank, called the shift in language “demoralizing” and “disheartening” — a reinforcement for her that Congress is not working enough to address the concerns of Black women like herself. She worries it sets a bad precedent for grassroots advocacy.

“When we’re thinking about the future of how we advocate for change, and what that means and what that looks like, it would reshape that for us to be vague about our ask, for us to be general,” said Dawes, another cofounder of BMMA who is no longer affiliated with the group and now helps lead the Black Maternal Health Federal Policy Collective. “I think we’ve seen enough of how general conversations go. I think they go nowhere.”

That tension was on display during a congressional hearing on April 17 when Rep. Summer Lee, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, questioned Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about reports that the department told organizations applying for federal dollars to remove nearly 200 words, including Black, from funding applications.

“How are we going to solve the Black maternal mortality crisis if we cannot say ‘Black’?” she asked Kennedy.

Lee told The 19th in an interview after that exchange that she had not noticed the title change on the Momnibus bill, which she supports as a co-sponsor.

“I’m not shocked,” she said. “We’ve seen a lot of people shifting not their priorities but how they word it preemptively in a lot of instances, because they’re afraid that if they are forward with their mission, that their organization, that their program is geared toward addressing a particular issue that they think falls within diversity, equity or inclusion, that they will no longer be able to receive the funding.”

Lee’s office later declined to further comment on Underwood’s explanation for the title change.

The office of Democratic Rep. Alma Adams of North Carolina, one of the lead sponsors of the bill, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Suzy Vazquez, a spokesperson for Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, the bill’s main sponsor in the Senate, said: “When Senator Booker speaks about this issue and this legislation it is in the context of the maternal health care crisis facing the Black community. His purpose and priority is ending disparities in maternal health and advancing policies that improve outcomes for Black moms and their families by standing up in Congress to ensure no mother is left behind.”

Nedhari had a response to that statement: “This issue is not whether or not people genuinely care. It’s about the level of courage that you are willing to have in this moment — to name that this is for who it’s for.”

Underwood, who has a background in nursing, speaks often about the intersection of disparate maternal health outcomes and Black women. She participates in multiple events focused on Black maternal health, most recently during Black Maternal Health Week in mid-April. She told The 19th that she is continuing to consolidate support for the package and is having conversations “with colleagues on both sides of the aisle about the priorities.”

“There’s always opportunities to advance one or more bills through the committee process, and we’ve been pursuing those opportunities aggressively,” she said. She declined to specify which bills.

Amid the federal stalemate, Black women have taken action on the state level to address racial maternal health disparities — including state-level Momnibus bills, Medicaid postpartum coverage extensions, doula reimbursement and the establishment of maternal mortality review committees with community representation.

Dawes added that many of the efforts to address racial maternal health disparities are led by Black women and they’re not waiting around for Congress to act.

“We’re going to fight for Black moms no matter what. We’re going to get them the care they need no matter what. So if Congress isn’t going to do it, let’s see what can happen in the states. If the states aren’t going to do it, let’s see what happens at the city and county level,” she said. “But I believe Congress has the responsibility to do something, and that something needs to be wholehearted. It needs to be comprehensive, it needs to be thorough, and it needs to be bold enough to name Black women, to name the people who it’s trying to support.”

Thousands traveled to the birthplace of the civil rights movement Saturday to protest the Supreme Court decision that weakened the Voting Rights Act, a move organizers view as the latest attack on Black Americans’ political power.

The “All Roads Lead To the South“ National Day of Action for Voting Rights began in Selma, Alabama, where protesters walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the historic location where the brutal attack on voting rights activists led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The protest culminated in a rally at the state Capitol in Montgomery.

The rally, organized by Black Voters Matter, the NAACP, and over 90 civil rights, labor and community organizations, is a response to the southern GOP-led states rushing to redraw their congressional maps as November’s midterms approach. Organizers see the rally as the launching point for a new civil rights fight to combat the attacks.

Several members of Congress addressed the throng of protesters, speaking to the urgency of the moment as the United States faces the fiercest rollback of Black political representation in over a century.

“We must remember that this is sacred civic soil that we are standing on,” Sen. Cory Booker told the crowd. “They told our ancestors that democracy could not grow here. But with their hands and toiling in the hot sun, they planted the seeds of the fruit that we now enjoy.”

“If we in our generation do not now do our duty, we will lose the gains and the rights and the liberties that our ancestors afforded us,” the New Jersey Democrat continued.

Related: The Supreme Court has unleashed ‘Jim Crow 2.0’ as the South rolls back Black representation

Black representation in Congress is at risk. Congressional Black Caucus chair Yvette Clarke warned that nearly a third of its members might lose their seats in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision.

“It was not only a legal decision, but it is also a moral disgrace and a shameless assault on Black political power,” said Bernice King, activist and daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King. “It strikes at the very heart of my father and my mother’s sacrifice.”

“It accelerated and fortified state legislators who have been ready and eager to redraw political lines in ways that diminish Black representation in the very southern states where our ancestors contended with poll taxes and literacy tariffs,” she explained.

Alabama and Georgia’s primary elections will take place on May 19.

Watch the full rally below:

Reclaiming the name of the Black hero who inspired ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin,’ The New York Times

You may have heard the term “Uncle Tom” used in a derogatory manner, a reference to a Black man who seeks to gain the approval of white people. But you may not know about the legacy of Josiah Henson, the hero who inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 1852 novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”

Related: I visited the Josiah Henson Museum and Park in North Bethesda, Maryland, last summer. Here’s what I learned.

Inside a year of chaos and conflict at Kevin Hart’s media company, Bloomberg News

Hartbeat, Kevin Hart’s media company, is in trouble. At least, that’s what his former and current employees believe after the comedian sold some ownership and oversight of his brand in a deal. Once valued at $650 million, Hart has stepped away from the company, staff meetings have been canceled, and employees have been laid off — and sued.

Interesting: Essence Magazine deleted a post that contained a story about the Hartbeat debacle with no explanation. Later, they deleted the story altogether.

The ‘Spelman Seven’ reflect on sisterhood, scholarship and making history at Spelman College, The Grio

Congratulations! Seven seniors at Spelman College are graduating with perfect 4.0 GPAs, cementing them in the HBCU’s history as the largest group of valedictorians the school has ever seen. The Root compiled each student’s post-graduation plans. Watch the women graduate this Sunday at 2:30 pm ET here.

What’s In The News

Across America

Alabama: The Alabama attorney general has announced a civil investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center’s fundraising practices…

California: Congratulations to 17-year-old Lamont Newell, who chose Columbia University after he was accepted to 65 colleges...

Colorado: Black ranchers Courtney “CW” and Nicole Mallery got no help after they reported their cattle stolen. They pushed for a bill that aims to change that…

District of Columbia: A new HBCU-themed business, The HBCU News Store, has opened in Union Station…

Florida: Rep. Frederica Wilson has been missing in action for weeks, according to her voting record. The 83-year-old is running for reelection…

Georgia: Three midwives are suing the state, stating laws block care providers from serving those who need them most as maternity care deserts grow...

