America’s oldest Black rodeo, Black enrollment falls at Harvard law, Vick heads to Norfolk State
Happy holidays!
What I’m Reading
Can the Rodeo Save a Historic Black Town?, The Atlantic
Caleb Gayle traveled to Boley, Oklahoma, a town built by and for Black people that boasted the oldest Black rodeo in America, which attracted travelers nationwide in its glory days. Today, a group of volunteers hope the 121-year-old rodeo can help revitalize the dying town.
Hollywood’s DEI Programs Have Begun to D-I-E. How Hard Did the Industry Really Try?, Vanity Fair
Hollywood and the television world vowed to make changes following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. As we approach the fifth anniversary of those promises, Hollywood’s DEI programs have slowly but surely faded.
“I knew not to expect much,” said “Dear White People” creator Justin Simien. “But it’s still pretty disheartening when even the façade totally falls away.”
58 Jazz Luminaries Assembled for This Photo. Only One Remains, The New York Times
In 1958, photographer Art Kane brought together 58 jazz legends for the legendary photo known today as “A Great Day in Harlem.” The photo included luminaries such as Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Mary Lou Williams and Thelonious Monk.
Today, only one person in the photo remains. 94-year-old Sonny Rollins talked with The New York Times about the iconic photo.
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: A Gadsden woman is recovering well after a pig kidney transplant last month that “freed her from eight years of dialysis”…
California: Survivors of sexual abuse at a notorious federal prison are pleading with the Biden administration to grant them clemency…
Georgia: A judge has denied an ex-prosecutor's motion to stop her trial on charges that she meddled with police investigating the killing of Ahmaud Arbery…
Kansas: Two men were freed after their convictions were overturned because prosecutors failed to hand over details about a key witness…
Maryland: A Baltimore pastor is working to bridge the gap between multiple generations, both digitally and in person...
Michigan: Model D interviewed Detroiters about what caused them to become homeless and what services they need…
Minnesota: A judge ruled that tests can be done on samples of George Floyd's heart as Derek Chauvin seeks a new trial…
Mississippi: Tougaloo College holds the only active database of sundown towns in the United States…
Oklahoma: A bill to make Black Wall Street a national monument passed the Senate with unanimous consent. It now heads to the House…
Texas: Black men in Houston are actively involved in raising awareness and supporting the fight against breast cancer…
What’s Happening
I am mentioned in this story by Danielle K. Brown! “Trust in U.S. media hit an all-time low in 2024 − a new survey shows Black midwesterners have found other trusted messengers of news”...
Harvard Law enrolled 19 first-year Black students this fall, the lowest number since the 1960s. This follows the SCOTUS decision to ban affirmative action…
The Chronicle of Higher Education has been tracking colleges’ dismantling of DEI for 8 months. Here’s what they found…A new survey found that more faculty are finding it “difficult to have an open and honest conversation on campus”…
Amazon delivery drivers at seven hubs are striking just before Christmas because the company “pushed workers to the limit,” a union said…
ProPublica: A new ProPublica analysis highlights just how much private schools segregate students by race. Across the South, many of these schools are segregation academies…
The Washington Post: Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women…
Raven Baxter, a scientist who faced racism when buying a home, will be the face of a national campaign to prevent housing discrimination…
Stacy Brown-Philpot, one of the most in-demand board members in the country, is starting her own venture fund…
A Georgia Court of Appeals has disqualified Fani Willis and her office from prosecuting the case against Trump over efforts to overturn the 2020 election…
For Scalawag Magazine, Alexis J. Smith wrote about how the criminalization of Black parenthood hurts Black children…
American Airlines has agreed to settle a race discrimination lawsuit by three Black men who were temporarily removed from a flight at the insistence of white flight attendants…
From Capital B’s Adam Mahoney: “From Atlanta’s Westside to Chicago’s South Side, Black neighborhoods are driving bold, innovative climate solutions rooted in community pride and collective action”…
Entertainment News
Historian Blair LM Kelley talked with Regina N. Bradley about her newest book, “Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class”...
Director Nina Lee is celebrating the wrapped production of “That’s Her,” the rom-com starring Kountry Wayne and Coco Jones that she wrote and directed…
Art historian Sarah Lewis talked with Hyperallergic about her latest book, “The Unseen Truth,” why she wasn’t surprised by the election results, and more…
Montell Jordan told TMZ he beat prostate cancer thanks to early detection and his faith in God…
Bernie Mac fans, rejoice! His iconic show is heading to Netflix on January 1…
Lil Wayne says he and Kendrick Lamar have talked, and he told Lamar “he better kill it” at the Super Bowl halftime show…Speaking of Lil Wayne, he and other musicians misused millions in COVID-19 relief funds for luxury shopping sprees. Yikes…
“Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins spoke to the Associated Press about why he made ‘Mufasa’ and how it changed him as a filmmaker…
Michael Vick is heading home. The ex-NFL quarterback says he has accepted a head coaching position at Norfolk State University in Virginia…
“Real Housewives of Atlanta” alum Peter Thomas has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison in his tax case…
Dr. Joan Morgan, author of "When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost: A Hip-Hop Feminist Breaks It Down," sat down with Mark Anthony Neal to discuss her writing practice and her voice…
Vinson Cummingham reviewed “Growing Up Urkel,” Jaleel White’s new memoir, for The New Yorker….
An anonymous figure became a must-follow account during the Young Slime Life trial. Here’s how he beat the mainstream press for it…
The Library of Congress has added several significant Black works to the National Film Registry, including “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Ganja & Hess,” “Uptown Saturday Night,” and more…
A media roundup site mistakenly picked up a fake AI-generated story that Steve Harvey had died…All the more reason to subscribe to newsletters like this one; nothing here is made with AI…
Spike Lee has spoken out after Malcolm X’s daughters sued the CIA, FBI and NYPD for involvement with the assassination of their father: “They’re guilty”...
Obituaries
Lorraine O’Grady, a groundbreaking artist whose “pivotal works subverted the binaries of Western thought,” has died. She was 90…
wrote to O’Grady a few years ago and described her light…Rayful Edmond, one of D.C.'s most notorious drug kingpins, has died. He was 60…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 54 seconds!...
The Urban Journalism Workshop is back! We are currently accepting applications for 2025. We teach DMV-area high school students the fundamentals of print, broadcast and digital journalism. Tell your students or loved ones to apply!...
You can get up to $40,000 in funding if you apply for the Black Teacher Archive microgrant program…
The Emancipator dropped its list of the best radical books of 2024, which includes authors Kellie Carter Jackson and Ta-Nehisi Coates…
Roy Wood Jr’s latest comedy special, “Lonely Flowers,” premieres on Jan. 17 on Hulu. It’s hilarious; I saw it live in DC some months ago…
Henry Louis Gates’ PBS series, “Great Migrations: A People on the Move,” premieres January 28…
Step Afrika is launching the inaugural Step Classic, a three-day event showcasing the legacy of HBCUs and Black Greek life, in February…
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York is celebrating 100 years of James Baldwin through February…