Black rural voters, Sapelo Island tragedy, “Blade” pushed back
Friday, October 25, 2024.
What I’m Reading
First Sickle Cell Gene Therapy Patient, 12, Leaves Hospital, The New York Times
After nearly 50 days in the hospital, 12-year-old Kendric Cromer was discharged after making headlines as the first patient to receive a gene therapy for sickle cell disease since it was approved. The New York Times chronicled his time there, and the difficult experiences he and his parents faced.
Why the Political Power of Black Rural Voters is Often Invisible, Capital B News
For Capital B, Aallyah Wright examined the political power of an oft-forgotten voting bloc: Black rural voters.
“While Black rural voters have a desire to become a more influential voting bloc nationally, obstacles exist, including the lack of trust in local and state officials in the red states where many live, misinformation, the Democratic Party’s messaging, and a noticeable absence of candidates actively campaigning in rural areas,” she writes.
Related: The Associated Press’ Gary Fields explored why some poor people see no reason to vote in battleground Georgia. “When a mom is in a hotel room and there’s six or seven people in two beds and her kids are hungry and she just lost the car, she doesn’t want to hear too much about elections. She wants to hear how you can help.”
At Homecoming, Howard Alumni Are Excited and Anxious for Harris, The New York Times
New York Times reporter and Howard University alumna Maya King attended her alma mater’s homecoming this past weekend, where she talked to supporters about the HBCU’s most famous alumna, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Related: For the New Yorker, Jazmine Hughes spoke with nearly 40 members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc about Harris as a sister, and her campaign for president…
What’s In The News
Across America
California: Here’s a really riveting New York Times report on the psychiatry taking place on the streets of Los Angeles…
District of Columbia: A pizza restaurant chain is under fire for rolling out its new dessert, “Marion Berry Knots,” whose ad makes drug references toward the late Mayor Marion Barry…
Georgia: Dr. Helene Gayle, the president of Spelman College, is taking a personal leave of absence “effective immediately.” Roz Brewer, an alumna and former CEO of Sam’s Club, is stepping into the role...
Illinois: The TriiBe’s Corli Jay spoke to a community developer working to bring a new mixed-used building to South Side Chicago. Despite receiving $2 million in city grants, no bank will agree to a loan to help finish the project…A school district is being sued by parents who allege a history of racial harassment…
Kentucky: Opening statements began this week in the federal retrial of Brett Hankison, an ex-Louisville police officer accused of violating the civil rights of Breonna Taylor…
Michigan: The Department of Justice is suing Rocket Mortgage, claiming it “engaged in discriminatory practices” when canceling a Black homeowner's mortgage refinance app after the owner complained of racism…
New York: The trial of Daniel Penny, the man charged in the chokehold death of Jordan Neely, began this week…The Buffalo Association of Black Journalists made a statement on the unexpected departure of The Buffalo News editor-in-chief Sheila Rayam, the first Black person to hold the role…
Ohio: Nearly four years after Columbus police officer Adam Coy shot and killed unarmed Black man Andre Hill, jury selection in his trial began this week…
South Carolina: A man has been sentenced to life in federal prison in the killing of Dime Doe, a Black transgender woman, after the exposure of their relationship…
What’s Happening
Beyoncé, but for real this time: The “Freedom” singer is expected to perform at Kamala Harris’ rally in Houston later today. If you recall, TMZ wrongly reported she was supposed to perform at the Democratic National Convention…
NBC News reports Harris is eyeing Howard University as her possible election night headquarters…Former President Barack Obama has been on the campaign trail for Harris, but he has one particularly tough crowd: young Black men…Charlamagne and Anderson Cooper got into it over CNN’s coverage of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris…
The five men who were known as the Central Park 5 (now Exonerated 5) are suing Trump for defamation after he once again falsely claimed they were responsible for the crime…
From Sierra Lyons, for Scalawag Magazine: “As restrictive laws on immigration, education, LGBTQ+ rights and more proliferate throughout the country, there is growing reason to protest and a growing risk to do so”...