Illinois: The University of Chicago announced it will offer free tuition for students from families earning less than $250,000 a year…

Louisiana: A new study concluded that New Orleans must begin relocating residents because it will be surrounded by the ocean within decades due to climate change…

Massachusetts: Harvard officials enslaved more than 1,600 people, new research has revealed…

Oklahoma: Tulsa leaders expressed concern to Phillip Jackson that the Supreme Court decision could roll back gains in representation for Black voters…

Pennsylvania: Bell Biv DeVoe will serve as headliner when the Odunde Festival returns to Philadelphia on June 14…

South Carolina: The Charleston Reparations Task Force, local Black Lives Matter chapter and the Gullah Geechee community are demanding 7,000 acres in reparations…

Virginia: Rep. Jen Kiggans is facing calls to resign after agreeing with a radio host when he said Hakeem Jeffries should get his “cotton-picking hands off of Virginia”...

What’s Happening

Guardian columnist argued that ​Democrats must pass a new Voting Rights Act immediately and outlaw gerrymandering…Dems are warning that a third of the Congressional Black Caucus could be wiped out by the GOP’s redistricting push…For the Nation, explained that the Democrats are five years too late to the fight for voting rights…

Must read: For The Nation, explored the dismantling of Black Studies…

Byron Allen, a media entrepreneur and comedian, will soon take over BuzzFeed as chairman and CEO following a $120 million deal. BuzzFeed is HuffPost’s parent company, so I’m watching this deal closely. His next target is Starz…

Black communities are far more vulnerable to flooding, according to First Street Foundation’s research…

Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware wrote about how church hats remain one of the most enduring symbols of Black church culture…

South Carolina’s GOP-led Senate rejected Trump’s push to redraw the state’s congressional districts, which would have eliminated Rep. Jim Clyburn’s seat…

In the nation’s capital, Marion Barry Avenue Market and Cafe works to increase food access while creating economic opportunities and a place for the community to gather…

Louisiana’s state police have agreed to pay $4.85 million to the daughter of Ronald Greene, a Black motorist killed by authorities…

William Broussard previewed his forthcoming book, “Perspectives on HBCU Fundraising,” and examined how HBCUs can sustain amid the evolving philanthropic landscape…

“Chud the Builder,” a racist livestreamer who films himself calling others the N-word, is in custody following a shooting incident in Tennessee. He was later charged with attempted murder…

debunked a viral claim that one of the key figures associated with Project 2025 has a Ph.D. in “African American history”…

Entertainment News

TIME Magazine talked with Nicki Minaj about her embrace of Donald Trump and Make America Great Again…

NBA champion J.R. Smith played 16 seasons in the league. Now, he’s a graduate from North Carolina A&T…

Life coach Cheyenne Bryant explains why she won’t prove she has a doctoral degree, telling Marissa Mitchell that “my obedience is to God, not to people”...

for The Guardian: Drake lost the beef and embraced the manosphere. Is it too late for him to win back his audience?... Related: Drake dropped three albums overnight…

For Southern Living, Symiah Dorsey talked with Josie Gbadamosi, the owner of Shady Grove Road Blueberry Patch and known as “The Blueberry Lady” in her hometown of Tuskegee, Alabama…

The Los Angeles Sparks are honoring WNBA legend Lisa Leslie with a statue, to be unveiled in September…

The Atlantic reported on the return of the Indianapolis Clowns, a Negro League era team and one of the most controversial franchises in baseball history...

Callie Fin, a Las Vegas Aces’ beat writer, wrote about what she learned about reporting while pregnant…

tackles the question: Why are adaptations so white?...

58 years since its release, Philly soul singer Barbara Mason’s “Forever” is going viral on TikTok...

Ledisi is set to join the cast of the highly anticipated new Broadway musical “WANTED”....

penned an essay about the iconic Minnie Riperton and her legacy…

Go-go pioneering band Rare Essence reflects on its legacy as the DC-based genre marks its 50th anniversary…

Obituaries

Charlie Neal, the pioneering HBCU sports broadcasting legend and voice of HBCU GO, has died. He was 80…

Clarence Carter, the soul singer known for his hits “Strokin’”, “Patches” and “Slip Away,” has died. He was 90…

Bobby Eaton Sr., a champion of civil rights in Tulsa and the son of a race massacre survivor, has died. He was 90…

Mary Lovelace O’Neal, a legendary painter, professor and activist known for her monumental abstract works, has died. She was 84...

Jason Collins, the NBA’s first openly gay player who served as a global ambassador for the sport, has died. He was 47…

Brandon Clarke, a forward for the Memphis Grizzlies, has died. He was 29…

Don’t Miss

Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 51 seconds!...

Have you been looking for a smart, new listen? Congratulations to Kimberly Adams on becoming the new host of “Marketplace Morning Report”...

Check out the Noname Book Club, coming to a location near you this month…

Blair LM Kelly will discuss her forthcoming book, “Black Freedom: A Visual History of Juneteenth,” with on June 16 at Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina…

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is hosting a Juneteenth celebration in Washington, DC…

A powerful convening of Black writers, from to to , will attend “Belonging,” a one-day conference on June 20 at Rutgers University. Here’s how to register...

Blavity Media Group (BMG) is shutting down its 21Ninety and Home & Texture brands as the digital media company struggles to drive traffic to its media sites, according to an internal memo I reviewed.

The memo blamed the decline in traffic on search engines like Google, which are now devouring online news publishers’ search traffic due to new AI tools, and on social media platforms that throttle external links to keep users on their apps.

The shuttering of 21Ninety and Home & Texture is a part of a broader restructuring at Blavity Media Group. Blavity News, BMG’s flagship platform, will continue to cover news that impacts Black audiences but aims to shift its focus to health and politics, according to leadership. Travel Noire and AfroTech were unaffected by the editorial shifts.

Several freelancers announced on social media that they had been laid off.

The shuttering of 21Ninety, a lifestyle brand for Black women launched in 2017 by Blavity CEO and co-founder Morgan DeBaun, and Home & Texture, the homeownership and home decor brand for Black audiences she launched in 2023, marks the latest in a troubling trend for Black-owned media companies struggling with digital headwinds.

Earlier this month, Black Enterprise reportedly laid off all of its freelancers. The Portland Skanner and the Richmond Free Press — two legacy Black newspapers — shut down earlier this year, citing financial challenges and digital disruption.

Blavity Media Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment. DeBaun responded to this story in a now-deleted post: “SEO traffic was huge for those two brands. Such a bummer. Our team did our best to fight the good fight and will continue to platform our stories in new ways.”

Stixx Matthews, who was laid off as a contract writer for Home & Texture, lamented the end of the homeownership platform as another loss for Black audiences seeking stories outside the mainstream.

“I’ve been laid off before, but this one stung a bit more,” Matthews said. “It feels like another reminder that voices from niche spaces in Black media and representation keep disappearing, and that points to a much bigger issue playing out across Black media.”

“Home & Texture filled a real gap in the market. In a landscape that often tries to make Black culture and Blackness feel singular and linear, Home & Texture existed to dismantle that idea,” Matthews continued.

“Wow, hearing we’ve just lost 21Ninety and Home & Texture broke my heart,” said Ah-Niyah Gold, a fashion and beauty publicist. “Our black spaces and places to tell our stories are becoming more and more limited. I hate to see it.”

60 years after the Voting Rights Act, this 88-year-old Black man sees history repeating itself, The Root

Press Robinson, the first member of his family to vote, remembers having to prove he could read before being allowed to register. In an interview with The Washington Post, the 88-year-old says he sees “history is repeating itself” sixty years after he witnessed the Voting Rights Act signed into law.

