Assata Shakur dies, TSU pushes MAGA out, Karen Attiah update
My newsletter was a little delayed this morning due to the passing of Assata Shakur. I wanted to make sure it was included.
What I’m Reading
Assata Shakur, political activist and ex-Black Liberation Army member, has died
My newsletter is a little delayed this morning due to breaking news: Assata Shakur, a famed political activist who was found guilty of shooting a New Jersey state trooper in 1973 and later granted political asylum in Cuba, has died. She was 78.
Pollution is driving climate disasters and the government plans to stop tracking it, Capital B News
Adam Mahoney continues to remain at the forefront of covering how environmental racism disproportionately impacts Black communities. With the U.S. government stating it no longer plans to collect pollution data, his reporting is more important than ever.
He spoke with residents in southeast Texas about what this decision means for Black neighborhoods as they fight toxic emissions and climate disasters.
Related: In this Black Louisiana town, forests are browning and animals are dying.
Nikole Hannah-Jones knows why history feels dangerous, The New York Times
Wesley Morris sat down with Nikole Hannah-Jones to discuss the 1619 Project from its beginnings to the moment in which we find ourselves, where Trump appears to be doing all he can to erase its message.
The Black women who knew that civil rights were human rights, TIME
Aretha B. McKinley may not be a household name, but Keisha N. Blain wants others to learn about the human rights activist’s legacy and her key contributions during the civil rights movement.
“Women like McKinley were not only involved in efforts to expand civil rights at home but they were active in the fight to extend human rights [worldwide],” Blain writes in an essay for TIME.
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: A judge has ruled that the Jefferson County commission lines are unfair to Black voters and must be redrawn…
California: Altadena homeowners are uniting to preserve their neighborhood’s unique cottages and character following the destructive Eaton Fire…
Georgia: The family of Sheqweetta Vaughan, a woman whose decaying body was found at a prison in Alto, is demanding answers…
Illinois: Theaster Gates is an art world superstar. He’s finally getting his first solo hometown exhibit in Chicago…
Louisiana: The nonprofit BE NOLA is working to bring teachers back to New Orleans “by investing in educators and centering the city’s rich cultural history”...
Maryland: “A new documentary exploring the mission of the independent, nonprofit news outlet Baltimore Beat is set to debut this fall”…
Massachusetts: King’s Chapel in Boston unveiled a memorial statue to honor 219 people who were enslaved by members and ministers of the church…
Michigan: Two Detroit siblings are preserving their late father’s life’s work: a massive Black media archive…
New Jersey: The state’s only public television station will go dark next year following “very significant” budget cuts brought by the Trump administration…
Pennsylvania: Aiden Wilkins, a 9-year-old boy from Collegeville, has a plan to become a pediatric neurosurgeon. He’s well on his way as he’s taking college courses at Ursinus College right now…
South Carolina: An exhibit of art and historical artifacts in Charleston celebrates Harriet Tubman’s story without over-mythologizing her, according to a Hyperallergic review…
Tennessee: A group wearing “Make America Great Again” hats and carrying signs aimed at antagonizing students was removed from Tennessee State University this week. Note: Nothing would hurt these groups more than simply ignoring them. Here’s why…
What’s Happening
Karen Attiah has filed a grievance against the Washington Post following her firing last week…More: Black voices are vital to democracy. The media must stop firing them, Perry Bacon writes for The New Republic…
Colin Kaepernick will pay for an independent autopsy for Trey Reed, the Delta State University student who was found hanging from a tree on campus…
Trump lashed out at White House correspondent Ebony McMorris during an Oval Office press conference, calling her “really obnoxious”...
