I’m at AfroTech, Sonya Massey murderer found guilty, DOJ probing BLM
Hello from Houston! Thank you for your continued support.
What I’m Reading
Hello from Afrotech!
I’m writing this week’s newsletter from the Afrotech Convention in Houston, Texas. This is my second time attending the tech-centered conference, having attended in Oakland in 2019. It is amazing to see how the event has grown since then. LinkedIn, Deloitte, Microsoft, and Nintendo are just a few of the companies that have set up booths at the conference.
I also held a fireside chat with the incredible Malik Ducard, Pinterest’s chief content officer, about his career and the type of content that inspires him. In a chat with reporters, Blavity COO Jeff Nelson said Afrotech will be returning to Houston next year…
In Letitia James case, some Black women see their own family sacrifices, The New York Times
The federal indictment of Letitia James, New York’s attorney general, centers on a home she purchased for her grandniece. The New York Times interviewed Black women leaders who privately rallied around James because her story felt deeply familiar to them.
ICYMI: Letitia James delivered a fiery speech slamming the Trump administration after pleading not guilty to mortgage fraud…
Related: Christina Carrega wrote about Trump’s enemies list targeting Black women prosecutors…
From Mississippi to Maryland, Black communities are taking on big tech, Capital B News
There are over 1,200 data centers across the South, and $200 billion worth of planned data infrastructure are apparently on the way. For Capital B News, Adam Mahoney talked to Black community members who say they preparing for a new battle against big tech.
The podcast showing what resistance looks like under Trump 2.0: ‘Where’s the progressive Project 2025?, The Guardian’
There are likely hundreds of thousands of podcasts nationwide, but The Guardian explored the popularity of the Unnamed and Unbound: Black Voters Matter Podcast. Launched after the 2024 election, the voting rights organization created the podcast to help keep Black communities informed and dispel misinformation.
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: Anthony Boyd was subjected to the longest nitrogen gas execution in U.S. history, just over an hour after three Supreme Court justices warned he would suffer psychological torture…
District of Columbia: Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton was scammed in her home by people who said they were part of a cleaning crew, her office said…
Illinois: The University of Illinois-Chicago announced it will no longer consider race, color, national origin, sex, or gender in financial aid decisions and faculty hiring, promotion, and tenure processes…
Kentucky: The city of Louisville has settled a lawsuit over the Louisville Metro Police’s response to the protests following Breonna Taylor’s killing in 2020…
Maryland: Baltimore County high school student Taki Allen was swarmed by police after an artificial intelligence system apparently mistook his bag of Doritos for a gun…
Michigan: An adult spelling bee on a mission to share the love of literary arts is going viral thanks to a craving for community and the creator’s social media-savvy sister, reports…
Missouri: The parents of Cardinal Ritter football players are calling for an investigation into the use of pepper spray against the student-athletes at the end of a game…
North Carolina: Bishop signaled that he would be part of a lawsuit against the state’s new congressional map…
Texas: The Austin American-Statesman examined the African American Cultural and Heritage Facility and why it has stood mostly idle despite all the city’s promises…
Virginia: A Black school board vice chairman was censured for “unbecoming” conduct after a board meeting about starting a high school chapter of the right-wing Turning Point USA…
What’s Happening
A former sheriff’s deputy has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who called 911 for help. He will be sentenced on Jan. 29…Please watch what Massey’s father, James Wilburn, had to say after the verdict…
The Justice Department has issued subpoenas and at least one search warrant as part of a probe into the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Inc, the Associated Press reports…
The government shutdown has put SNAP benefits at risk for millions of Americans. I wrote about Travis Peters, an urban farmer in Detroit, who gave out free produce this week…Living Fresh Market, the nation’s largest Black-owned supermarket, hosted a giveaway and 60-second shopping spree event as the SNAP cuts loom…
Trump has deployed the National Guard to major (majority-Black) U.S. cities in what he called an attempt to address crime. But residents of Detroit say community connection and accountability are critical…
For the Baltimore Beat, Briahnna Brown wrote about the Black archives and museums — spaces like the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum — that are standing tall amid attempts to erase Black history…
Nearly a million students have been lost from higher education institutions across the South over the past decade, according to a new research brief…
A federal jury found a private company running a Louisiana jail liable for the death of Erie Moore Sr, who ‘died of head injuries while in custody’. The family was awarded more than $40 million in damages…
Wake Forest University is naming a residence hall in honor of Professor Beth Hopkins and her late husband, Dr. Larry Hopkins, who broke barriers on the campus…
“You got on pants cuz, officer?” A Detroit police officer appeared in court virtually, wearing his uniform top but no pants…
39 percent of Black owned businesses were denied a loan, line of credit, or merchant cash advance in 2024, according to a new analysis. It’s the highest rate of loan denials by race…
For years, police in Baltimore County have stopped and searched Black drivers far more often than non-Black drivers. Officials have discussed the issue but have made few changes…
The Marshall Project: A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation requiring all jails and prisons in Ohio to report on every pregnancy that ends behind bars…
Kamala Harris isn’t ruling out another run for the White House…
Entertainment News
The Unction! New Edition, Boyz II Men and Toni Braxton announced they’re going on tour in 2026…
Upheaveal at CBS News: CBS News has reportedly disbanded its race and culture unit, joining NBC News as the latest newsroom to dissolve its entire team dedicated to those stories…Gayle King is expected to depart as an anchor of the CBS morning program next year, Variety reports…
traveled to Texas to spend time with rapper Monaleo and talked about keeping Houston rap tradition alive during a family gathering…
Historian explored the life and legacy of Audley Moore, the woman who spearheaded the fight for reparations, in her latest book, “Queen Mother: Black Nationalism, Reparations, and the Untold Story of Audley Moore”…
paid tribute to his friend and collaborator D’Angelo: “To me, he was one of the last pure artists in Black music”...
This article is causing much debate online among the hip-hop community: No rap songs are in the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 40 for the first time since 1990…
Taraji P. Henson and Cedric The Entertainer will star in the Debbie Allen-directed production of the August Wilson classic, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”...
For Teen Vogue, wrote about the systemic racism that young, famous Black girls like North West and Blue Ivy face in fashion discovery and personal exploration…
My colleague Njera Perkins spoke to Nia DaCosta and Tessa Thompson about their “delightfully chaotic film ‘Hedda,’ giving Black women space to be complex and imperfect, and why it’s a powerful thing to see messy b*tches onscreen”…
The crime drama “BMF” has been canceled at Starz…
“Interstate,” a new documentary, explores the creation of the federal highway system and its racist roots...
Donnell Whittenburg just became the first American to win a world title on still rings at age 31 after tearing his Achilles in 2024…
Michael B. Jordan is in early talks to star in the new “Miami Vice” movie being developed by Universal and F1 filmmaker Joseph Kosinski…
Obituaries
Joseph Caldwell, who ran the first Black-owned company to clean MLB jerseys, has died. He was 92…
Roberta Alexander, an acclaimed soprano and opera singer who spent most of her career in the Netherlands, has died. She was 76...
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 42 seconds…
An 8-year-old boy is giving back for his birthday by helping feed 150 families this Saturday in a food drive on the South Side of Chicago…
Released on what would have been Relisha Rudd’s 20th birthday this week, the docuseries “The Vanishing of Relisha Rudd: A Cold Case Reexamined” has reginited a call for justice…
The 57th NAACP Image Awards have just added a Outstanding Literary Work for Journalism category. Apply by Nov. 17!…
The application for the Black Worker Justice Fellowship is now open. This leadership development program equips Black worker advocates with crucial skills. Stipends are included. Deadline to apply is Nov. 21...