“That law passed in 1965 was the bedrock of improvement of life in America for people of color,” he told the Post. “This is a Louisiana case, but the result is not going to be limited to Louisiana. It’s going to set the stage for redistricting in the entire country.”

And he’s correct — Tennessee enacted a new congressional map, breaking up the state’s only majority-Black congressional district. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis swiftly signed a new map into law — and was sued. Republicans in South Carolina and Alabama are also pushing toward redistricting.

Also this week, the FBI raided the office of L. Louise Lucas, one of Virginia’s most powerful lawmakers and a key figure in the state’s redistricting victory.

👀 The claims Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito made about voter turnout in Louisiana in the Voting Rights Act case were based on a misleading data analysis, according to The Guardian.

The fight ahead: For Capital B News, explains what’s next for Black voting power…The WinWithBlackMen group is organizing a convening call this Sunday, May 10, to discuss ways to keep engaged and the latest political updates...

Opinion: Why Republicans still fear the Black vote, by Al.com columnist …

Opinion: The Supreme Court trusts America not to be racist. I don’t, by The Guardian columnist …

Doctors sound the alarm on ongoing Black maternal mortality crisis, HuffPost

My colleague Kimberley Richards talked to doctors about the Black maternal health crisis and broke down some of the major misconceptions surrounding it.

Related: In America, pregnancy is dangerous for Black women, regardless of privilege, anthropologist Khiara Bridges writes for The MIT Press…

‘Pick your hard’: Black independent journalism isn’t as simple as Substack, The Objective

“While it might be simple to suggest that reporters launch a newsletter or an independent newsroom when laid off from corporate media, those career pivots cost more than just money — particularly for Black independent journalists,” Fannon Brannon writes in The Objective.

Thanks to Fannon for reaching out to the Washington Association of Black Journalists for help with this story.

What’s In The News

Across America

Alabama: Magic Johnson is set to take the stage at Tuskegee University for the May 9 commencement ceremony…

California: Dominic Antoine Jr, an Oakland high school senior with a 4.3 GPA, has been accepted to all 31 colleges to which he applied...

Florida: Following the changes to the Voting Rights Act, Raisa Habersham explored what’s at stake for the state’s young Black voters…

Georgia: Lana Foster, one of the few Black teachers ever hired by a South Georgia school district, claims she was the victim of racial harassment…

Illinois: The tension between Chicago officials and a majority Black pro-Trump group is growing…

Maryland: High school students with a GPA of at least 3.0 will now be guaranteed admission to Bowie State University…

Mississippi: Lawmakers are set to convene for a special session to redraw the state’s supreme court districts at its Jim Crow-era Capitol building…

Nebraska: The city of Omaha renamed a street after Tessie Edwards, the first Black teacher in the Omaha Archdiocese…

New York: The Bronx School of Hip-Hop is set to open in the Claremont neighborhood of the Bronx…

North Carolina: Vi Lyles, Charlotte’s first Black female mayor, announced that she will resign on June 30…

Ohio: A former deputy has been found guilty of reckless homicide in the shooting of Casey Goodson Jr…

Pennsylvania: Nikole Hannah-Jones provided the keynote at the National Association of Black Journalists Region I Conference at Temple University…

Texas: Pearland voters have elected the city’s first Black mayor in Quentin Wiltz…

What’s Happening

The New Yorker published a profile of former President Barack Obama, and his reflections since leaving office a decade ago…

Kwaneta Harris is an incarcerated journalist. For the Marshall Project, she wrote about what Mother’s Day is like for her…

Organizations have found success challenging the Trump administration’s anti-DEI policies in court…

The first Black women hired as flight attendants by the now-defunct Pan American Airways recently gathered for a reunion…

For the Guardian, Adria Walker reported on the HBCU Radio Preservation Project, an initiative working to preserve the archival material from radio stations created at HBCUs in the 60s and 70s…

Demetria Coley has made history as the youngest graduate of the Florida State University College of Nursing at 18 years old…

penned an essay unpacking the disconnect at the center of New York City’s cost-of-living debate…

A new report shows that living wage gaps by race and gender are widening…

A historian is retracing a 750-mile Underground Railroad route from Maryland to Canada, 30 years after first making the walk…

Precious Brady-Davis, a water reclamation commissioner in Illinois and the only Black trans person holding public office in the country, isn’t ruling out a run for Congress…

75-year-old Peggy Moore has worked at Temple University for 44 years. She graduated this week…

Black Enterprise magazine has laid off all of its 15 freelancers, according to Richard Prince…

Three men conspired to rob students at Lincoln University (PA) during homecoming, prosecutors said…

The Howard University community is grieving after two students, Sollomon Buckhanon Crowder and Jimisha Relerford, died days before graduation…

An Atlanta coffee shop has pledged to commission another mural honoring the life of beloved news anchor Jovita Moore after it was painted over…

Entertainment News

Colman Domingo has received an honorary degree from Temple University decades after he left school to pursue acting. Watch his speech above…

End of an era: Paramount announced it will end the “Love & Hip Hop” franchise after 15 years…

For Billboard, Kyle Denis spoke to over 15 collaborators — including Darkchild, Ne-Yo, Swizz Beatz, and more — as Beyoncé’s “B’DAY” album turns 20 years old…

Megan Thee Stallion was the May/June 2026 cover star of Entrepreneur Magazine, and spoke to the magazine about how she views success…

Founding Fugees member Pras Michel turned himself in to begin serving a 14-year prison sentence, which he vows to fight…

29 years after leaving college to pursue music, legendary producer 9th Wonder is set to graduate from North Carolina Central University…

Slick Rick, Trina and Tierra Whack chose the five albums that defined every decade of hip hop…

Nile Rodgers spoke with the New York Times about how he wrote “We Are Family, “Le Freak,” and more…

Longtime Oakland resident Delroy Lindo was presented with the key to the city this weekend…

Food writer wrote about Edna Lewis’ seminal cookbook, “Taste of Country Cooking,” as it turns 50 this year and how it continues to inspire…

Obituaries

Ronald Smothers, a longtime reporter with the New York Times who covered Rev. Jesse Jackson’s 1984 presidential run and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing, has died. He was 79…

Castell Vaughn Bryant, the first woman in FAMU history to serve as the HBCU’s interim president, has died. She was 88…

Don Ross, a former Oklahoma state representative and champion of civil rights, has died. He was 85…

Don’t Miss

Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute, 50 seconds…

“The Best Man” filmmaker has teamed up with Universal and Tribeca to create Love and Laughs, a short-film development and production initiative for filmmakers who tell comedic and romantic stories. Apply by May 20…

Marc Lamont Hill will be in conversation with Ilyasah Shabazz at the African American Museum in Philadelphia for her new book, “Malcolm in the Desert,” her latest book about her father’s life. The talk will take place on May 23…

Bed-Stuy Forever is collecting archival photos for a local exhibition. Send submissions to bedstuyforever2021@gmail.com…

The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor is seeking a part-time social media and digital content contractor…

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is hiring a public affairs specialist…

BridgeDetroit, a community-first nonprofit newsroom, is seeking a reporter to cover issues that shape life in Detroit. The deadline to apply is June 1…

Supreme Court paves the way for largest ever drop in Black representation in Congress, NPR

A steep drop in representation by Black members of Congress may be coming after the Supreme Court’s decision to weaken the Voting Rights Act. Read the full ruling here.