Truthout: “In their search for cheap land, cheap energy, and cities and towns that have been structurally disempowered, Big Tech has descended upon the South”…
Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donated $70 million to the UNCF in an effort to financially strengthen HBCUs…Huston-Tillotson University announced it received a massive $150 million donation from the Moody Foundation…
Black immigrants in Chicago are facing a new wave of ICE arrests and uncertainty, Christina Carrega writes for Capital B News…Black-led abolitionist community defense groups are pushing back against Trump’s efforts to target DC and Chicago…
“There can’t be true desegregation without ending discrimination in housing—which is precisely why the administration is rolling back enforcement of the FHA,” writes in The Nation…
Trump has tapped Ben Carson to serve as a national adviser on nutrition, health and housing at the U.S. Department of Agriculture…
Tamir Rice was killed by police in 2014. His mother is determined to help other children…
Community activist Carletta Davis has become the first Black woman mayor of Prichard, Alabama…
The future of one of America’s oldest Black towns is uncertain amid partisan fighting in DC…
A union representing academics published a guide to help its members navigate social media as right-wing activists target individuals online…
For the Associated Press, Jaylen Green and Aaron Morrison spoke with the Black church leaders who are rejecting Charlie Kirk’s martyrdom and instead pointing to his rhetoric…
Augusta Baker, the legendary children’s librarian of Harlem, was raised in a family of storytellers. Here’s how she kept that tradition alive…
An 11-year-old Michigan boy was expelled from school for a year after he took a gun away from a classmate, disarmed and disassembled it, according to his mother…
Boston Globe columnist quit the paper’s editorial board after it published an editorial titled: “We need more Charlie Kirks”...
Maurice Hastings, an innocent man who spent 38 years behind bars, was awarded $25 million in what his lawyers say is the largest wrongful conviction settlement in California history…
Entertainment News
I attended a panel hosted by the RIAA this week, where the trade organization presented Anthony Hamilton with a plaque celebrating “over 14.5 million” sales and streams…
Here are the five best moments from “A Grammy Salute to Earth, Wind & Fire Live: The 21st Night of September,” according to Billboard…
Sylvia Rhone, the first Black woman to chair a major record company, is stepping down as chair/CEO of Epic Records…
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden is the first-ever American woman to win the 100M/200M sprint double at the world championships…Also: Noah Lyles spoke with the Guardian about the future of sprinting…
, a writer on “The Bear,” said he was handcuffed and detained by police after “an old white woman” on a train complained about him…
The legendary painter Kerry James Marshall is the focus of a major new exhibit in London. Check it out…
Andscape is tracking the seasons of the record number of Black quarterbacks starting in the NFL right now for a new essay series…
Mara Brock Akil reunited with the cast of “Girlfriends” to celebrate the anniversary of the classic Black sitcom…
Jackson State University said its Sonic Boom of the South Marching Band won’t participate in ESPN’s Red Lobster Band of the Year competition…
The New York Times reviewed “The Waterbearers”: “Sasha Bonét weaves her matrilineal history into a larger struggle for survival and self-knowledge”…
Journalist Kelley L. Carter chopped it up with actor Corey Hawkins about his career and what’s next…
It has been 50 years since the Thrilla in Manila. Vann Newkirk wrote about how the historic event nearly killed Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier…
A viral video clip from a new documentary shows Michael Che calling out Kanye West’s antics following the rapper’s infamous rant on “SNL”...
Obituaries
Belva Davis, an Emmy Award-winning journalist who became the first Black woman hired as a TV news reporter on the West Coast, has died. She was 92…
Quintard Taylor, a renowned historian, educator and founder of the online encyclopedia BlackPast, has died. He was 76...
Rudi Johnson, a former Pro Bowl running back for the Cincinnati Bengals, has died. He was 45…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute, 18 seconds…
Natalie Wilson and I spoke with the National Press Club’s Journalism Institute about our media guide for reporting on missing persons cases responsibly…
Congratulations to Rachel Scott and Elliott Smith, whose beautiful wedding was covered in Vogue!…
I was honored to write the foreword for Jan Buckner Walker’s “BlackCrosswords: In Our Own Words,” coming out in October…
The tickets for the WABJ’s 50th anniversary scholarship and awards gala on Nov. 8 are now on sale! This is my first gala as chapter president. If your company is interested in sponsoring, please contact us at info@wabjdc.org…
Very cool: Solange has launched the Saint Heron Library, a literary center where readers can borrow books for 45 days…