Members of the tight-knit Gullah Geechee community are mourning the deaths of four women and three men after a "catastrophic" ferry dock collapse on Georgia’s Sapelo Island…
The Associated Press: Black male teachers are a rarity in preschools. This pioneering program wants to change that…
Reuters: Black women are facing a maternal health crisis, and advocates are fighting to make it an election issue…
Rudy Giuliani must turn over control of his Manhattan penthouse apartment and luxury items to the two Black Georgia election workers he defamed, a judge ruled…
Anthony Hill, a Black Workday employee, is suing his company for sending the police to his home for a wellness check…
A shooting at Albany State University after the HBCU’s homecoming game left one dead and several others injured…
In Truthout: “School vouchers have a racist origin, emerging from white parents’ rejection of integrated schools in the '50s. Today, the system continues to harm public schools and marginalized students”...
Entertainment News
In a disappointing but not surprising move: Marvel Studios’ “Blade” has been removed from its release schedule for 2025…
Several new lawsuits have been filed against Sean Combs, including one that claims that a 13-year-old girl was raped as he watched with other celebrities…
Chicago rapper Lil Durk has been arrested and charged in a murder-for-hire plot that allegedly targeted rapper Quando Rondo's cousin, who was killed in 2022…
The Cut: “Kanye West’s former assistant Lauren Pisciotta sued him for wrongful termination in June, and recently added sexual assault allegations to her filing”...
The trailer for “One of Them Days,” the buddy comedy starring Keke Palmer and SZA, is out…
Interested in Black cowboy culture? “Beyond Black Beauty” is an 11-episode series on Prime Video centering on those stories…
Alcorn State University “quietly canceled” its women's soccer season, and 15 former or current players alleged that their facilities had no running water and there were "bats and snakes in showers and locker room"...
Book news: Rolling Stone’s Cheyenne Roundtree is writing a book on the rise and fall of Sean Combs (You can read more about her in HuffPost’s Culture Shifters series)... A'Lelia Bundles is working on "Joy Goddess: A'Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance,” a book about Madam C. J. Walker’s daughter…
Historian Justene Hill Edwards explored the rise and fall of the Freedman’s Bank, and how white greed destroyed it in “SAVINGS AND TRUST.” The New York Times reviewed her book, calling it "a riveting and heartbreaking read”...
Kendrick Lamar chatted with SZA in Harper’s BAZAAR about his childhood, what drives him and his song of the summer “Not Like Us.” The interview also sparked a slight debate on hip-hop journalism, and why artists are seemingly avoiding interviews by journalists…
You may have seen Charlamagne appear in a Donald Trump ad attacking Kamala Harris recently. The radio host said he sent the former president a cease and desist order…
For ESSENCE, Ruth Etiesit Samuel profiled Kimberly Selden and Virginia Thornton, the founders of Black Girls Tennis Club, “a charitable organization that serves as a pathway to liberation for Black women and girls through play”...
From my colleague Taryn Finley: Issa Rae’s ColorCreative management company is teaming up with Tubi to give creators an opportunity to develop their projects to premiere on the streaming service…
A$AP Rocky’s trial on charges that he shot at a former friend and collaborator is set to begin with jury selection on Jan. 21…
Obituaries
Elizabeth Francis, the oldest living person in the United States, has died. She was 115…
Thelma Mothershed Wair, one of nine Black students who integrated a high school in Little Rock while white segregationists yelled threats, has died. She was 83…
Mel Showers, a legendary news anchor who worked at Mobile’s WKRG-TV for nearly 50 years, has died. He was 78…
Amir Abdur-Rahim, the head coach of South Florida's men's basketball team, has died. He was 43…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 50 seconds!…
Shannon Sharpe has recorded an interview with Kamala Harris for his “Club Shay Shay” podcast. It will air on Monday…
The Griot & Grey Owl Black Southern Writers Conference is taking place Nov. 1 to Nov. 3 in Durham, North Carolina...
I got my start in journalism through an internship, so I highly encourage you to apply for The Nation’s internship. Deadline is Nov. 24…
Tell everyone! The Washington Association of Black Journalists is now accepting applications from DMV-based high school students for our 2025 Urban Journalism Workshop…
Great publication, as always. Thank you for exposing me to different news sources with quality articles about the Black experience.