Immediate impact: Louisiana’s congressional primaries have been suspended. The voting rights advocates who fought across the South are organizing in response.

The Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais completes the decimation of the Voting Rights Act, civil rights lawyer writes.

The Supreme Court decision is the latest example of how Black progress triggers white rage, writes.

The Health Divide: Racist language gets under the skin and erodes health, USC Annenberg

In a column for the Center for Health Journalism, James Causey examined the health-related impacts of the N-word. He shared his personal experience with the word and reflected on how it affected him throughout his life.

Every John Singleton movie, ranked, Vulture

Several years after his death, the legacy of films John Singleton left behind endures. For Vulture, revisited a director who shook American cinema. What’s your favorite Singleton film?

Speedy Morman’s Complex exit represents a larger trend in media, The Grio

I offered some thoughts on the growing trending of journalists who are choosing to bet on themselves, rather than staying within mainstream news outlets. Happy to be featured alongside the incredible and !

What’s In The News

Across America

District of Columbia: Spike Lee spoke with Darryl C. Murphy about his ties to Washington ahead of his visit to the Lincoln Theater later today…

Georgia: Morris Brown College has earned a five year extension on its accreditation…

Illinois: Legendary musician Herbie Hancock brought an international jazz concert to Chicago this week…

Kentucky: Black women are rushing to get their hair done for the Kentucky Derby...

Louisiana: A mass shooting in Shreveport’s Cedar Grove neighborhood reveals how poverty, policing, and guns combine to trap Black families with abusers…

Maryland: A Baltimore County man who performed in blackface for years is running for the Maryland House of Delegates…

Michigan: The University of Michigan is facing pressure to rebuild its diversity programs following its decision to end DEI programming last year…

New York: A group of high school students launched the Carter G. Woodson Society, which is dedicated to Black intellectualism. They wrote an op-ed in the New York Amsterdam News...

North Carolina: Saint Augustine’s University has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and its interim president has resigned…

Oregon: Thousands of Oregonians charged with crimes have been forced to wait long-term for a public defender due to an attorney shortage…

Tennessee: 400 hours of historic audio from Fisk University’s campus radio station will be digitized…

South Carolina: Following student protest, Lt. Gov Pamela Evette will no longer speak at South Carolina State University’s commencement…

Virginia: Taylor Hodge, a third-year student, called out Virginia Commonwealth University’s fashion department for denying her request for a Black model…

What’s Happening

Tia and Jasmin Criss are seniors at Cheyney University, the oldest HBCU in the country, and will soon graduate as valedictorian (Tia) and salutatorian (Jasmin). Watch above…

Marketplace: Black unemployment is trending up. Policy is likely driving it…

15 HBCUs have come together to pursue the nation’s top research status in partnership with leading research universities…

All four Black House Republicans are retiring after this year, a fact that Texas GOP Rep. Wesley Hunt doesn’t care about at all…

Stress from racism may help explain why Black women are more likely to die in childbirth, according to a study…

A historic Black community in Baltimore County is fighting to keep their neighborhood above water…

A New Orleans-based program is providing crucial postpartum support to mothers through free home-based nurse visits…

Black farmers aren’t waiting on Washington to save them, Aallyah Wright reports for Capital B News…

Daniel Cressy, Louisiana’s first sickle cell gene therapy patient, is home after a historic treatment…

In 2019, a state trooper killed Brandon Webster, claiming self-defense. Evidence contradicted that account but wasn’t made public — until now…

Emory Law is facing criticism for its slow response after one of its students sent a series of racist, transphobic and threatening emails…

As Black mayors, Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb have developed a tight friendship…

Virginia Commonwealth University will create a memorial for dozens of Black people, whose bodies were stolen from their graves, dissected and then dumped…

Ahead of her memoir, spoke with The Guardian about the backlash to critical race theory, which she helped develop…

Entertainment News

11-time Olympic medalist Allyson Felix has announced her comeback, and is aiming for the 2028 L.A. Olympics…

Megan Thee Stallion and Klay Thompson have ended their relationship, but she isn’t letting the breakup stop her from community work…

Niles Rogers, Missy Elliott, Stevie Wonder and Jay-Z are just some of the names on the New York Times’ “Greatest Living American Songwriters” list…

For ELLE, wrote about the 10 year anniversary of Beyoncé’s “Lemonade”...

Prosecutors used rap lyrics to help send James Broadnax to death row in Texas. It’s not an uncommon tactic…

Five-time NBA All-Star John Wall has become the president of basketball operations at Howard University, according to school officials…

’s new documentary short examines the legacy of the first Black Panther Party chapter to be established in the South…

Can’t wait! Kirk A. Moore is creating a Black Texan Rodeo drama series for Starz…

Tyler Perry, Misty Copeland, and more attended the opening of the August Wilson play “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” on Broadway...

For the TRiiBE, wrote about Quincy Jones and how he built more than hits — he built the culture…

EBONY: BookCon 2026 “highlighted the growing demand for diversity in Black romance stories and a call for stronger support of Black authors in the genre”…

KJ Moody styled Beyoncé for years. Now he’s a culinary intern, chopping onions...

Kara Young is on the verge of setting a new Tony record as the first actor nominated 5 years in a row…

Jay Bryant told a federal judge that he helped other people enter Jam Master Jay’s studio in a planned ambush in 2002…

A former University of Alabama football player pleaded guilty to defrauding investors of millions of dollars by putting on makeup and wigs to impersonate NFL players…

Obituaries

Ruby Duncan, a legendary Las Vegas civil rights activist who advocated for poor families, has died. She was 93…

John Lyon, one of the first Black firefighters hired in Durham, North Carolina, in 1958, has died. He was 92…

Don’t Miss

Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute, 34 seconds…

Sociologist went on NPR Code Switch to discuss how Black students are encouraged to write about trauma in their college admissions essays…

is a professor at Duke University who studies Black masculinity. He went on NPR Code Switch to discuss the recent horrific incidents of violence caused by Black men…

Diverse Representation is currently accepting internship applications for its 2026 celebration of Black Women In Sports Day. Deadline is May 8…

On May 11, National Black Theatre will present a one-day event featuring “six multidisciplinary micro-commissions that uplift the voices and legacies of Black women theatermakers”…

For students in the Baltimore area or in the DMV, check out this HBCU college fair on May 16…

On May 27, Black Storytelling Week is hosting Community Jam: a Black Kin Keepers convening, aimed at helping Black folk connect with their family history...

The Supreme Court took a blowtorch to the landmark Voting Rights Act on Wednesday, in a ruling Al Sharpton called a “bullet in the heart of the voting rights movement.”

The ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, written for the conservative majority by Justice Samuel Alito, struck down Louisiana’s majority-Black congressional map — a decision that will likely impact other Black districts in GOP-led states. The 6-3 decision weakens Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, meant to protect Black Americans and other voters of color from racist discrimination in elections.

In her dissent, Justice Elena Kagan said the ruling was a “demolition of the Voting Rights Act,” and it made Section 2 “all but a dead letter.”

“The court’s decision will set back the foundational right Congress granted of racial equality in electoral opportunity,” she wrote.

You can download the full decision below.

Scotus Callais V Louisiana

694KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Read the full decision here.

Download

NAACP President Derrick Johnson said the ruling was “a devastating blow to what remains of the Voting Rights Act.”

