Black press pivots, Jabari Peoples' killing, Beyoncé music theft
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What I’m Reading
Publishers of Black press pivot to survive, NBC4 Washington
As the president of the Washington Association of Black Journalists, I’m constantly thinking of what we can do to better support our journalists and their newsrooms. The first step is to ensure that readers are aware of the challenges that newsroom leaders face.
Investigative Reporter Tracee Wilkins (a WABJ member) explored how Black-owned newspaper publishers are fighting to survive as advertising dollars dry up, attacks on DEI ramp up, and tariffs drive up costs.
“I'm worried right now, I am,” Denise Rolark Barnes, owner and publisher of the Washington Informer, told NBC4. "And as I talk to my fellow publishers around the country, they're all worried."
‘The Gilded Age’ enriches its portrait of Black High Society, The New York Times
Salamishah Tillet sat down with Phylicia Rashad, Audra McDonald and Denée Benton to discuss the HBO 19th-century NYC drama “The Gilded Age,” and its portrayal of Black families and high society.
A descending dynasty: The decline of Lil Wayne and Young Money Entertainment, Andscape
Unfortunately, stan culture is here to stay. People may not remember what music criticism looks like, but for his Andscape debut, wrote about the decline of Lil Wayne and his Young Money Entertainment cohorts, Drake and Nicki Minaj.
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: The family of 18-year-old Jabari Peoples is trying to understand why he was shot and killed by a police officer, but officials claim releasing body camera footage could hinder the investigation…
California: Lawmakers are considering a potential workaround of the state’s affirmative action ban — a bill that would “allow state colleges to consider whether applicants are descendants of African Americans who were enslaved in the United States”…
District of Columbia: Trayon White, who was expelled from the DC Council following charges of bribery, won a special election to reclaim his old seat…
Florida: The Fort Pierce home where Zora Neale Hurston spent her final years will soon become a visitor and education center…
Illinois: The impact of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” on Black Chicagoans can’t be overstated, Alden Loury wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times…
Michigan: Detroit women are building the new generation of business schools…
Missouri: The state’s oldest-operating Black owned bookstore will become a public archive and headquarters for the Kansas City Defender…
New York: Award-winning media veteran Madison Gray has been named the newest executive editor of the Amsterdam News, one of the oldest Black-owned newspapers in the country...
North Dakota: Two Black men said a driver told them to sit in the back of a bus. Now, one of them is suing the bus company…
South Carolina: The family of Byron Jackson, who died in a hospital three days after he was arrested, is seeking answers…
Virginia: The Trump administration opened a civil rights investigation into the hiring practices at George Mason University…
Wisconsin: 7-year-old Jamal White, who was abducted at gunpoint outside his home, was found safe…
What’s Happening
A viral post claimed Black families are having fewer reunions. There's just one problem.
ICYMI: There was a viral post that claimed Black family reunions had "dropped 47% since 1997." I looked into the origins of that statistic...
At 2:30 am Thursday, the Senate voted to strip $1.1 billion in funding from public broadcasting, a “severe blow to 1,500 local public TV and radio stations as well as PBS and NPR”...
The Justice Department’s civil rights unit asked a federal judge to sentence a police officer convicted in the killing of Breonna Taylor to one day in prison and three years of supervised release…
A federal judge appointed by Trump removed a Biden-era finalized rule that would have removed medical debt from credit reports…
Washingtonians are working to preserve the Anacostia Community Museum following the latest federal budget cuts…
Members of Congress have put forward a resolution demanding equal pay for Black women in the United States…
NPR: “Stacey Abrams is not currently running for office — but she's also not ruling out a run sometime in the future”…
Esquire: Ketanji Brown Jackson has absolutely had it with her fellow Supreme Court justices…
Calvin Duncan, who became a jailhouse lawyer while he was wrongly imprisoned , talked with NPR about his journey…
Entertainment News
Beyoncé’s choreographer and one of her dancers said thieves broke into their SUV and stole “jump drives containing unreleased music, plans for her show and more” before her Atlanta shows…
If “Severance” star Tramell Tillman wins his first Emmy nomination for his performance, he will be the first Black actor to win Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series…Ayo Edebiri made Emmys history as the youngest Black woman to earn 3 acting nominations…Here’s a more complete list of the Black talent that led the Emmy nominations…However, a Variety report claimed it was the worst showing for actors of color in five years despite the historic nominations…
Glynn Turman, a Hollywood legend, was recently honored with a star on the Walk of Fame…
Bandcamp talked with trumpeter Charles Tolliver about Strata-East Records, the groundbreaking jazz label he founded with pianist Stanley Cowell…
The Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival will feature special appearances by Debbie Allen, Issa Rae, Courtney B. Vance, Dwyane Wade, and others. It will start August 1…
Lupita Nyong'o traveled to Washington to speak with the Congressional Black Caucus about her battle with uterine fibroids and the need for more federal funding toward research…
There’s no escaping “Love Island,” but Sarah Jones-Smith wrote about the debate the reality show sparked over race and dating among Black women…
Houston's Archie Bell & The Drells just wanted everyone to “Tighten Up” and dance…
Obituaries
Dave "Baby" Cortez, a singer known for his music during Detroit's 1950s doo-wop scene, died in 2022. A known recluse, his daughter only recently found out about his death....
William Clay Sr., who became Missouri's first Black member of Congress and a champion of civil and workers’ rights, has died. He was 94…
Elsie Baker Gray of the Motown vocal group The Debonaires has died…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute, 22 seconds…
NBC Washington/Telemundo 44 is hosting a hands-on journalism summer masterclass designed for high school juniors and seniors in the DC area. Applications due July 25 …
The Obama Foundation is hiring a social media associate in Chicago. The application closes July 24…
talked with Kc Ifeanyi of Fast Company about her second act following her ouster from MSNBC and the importance of owning one's audience...
Beats Academy is accepting applications for “college students to create social media content with a Beats athlete ambassador”…
Lawrence Burney held an author talk for his collection of essays, “No Sense in Wishing,” with Hanif Abdurraqib…
Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson had Barack Obama on their podcast to discuss divorce rumors, parenting and more…