Black Milwaukee voters reject Musk, NMAAHC director resigns, ESSENCE Fest
Welcome to another packed edition. Thank you for reading!
What I’m Reading
American corporations didn’t want to diversify, anyway, The Guardian
For The Guardian, Adam Harris wrote about big promises corporations made in 2020, toothless DEI initiatives, and the so-called soul-searching that didn’t last very long.
Black Americans Are Not Surprised, The New York Times
"Again, Black people are not surprised. Far too many well-meaning white Americans have been what I like to call ally ostriches, believing in progress while burying their heads in the sand when discussions around the past become uncomfortable,” Dr. Christina Greer explains in her latest op-ed for the New York Times.
'Boots on the Ground': On the quiet radicalism of Black line dancing, Had Happened
In his newsletter “Had Happened,” Donovan X. Ramsey explores how Black communities “use rhythm as resistance, joy as protest, and muscle memory as a map to each other,” even as the world unravels around us.
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: Civil rights legends in Birmingham are connecting with young activists through small lunch dates…
District of Columbia: Longtime news anchor Leon Harris said he’s leaving NBC Washington to focus on his “health and family”...
Kentucky: Louisville's majority-Black West End neighborhood is getting its first hospital in more than 150 years…
Maryland: Lawmakers have approved a measure to create a commission to study and recommend potential reparations for slavery…
Michigan: Graduation rates in Kalamazoo Public Schools saw a strong increase in 2024, particularly for Black males: “It’s refreshing to see such a dramatic increase”…
Minnesota: Davis Moturi was shot in his yard last year by his white neighbor. He had been pleading with the police to help for a long time before then…
Missouri: Jeri Persley, a pistol instructor who offers firearm safety classes at gun ranges in the Kansas City area, is looking to redefine women’s empowerment…
New York: A Brooklyn school backed by Jay-Z said students could graduate debt-free. Now they're buried in it…
North Carolina: Dozens showed up to St. Mark AME Zion Church in Durham to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and oppose a proposed rezoning effort in a historic Black neighborhood…
Pennsylvania: Tony Award winner and mid-20th-century star Pearl Bailey’s scrapbooks are now on display at the African American Museum…
South Carolina: Southwood Academy of Performing Arts Center was renamed Chadwick Boseman Fine Arts Center to honor the late actor…
Texas: Arlington police used force against 1,776 people in 2024. More than half were Black…
Wisconsin: This week, Black voters in Milwaukee County rejected the Republican state Supreme Court candidate backed by Elon Musk and Trump. Malaika Jabali reports for Capital B…
What’s Happening
Kevin Young, the director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, has resigned from his post. The move was reportedly “totally unrelated” to Trump’s recent attack on the museum…
Trump has lost his bid to dismiss a defamation lawsuit brought by plaintiffs known as the Exonerated Five…
The National Park Service has reversed the changes it made on a website about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad following public outcry. The family of the abolitionist is “angry” about the entire ordeal, Chandelis Duster reports…
The U.S. Naval Academy removed nearly 400 books on civil rights and racism, the Holocaust and more, including Maya Angelou’s legendary autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” from its library this week…
Katherine C. Gilyard , a queer and disabled Black mother, has penned a powerful open letter to Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau, the D.C. Council, and Mayor Muriel Bowser about the harms she has faced for years…
Trump’s executive orders to dismantle DEI haven’t made civil rights advocates in the reparative justice movement back down in the slightest…
New York state officials informed the Trump administration that they will not end DEI policies in their public schools…
Navy Mess Attendant 3rd Class Neil D. Frye is finally home from Pearl Harbor after 84 years, and has been laid to rest in North Carolina…
The Charles H. Wright Museum, my hometown Black history museum, has been a model for other institutions that tell our stories, including the NMAAHC…
An altercation between two Texas teenagers, which led to a fatal stabbing, has resulted in a great upswell of misinformation. The slain teen’s father spoke out and said, “this was not a race thing”...
Michelle Obama broke her silence on recent rumors that she and Barack are headed for a divorce…
23-year-old Dinari McAlmont was found dead in the Bahamas. His family suspects foul play…
From Sam Robinson: Michigan GOP Rep. John James has announced his bid for governor…
America’s largest newspaper chain, Gannett, will stop publishing diversity data and has removed mentions of diversity from its corporate site…
A group of residents in a Georgia town is fighting a proposed road project that would run right through their homes…
For Word in Black, Quintessa L. Williams explained why libraries are still a lifeline for Black kids…
A new paper found that neighborhoods that score highly on the popular real estate "Walk Score" metric are more likely to be disproportionately white…
Entertainment News
ESSENCE Fest 2025 has announced its lineup, featuring The Isley Brothers, Maxwell, Glorilla and more…
The WNBA and Mielle have expanded their partnership to include a new HBCU Event Intern program, Jade Lawson reports…
Little Brother, one of my all-time favorite groups, announced their final tour…
In an interview with The Guardian, Chaka Khan revealed that she will release an unheard collection of songs she made with the late Prince…
Ryan Coogler spoke with Deadline about why he pushed back “Black Panther 3” to create “Sinners” with Michael B. Jordan…
Malcolm D. Lee isn’t done with his classic “The Best Man” series. Now, he’s taking the hit to bookshelves…
Tracy Chapman is known for keeping to herself. But she’s now breaking her silence in a new interview in the New York Times…
Interesting: Keri Wilson said she was forced to diss Beyoncé in the 2009 "Turnin' Me On" remix…
Reality TV star Ts Madison talked with Fredlyn Pierre Louis for NBC Out about opening a re-entry home for formerly incarcerated Black trans women…
Amerie confirmed that she’s doing an NPR Tiny Desk performance soon…
A new book, “Josephine Baker’s Secret War,” explores how the performer used her fame in her espionage and how she fought for equal rights…
This week, 50 years ago, Frank Robinson became the first Black manager in MLB history. For Andscape, Justice Hill talked with those who remember…
“Beyond the Gates,” the Black-centered daytime drama series, has reached a key milestone: The taping of its 100th episode…
Rolling Stone: The legal war between Jay-Z and Tony Buzbee is getting even uglier…
Keke Palmer has reportedly pulled her podcast episode with Jonathan Majors following backlash…
Obituaries
Alice Tan Ridley, singer and the mother of actor Gabourey Sidibe, has died. She was 72…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute, 47 seconds…
“What I’m Reading” was named in AfroLA’s list of Black newsletters you should know! Check out the other excellent newsletters inside, including Healthy Futures, The Net 30 Journalist, Hung Up, The Wakeful and more!
Happy birthday to Mrs. Eloise Stephens Louis, who turned 102 years old this week!...
Applications are now open for the Black Student Leadership Network! Apply by April 14th to join this unique opportunity for young Black leaders in college…
In Architectural Digest, Evan Nicole Brown wrote about Julian Francis Abele, an unheralded Black architect whose work cemented him as a cornerstone of America’s gilded age…
LeVar Burton is set to give the commencement speech at Howard University on May 10…
Thank you for the link shout out, Phil! 🧡
I’d love to stay connected in this creative space and would be honored if you’d follow me back too. Let’s grow, write, and heal unapologetically—because this is what community looks like.
https://open.substack.com/pub/msmaine/p/recession-ready-when-the-struggle?r=1t2agi&utm_medium=ios