“Today’s decision is a devastating blow to what remains of the Voting Rights Act, and a license for corrupt politicians who want to rig the system by silencing entire communities. The Supreme Court betrayed Black voters, they betrayed America, and they betrayed our democracy,” Johnson said in a statement.

Nikole Hannah-Jones, author of the “1619 Project,” said the ruling will likely lead to a “disappearance of much of the Black congressional representation.”

“There are people still living who fought — and watched their compatriots be murdered — for the passage of this act and to attempt to democratize America,” she wrote. “To see it [completely] felled in the span of their OWN lifetime is just absolutely devastating.”

Related: Supreme Court ruling threatens Black voting power beyond Louisiana, Capital B News

Supreme Court Deals a Death Blow to the Voting Rights Act, Mother Jones

Supreme Court Eviscerates The Voting Rights Act, HuffPost

Why are Harvard’s slavery researchers quitting or being fired?, The Guardian

Harvard University launched a $100 million project to examine the school’s long ties to slavery. However, key researchers and academics involved in the project are either quitting or being fired. They are alleging that the university is getting in the way of their research.

Atlanta’s ‘Cop City’ makes a Black neighborhood a testing lab for AI policing, Capital B News

Adam Mahoney and Madeline Thigpen reported on America’s most surveilled city—Atlanta—and how the city is destroying its forest to lay the foundation for an AI-fueled network of cameras.

In the parlors of Black bibliophiles: How Arturo Schomburg built a library and made history, Literary Hub

“In an era known as the “nadir” of American race relations because of escalating anti-black violence—and when few libraries or learned societies admitted Black readers—bibliophiles met the moment by turning their private parlors into public spaces,” historian Laura E. Helton writes.

It’s White House Correspondents’ Week here in DC, and the Washington Association of Black Journalists hosted a reception Wednesday honoring our members who work to cover the White House every day. Being able to host this event honoring Black journalists, during a week that traditionally is a very white affair, was amazing. The laughs, hugs, and “long-time-no-sees” made it all worth it.

The event was a reminder don’t have to wait for invites—we can create our own rooms. Thank you to and AP White House reporter Darlene Superville for delivering remarks, my WABJ executive board, the National Association of Broadcasters, Comcast, our volunteers, the caterers, bartenders, and everyone else who made the event happen. My hope is it will be even bigger next year, and we can invite more folks. And no, I will not be attending the dinner!

What’s In The News

Across America

California: The San Francisco Chronicle published an interactive examining how the city’s Black population changed, block by block, over 50 years…

Georgia: The Miss Spelman pageant has sparked debate after it announced co-campus homecoming queens, the first time it has done so...

Florida: Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has resigned ahead of an ethics investigation into her use of campaign funds…

Illinois: Chicago may be the worst big city for Black economic mobility…

Kansas: Gov. Laura Kelly recently signed a bill prohibiting DEI and Critical Race Theory-focused courses from being required across the state’s public colleges…

Louisiana: Adam Mahoney went to New Orleans to see the Angola Prison Rodeo, where it debuted in the Superdome…

Michigan: Catherine Coleman Flowers, a former high school teacher at my alma mater, has become one of the world’s leading environmental justice scholars…

Mississippi: Aallyah Wright went to Jonestown, an all-Black town that needs more community support to build housing and youth activities…

Nebraska: The first state-approved Black-founded school is opening in North Omaha…

New Jersey: Advocates say the state must invest more in mental health to help formerly incarcerated people successfully reenter society…

New York: At the Green Haven lockup, there’s a barber class that teaches men box braids, wet sets and other women’s styles…

North Carolina: Mohagany’s Mission in Durham aims to support formerly incarcerated transgender women reenter society...

Oregon: 0.1% of developers are Black women. Anyeley Hallová is building on a lot in North Portland...

Pennsylvania: Mural Arts Philadelphia unveiled the design of a new mural that honors Philly’s legends of Black dance.…

What’s Happening

Horrific: Shamar Elkin, shot and killed 8 children and wounded two women, including his wife Shaneiqua Pugh, in a domestic violence rampage in Shreveport, Louisiana… Related: wrote about about Dr. Cerina Fairfax and Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer, both killed by men they married… , whose father killed his mother and then himself when he was a baby, wrote about what he would tell Justin Fairfax’s children…

The Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit that monitors hate groups, has been indicted on federal fraud charges by the Justice Department. Former federal prosecutors see major legal flaws in the indictment…

Trump has been purging Black officials in independent agencies at a higher rate than anyone else, according to a new lawsuit…

An ex-cop whose family reported he wanted to harm Black people was arrested for threatening a mass shooting in New Orleans, authorities said…

Black farmers in the U.S. say they are losing their jobs to white South Africans. Watch above…

penned an essay about “unc,” and how the internet hyper-accelerates cultural appropriation…

CNN’s Stephanie Elam is the latest in growing number of Black journalists who are leaving TV news, whether by choice or through layoffs…

Leon Smith, who helps his students find their inner strength, has been named the 2026 National Teacher of the Year…

The stories of Black patriots are coming into focus as America prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary...

Arionne Nettles explored how the Black Chicago accent has retained its Southern roots…

A Emory University law student has been banned from campus after sending racist emails with white supremacist language and threats…

New York City Council member Chi Ossé was arrested during an anti-eviction protest in Brooklyn…

The role of Black people in the American Revolution is receiving greater attention as the country commemorates their contributions to America’s independence…

Three doctors just donated $2 million to their alma mater, Morehouse College and Spelman College...

Tamerra Buckhanan is 82 years old and just finished up the 130th Boston Marathon, completing her Six Star Marathon…

Entertainment News

Kanye’s comeback is being championed by Larry Jackson, a music executive who is used to dealing with controversial artists…

Less than 1 percent of pro golfers are Black, and only 8 Black women have reached the Ladies Professional Golf Association. Ray Lee wants to be 1st Black woman to win an LPGA major. Watch the interview by Carita Parks above…

sat down with Southern Cultures to discuss the ‘importance of the Gothic in writing about the Black South and why writing helps her confront and understand Mississippi’s history of racism’…

Jay Bryant, the man charged in the killing of Jam Master Jay, is negotiating a plea deal…

Brennan DuBose is working to bring America’s first Black-owned film company back to life…

LeBron James is getting ready for his post-NBA media career, according to his partner…

Cultured Mag: “Keke Palmer has transcended the constraints of the child star and the comic relief with athletic agility. For her next chapter, the performer is setting the bar even higher”…

Otis Williams, the last surviving Temptation, reflected on the 1960s music industry in a new interview…

Nearly every Black comedian showed up to the 51st AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute Gala as Eddie Murphy received a lifetime achievement award…

A decade ago this week, Prince died from an accidental fentanyl overdose…

Obituaries

David Scott, a longtime Georgia politician and businessman, has died. He was 80…

Dr. Cledie Collins Taylor, a legendary Detroit artist and educator, has died. She was 100...

Kiara Brokenbrough, a woman who went viral for spending less than $50 on her wedding dress, has died. She was 32…

Don’t Miss

Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute, 37 seconds…

Colorectal cancer patients are getting younger and younger, and Black Americans are more likely to be diagnosed too late…

The ESSENCE Film Festival is now accepting applications. Deadline is April 30…

Women Who Weld is holding a reduced-priced Week-Long Intensive Welding training for Detroit-area residents and are interested in pursuing a career in welding…

Walter Johnson Is Spreading The Gospel Of ‘Tendernism’ — One City At A Time, HuffPost

I recently ate lunch with the internet’s favorite unc, Mr. Tendernism, who told me you’re never too old to pursue your dreams. “I don’t know how to pronounce old. You can still do anything that you want to as long as you put some effort behind it,” he said.

Horrific — In a stunning story that rattled the nation, former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax shot and killed his wife and then killed himself while his children were home.

There have been plenty of posts and stories eulogizing him, but not as many about the life and legacy of Dr. Cerina Fairfax, who is being remembered as a mentor and community leader.

The 82-year-old jump rope queen of Beverly Hills, The New York Times

At 82 years old, Annie Judis currently holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest competitive rope skipper — and she plans to defend her title for as long as she can.

The Playboy interview: Nia Long

Ahead of the release of the Michael Jackson biopic, Nia Long — who plays Katherine Jackson in “Michael” — sat down with for a candid conversation about the iconic “Love Jones,” her dating life, how she prepared for the role and more.

What’s In The News

Across America

Arkansas: The director of African and African American Studies at the University of Arkansas filed a federal civil rights lawsuit after an effort to remove him…

District of Columbia: wrote about April 16, 1862, the day more than 3,100 people were freed in Washington…

Georgia: Morris Brown College’s first class of students since the school regained accreditation is preparing for graduation…

Indiana: Michael Jackson’s hometown of Gary got an exclusive early look at “Michael,” his upcoming biopic...

Louisiana: Ashley Gaignard wrote about a planned massive industrial complex that threatens to destroy the historic Black community of Modeste…

Michigan: Detroit’s economic revival is leaving its residents behind, experts say…

Missouri: Amaya Morgan, president of the Legion of Black Collegians at Mizzou, spoke out about her experience at the university amid the turmoil at the school…

Mississippi: The state is taking a very different approach to history than the Trump administration as the nation’s 250th anniversary approaches…

North Carolina: The state’s first mosque, once visited by Malcolm X, now has a historic marker in Durham…

Oklahoma: Hidden in fine print, discriminatory language from a century ago still exists today in some Tulsa property records…

Ohio: Toledo city leaders are calling for charges to be dropped against a 15-year-old girl after an officer threw her to the ground during an arrest…

South Carolina: Read about the ’s efforts to protect Hilton Head’s longtime Black residents…

Tennessee: The NAACP has sued Elon Musk’s xAI, alleging the company’s use of natural gas-burning turbines to power its data centers is polluting the air in Memphis…

Texas: Ashanti Allen, a missing pregnant woman in Texas, has been found dead. A suspect is in custody…

West Virginia: Aristotle Jones learned Appalachian Soul music porch-pickin’ with his grandfather Robert Jones, who played Black Appalachian music informed by the South, by gospel, by Delta blues…

What’s Happening

explains in how Trump is overseeing the biggest economic attack on historically Black college institutions in U.S. history…

The New Republic’s Perry Bacon talked with author Ibram Kendi about the rise of a racist theory that is poisoning politics across the world...

For NewsOne, wrote about how universities are actively choosing to eliminate Black student life…

The family of social media influencer Ashly Robinson is pushing back against claims that she killed herself after a “misunderstanding” with her fiancé while on vacation…

Massive flooding in 2023 left mold in many Chicago homes. The city’s health department offers no help…

The church where Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his final speech is receiving a $1.2 million federal grant…

Artemis II pilot Victor Glover’s historic flight has sparked an outpouring of support amid Trump’s efforts to dismantle DEI…

“As the U.S. nears its 250th anniversary, a battle for the soul of U.S. history is unfolding,” Bria Nelson writes in The Hill...

A white supremacist has pled guilty to setting a fire that destroyed an office at a historic social justice center in Tennessee…

60 years after he first enrolled, Ron Prince will soon earn a degree through Tuskegee University’s online degree program…

Dr. Denise Jones Gregory has been named the 14th president of Jackson State University…

Duke University’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions has paused its Black Student Alliance Invitational, a program that aimed to help ease Black students into the PWI…

Education and income don’t protect Black women from high rates of maternal mortality and life-threatening complications. Khiara Bridges grapples with this reality in her latest book…

Entertainment News

Arsenio Hall spoke with Esquire about fame, fatherhood and his new memoir “Arsenio.” Watch above…

For his first piece in the New York Times, wrote about Kanye and his new, endlessly forgiving core fanbase…

Zendaya’s “films rarely center on—or even acknowledge—her race, seemingly out of concern that focusing on identity might limit her characters’ emotional palettes. But why couldn’t it expand those palettes?” writes in the New Yorker…

Singer D4vd has been arrested in connection with the murder of Celeste Rivas, a teen whose remains were found in the trunk of his Tesla…

“Still We Write,” BET’s series that profiles Black poets in honor of National Poetry Month, highlights the talented Aja Monet…

Black creatives believe there’s a lot riding on the success of the rom-com, “You, Me & Tuscany”...Speaking of which, pulled together a list of twenty essential Black rom-coms for Letterboxd…

Kennedy Ryan’s hit novel “Before I Let Go” is in the works at Peacock...

Read an excerpt from “Gather: Black Food, Nourishment, and the Art of Togetherness,” an upcoming book about Black gatherings by Ashanté M. Reese. I just received my copy in the mail!…

met up with Juvenile to talk with the iconic rapper about the music that helped shape his life…

Baby Keem, a young rapper who doesn’t want to be known only for being the cousin of Kendrick Lamar, was profiled in the New York Times…

NPR’s Michel Martin sat down with Dave Chappelle for a wide-ranging conversation about public radio, how he feels Republicans have “weaponized” his jokes about the trans community, free speech and more…

Lawmakers have passed a bill to create a Georgia Music Office to promote and support music in the state...

For Andscape, Ken Makin wrote about the significance of Angel Reese’s trade to the Atlanta Dream and what it means for growing star power…

Alexia Jayy has won “The Voice,” the first time a Black woman has been crowned the winner in the history of the series…

The Guardian’s Andrew Lawrence wrote about Michael Jordan’s second act as NASCAR’s top owner...

Big Mama Thornton, a tall, Black, gay musician, is rarely brought up in conversations about Elvis Presley and Janis Joplin — even though she was the original voice behind songs they made famous. A new documentary aims to change that…

Obituaries

Gwendolyn “Blondy” Chisolm, co-founding member of hip-hop group The Sequence, has died. She was 66…

Janice White Sikes Rogers, a Spelman alumna who shaped how Atlanta preserves Black history, has died. She was 73…

Don’t Miss

Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 35 seconds!...

A new special section in the Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture is offering a first-of-its-kind analysis on how Black journalists are portrayed in pop culture...

The Baldwin for the Arts fellowship is now open for artists based in the United States. Deadline is April 18. Details here...

The ESSENCE Film Festival is now accepting applications. Deadline is April 30…

ESSENCE is also selecting students getting ready for Prom 2026 for a special feature. Details here…

Delroy Lindo will be the commencement speaker at Fisk University on May 3…

Thanks to all of you, this newsletter is in first place in the Webby People’s Voice Award, voted on by the online public. Thank you to everyone who has supported this newsletter over the years. I am truly grateful.

If you haven’t done so already, please consider taking a moment to vote for this newsletter for a Webby People’s Voice Award! You can vote using this link. Voting is open now through Thursday, April 16th, at 11:59 pm PDT.

Some Black women say the best thing they did for their health was leave America, Capital B News

For Capital B News, Jenae Barnes reported a health equity story on Black expats in Berlin, Germany, as part of the Association of Health Care Journalists’ German Work Study Group. She found that Germany’s universal health care system has provided stability for Black Americans.

Forbes senior writer Jabari Young sat down with BET President Louis Carr for an interesting chat about the business of Black Entertainment Television. Watch above.

What’s In The News

Across America

Alabama: reported on how, through collective action, Sonny Burton was saved from the death chamber…

California: Santa Monica College has officially been designated as a Black-serving Institution…

Colorado: Courtney “CW” and Nicole Mallery fear for their lives after shots were fired at their ranch over the Easter weekend...

District of Columbia: Legendary radio host Russ Parr is returning home to Majic 102.3 on weekdays from 3 pm to 7 pm, starting April 27…

Florida: Parts of Brownsville apparently aren’t included within the boundaries of the area being studied to incorporate, stalling the historically Black neighborhood’s bid for cityhood…

Georgia: Fulton County’s Reparations Task Force found about $900 billion in stolen labor in its new Harm Report...

Illinois: Over 120 Black-owned businesses participated in the second annual Spend in the Black event in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood…

Louisiana: Keith Lee is waiving fees for food vendors taking part in his inaugural festival in New Orleans this spring…

Maryland: Black journalists in Baltimore are speaking out against alleged retaliation and discrimination at the local CBS station…

Michigan: The Detroit Department of Transportation has graduated its largest class of bus drivers…

Mississippi: Trey Reed’s family is still waiting for answers about his hanging, nine months after authorities ruled it a suicide…

Missouri: Mizzou stripped its historic Black student governing body of all annual designated funding starting in July…

New York: Lauren Smith says she and her child were turned away from an Ulta Beauty salon in Manhattan due to their hair texture…

Pennsylvania: Veteran journalist Barnett Wright has returned home to become managing editor of The Philadelphia Tribune…

Rhode Island: The African American Museum of Rhode Island recently held its grand opening and curator Melaine Ferdinand-King spoke with Ocean Side Media about it…

Tennessee: “To understand Justin Pearson, you must first understand his family, his values, his faith and you must understand Memphis,” Meredith McCarroll writes in the Bitter Southerner...

Virginia: Black Queer GRITS: (Girls Raised In The South) is on display at ART 180’s Atlas Gallery in Richmond until April 17…

What’s Happening

For Capital B News, Aallyah Wright is helping you find ways to support Black farmers in the wake of the federal government’s elimination of resources…

Democratic presidential prospects appeared before Black activists at Al Sharpton’s National Action Network annual convention in New York…

Emory University professor Carol Anderson explains that Jim Crow is being rebuilt in modern form as a key Supreme Court ruling looms…

San Francisco’s Fillmore district—once known as the Harlem of the West—was devastated by urban renewal. Now, new revitalization plans reopen old wounds…

Al Sharpton spoke with The New York Times about relocating the National Action Network to a new location in Harlem…

Residents of a Black Louisiana town are protesting what they call a “cover-up” by officials as toxic chemicals spread…

Here’s how the Trump administration wants to sanitize George Washington’s role in slavery at the President’s House…

From New York Times’ Robert Jimison: Some voters say Congress is too old. These Black Democrats aren’t leaving…

Christopher Ellis spent 30 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. He is now suing Nassau County, New York…

Kevin Epps, a San Francisco filmmaker and journalist, has been sentenced to six years in prison…

NBC News: Many words and phrases coined by Gen Zers have roots in African American language that date back centuries, according to linguistics experts…

An artist known as Mr. Wash is raising funds to build a $15 million community arts center in Compton…

Julienne Louis penned an op-ed for Essence about the life-changing impact of HBCUs...

Entertainment News

Kanye West has been blocked from entering Britain to headline a music festival, with the UK home secretary stating his presence would “not be conducive to the public good”...GQ columnist Frazier Tharpe went to a recent Kanye performance and he feels attendees deserved a better show…The industry is once again giving Kanye a pass, wrote for Consequence…

The American Black Film Festival has unveiled the lineup for its 30th anniversary edition, including Jamie Foxx, Marsai Martin, Coco Jones and more…

For Bloomberg, wrote about “The Drama,” and deracialized portrayals of Black women in today’s anti-DEI era…

Kyren Lacy, a star LSU wide receiver, was headed to the NFL. A tragic accident and its powerful ripples cost him everything…

Bassist Melvin Gibbs spoke with the New York Times about his new book, “How Black Music Took Over the World,” out next week…

A judge granted Lil Nas X entry into a mental health diversion program…

penned an essay about the history and community of Memphis following LeBron James’ comments on the city…

Tuma Basa, YouTube’s director of Black music & culture, is leaving the streaming giant after eight years…

The site of Six Flags America in Prince George’s County has been sold to an investment group that includes Kevin Durant…

Filmmaker Noel Braham has announced a nonprofit initiative to help those facing economic barriers pursue careers in film, television, and media…

Obituaries

Dee Freeman, the actress who appeared in “The Young and the Restless” and Tyler Perry’s “Sistas,” has died. She was 66…

Afrika Bambaataa, a hip-hop pioneer who was accused of sexual abuse, has died. He was 67…

Pearl Fryar, a famed topiary artist who was the subject of an award-winning 2006 documentary, has died. He was 86…

Carrie Everett, former Miss North Carolina 2024 and a student at North Carolina Central University, has died. She was 22…

Alfred Singleton, the executive chef and co-owner of a prominent New Orleans restaurant and a mentor to many, has died. He was 46...

Don’t Miss

Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 2 minutes and 6 seconds…

Ms. Wollack, the English teacher that I work alongside to help Eastern High School students revive their newspaper, has launched a GoFundMe for them…

The 2nd annual HBCU Film Festival is this weekend, and Jasmine Guy is attending as a special guest. It will be held at Emory University in Atlanta on April 10…

A new short documentary spotlighting Black doulas on the front lines of a maternal health crisis is set to premiere April 11 on BET Digital…

The Baldwin for the Arts fellowship is now open for artists based in the United States. Deadline is April 18. Details here...

Aallyah Wright appeared on the Rural Narratives podcast to discuss reporting on Black rural communities…

New York Amsterdam News, one of the oldest Black newspapers in the country, is seeking interns...

The ESSENCE Film Festival is now accepting applications. Deadline is April 30...

Are you a college student interested in TV or film? The application for the Tyler Perry Studios internship is open…

In 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, major corporations and foundations pledged millions of dollars to Black-led nonprofits and organizations in an effort to confront systemic racism and police violence.

A new report, however, shows that those promises remain largely unfulfilled and, for some, never materialized.

According to the nonprofit information service Candid and the philanthropy organization ABFE, only a small group of large Black-led nonprofits — defined in the report as having annual expenses over $1 million — received major funding between 2020 and 2022.

Then funding began to decline by 2023, suggesting to researchers that the support “may have been temporary.”

“During the George Floyd period, the pandemic period, there were definitely some things that came available to our organization because there was just this tremendous response to what was happening in communities and it was more available to Black communities, Black organizations, and Black-led organizations than it has been historically. But I think that that window closed probably in 2023,” one nonprofit leader told researchers.

While the report states that more foundations did respond to the call to give to Black nonprofits, the gifts were uneven — smaller nonprofits saw very little funding, if any, in the wake of the “racial reckoning.” 76% of Black-led nonprofits with budgets under $1 million experienced no significant change in funding from 2016 to 2023, researchers found.

Susan Taylor Batten, president and CEO of ABFE, pointed out that today’s anti-DEI climate has made it extremely challenging for Black-led nonprofits to grow their organizations.

“Black-led nonprofit leaders are being asked to meet rising community needs while navigating an increasingly hostile environment toward race-explicit work, often without the flexible, sustained funding needed to build staff, strengthen infrastructure, or plan for the long term,” she explained.

“This cycle of short-lived transactional investments keeps organizations doing the crucial work in communities in constant survival mode rather than scaling the solutions our communities need.”

Read the full report here.

I have some amazing news to share: “What I’m Reading” has been recognized in the 30th Annual Webby Awards! The newsletter is now competing for the Internet's two most coveted awards: The Webby Award, selected by the Webbys Academy, and The Webby People's Voice Award, voted on by the online public. Thank you to everyone who has supported this newsletter over the years; I am extremely grateful.

Please consider taking a moment to vote for this newsletter for a Webby People’s Voice Award! You can vote using this link. Voting is open now through Thursday, April 16th, at 11:59 pm PDT.

What Happened to the Blackbuster?, Hammer & Hope

“From ‘Boomerang’ to ‘Love & Basketball,’ the golden age of Black upward-mobility cinema projected fantasies of racial representation. Then they disappeared,” Ian F. Blair writes for Hammer & Hope.

What’s In The News

Across America

Arkansas: talked with his brother, Orson Weems, for a wide-ranging conversation about Black music history, the roots of the blues, and more…

Colorado: An exhibit on the Black homesteader community will be on display at the Creede Underground Mining Museum until mid-May…

Florida: Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen was shot and killed, and her husband is in custody…

Georgia: TSA workers were reportedly asked to return $1,000 gift cards given out by Tyler Perry. Apparently, they will get to keep them after all…

Illinois: Skyway Lanes, the last Black-owned bowling alley in Chicago, is set to close after a surge of support faded…

Louisiana: The Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans is facing an onslaught of catastrophic projects that could be more damaging than Katrina…

Maryland: and Terri Freeman are pushing back against a Baltimore Sun article attacking the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture…

Massachusetts: Librarian Mychal Threets is set to be the convocation speaker for Harvard’s Graduate School of Education…

Michigan: 11-year-old author George Latham IV visits classrooms across Detroit to offer something just as important as literacy: representation, Darlene White explains…

Mississippi: The Supreme Court appears likely to rule for Terry Pitchford, a Black death row inmate who says there was racial bias in the makeup of his jury…

Missouri: The National Blues Museum is closing its doors after nearly 10 years in St. Louis…

New York: Jonah Levi, who is accused of beating Messiah Nantwi to death in an upstate prison, has been convicted of manslaughter…

North Carolina: The Black Trans Short Film Festival is taking place from April 30 to May 2 in Durham...

Oklahoma: Nearly 10 years after ex-Tulsa police officer Betty Shelby shot and killed Terence Crutcher, a court ruled his family’s civil lawsuit against her can move forward…

Pennsylvania: The oldest Black church in Philadelphia continued its tradition of a procession on Palm Sunday behind a donkey or pony…

Tennessee: Fisk University is ending its historic gymnastics program after three years due to scheduling and recruiting challenges…

Texas: The University of Texas will host the conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on April 15 for a closed-door talk…

What’s Happening

Victor Glover is making history as the first Black astronaut to fly around the moon…

The Trump administration has opened investigations into how race is considered in admissions at three medical schools…

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation is being sued over college scholarships for Black students…

Over 500,000 Black men have lost their jobs in the last four months. The silence around this crisis puts these men in danger of becoming a permanent underclass, writes…

USDA dumped a $300 million Biden-era grant meant to help underserved producers with access to land, capital, and markets, Aallyah Wright reports for Capital B News…

A federal judge ruled that a lawsuit against Evanston’s reparations program may proceed…

AP News: North Carolina’s electoral future may hinge on rural Black voters who feel ignored by Democrats…

CNN reports Kamala Harris is set to swing through four Southern state Democratic Party events in April…

For EBONY, asks: Is being offline really a luxury — or just a privilege some can afford?...

Janai Norman will no longer co-anchor the weekend edition of “Good Morning America;” Natalie Korach had the news first for Status…

Rise Early Learning Center is working to help Baltimore kids by creating a space for their parents to find resources and build community…

Sparrow’s Nest, a small brick building serving various purposes at Davidson College, was once quarters for enslaved people during the 19th century…

The Guardian: From Washington to Florida, supper clubs are helping Black women slow down, connect and build lasting sisterhood…

Entertainment News

Brandy was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this week. Watch the full ceremony above…

Whoa: Gucci Mane was allegedly robbed and kidnapped by rappers Pooh Shiesty and Big30 in Dallas over an alleged record label dispute, according to the Department of Justice…

Megan Thee Stallion was rushed to the hospital during a recent showing of ‘Moulin Rouge!’ on Broadway in New York City. She is recovering, a spokesperson said…

Following Clinton Yates’ ouster at ESPN, Yussuf Khan called attention to the disappearing Black national sports radio host….

Ayo Edebiri is the cover star of the latest issue of Paper Magazine…

Master P is leaving the University of New Orleans basketball program just one year after joining the school…

Druski once again showed how Black comedy shapes the conversation, writes for Andscape…

Chicago label Sooper Records will release piano virtuoso Charles Joseph Smith’s first professional album in April. As a Black man diagnosed with autism, it’s been a long time coming…

, one of the top essayists in the country, revisited Jay-Z’s debut album “Reasonable Doubt” as it turns 30 years old…

Arsenio Hall is spilling it all in his new memoir, “Arsenio,” which came out this week…

T.I. sat down with Okayplayer on comedy and his new album while remembering ‘King’ on its 20th anniversary…

Tiger Woods announced that he will seek treatment after he was charged with a DUI…For Andscape, Justin Tinsley examined the long shadow of the golf legend…

J. Janice Coleman, an English professor at Alcorn State University, honors Mississippi history, including Civil Rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer, with her quilts…

Smithsonian Mag: A new book of Toni Morrison’s university lectures, now collected for the first time, shares some of the legendary novelist’s most important lessons…

Obituaries

Bob Law, a pioneering voice in Black radio and iconic host of National Black Network’s “Night Talk,” has died. He was 86…

Barry Caldwell, the animator and director behind the cartoon series “Animaniacs” and the film “Osmosis Jones,” has died. He was 68…

Melvin Edwards, the first Black American to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum in New York, has died. He was 88…

Ernest McMillan, a teacher and human rights activist in Dallas, has died. He was 81…

Don’t Miss

Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 43 seconds!...

ICYMI: Watch Reporting While Black, a live conversation from Howard University “on independent media, audience power, and the fight to tell the truth in a shifting industry”…

ASALH is partnering with the African American Museum of Dallas to offer FREE classes on African American history…

The 2nd annual HBCU Film Festival is approaching, and Jasmine Guy is attending as a special guest. It will be held at Emory University in Atlanta on April 10…