Black writers react to Kendrick, Sonya Massey settlement, PBS and DEI
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What I’m Reading
Cowboy boots and community: How Black line dancers are kicking up joy, NBC News
Patrice Gaines wrote a fun piece on line dancing, which has always been popular where I’m from, but social media has caused it to grow in new ways. “That sense of doing the same steps together, whatever dance it is, creates a sense of holistic well-being,” said April Berry, a master dance instructor. “Dancing together bonds us together.”
By now, you’ve likely already seen Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show. Here’s what several Black writers had to say about the performance:
For Vulture, Craig Jenkins says Kendrick is not your savior…
Clover Hope explains how Kendrick reminded fans of the importance of competition…
Doreen St. Felix asks, "If a message is blaring, is it still subliminal?"...
For Essence, Kia Turner examined race, identity, American mythology and imagery in the context of the show…
Taryn Finley explained why America should be crashing out as bad as Drake is…
For Billboard, Kyle Denis explored the show’s “limitations of subversive imagery on the biggest American stage”…
My colleague Njera Perkins says Kendrick televised his revolution on the world’s biggest stage…
Lessons for the End of the World, The New Yorker
Hanif Abdurraqib penned a stunning essay that asks us to look past dystopian parallels and despair. "People are not incorrect about Octavia Butler predicting the future, but they’re not always clear about what kind of future she was envisioning,” he writes.
Why Is It So Hard to Create a Black Sex and the City?, Harper's BAZAAR
For Harper’s BAZAAR, Bianca Betancourt wonders, “The TV industry has tirelessly tried to replicate the success of Carrie and co. for Black audiences. But is it ultimately what Black women really want to watch?”
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: A highway’s expansion has left the historically Black Shiloh community constantly flooded. They want to know: Will Trump help?...
California: A mail carrier lost everything in the Eaton Fire. Along his route, people are rallying for him…
Florida: This historian wants you to learn Broward’s Black history. His flashcards might help…
Georgia: A judge ruled that the Sandersville Railroad can take this family’s land. Blaine and Diane Smith aren’t backing down…
Illinois: The family of Sonya Massey and officials from Sangamon County have reached a settlement to pay her family $10 million…
Louisiana: Anne Collins Smith has made history as the first Black chief curator at the New Orleans Museum of Art…
Michigan: An extraordinary legal settlement requires the city of Hamtramck to build 200 homes for the victims of discrimination. Leslie Knox is one of the last victims to benefit…
New York: A 15-year-old went to a Brooklyn parade. The NYPD wrongly accused him of a mass shooting, and is now apologizing…
North Carolina: A Johnston County judge ruled that race was “a significant factor” in the sentencing of a Black man’s death penalty case…
Pennsylvania: A Philly pizza joint is providing a lifeline to people who need a fresh start…
What’s Happening
Trump's Justice Department has reportedly asked federal prosecutors to drop their corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams…EARLIER: Adams urged his top commissioners not to criticize Trump…
Yikes: Linda McMahon, Trump’s nominee for education secretary, said she’s not “quite certain” whether African American studies would be allowed under Trump’s executive order…
A right-wing nonprofit posted the names and photos of more than 50 federal workers on a DEI “watch list,” pushing for Trump to fire them…
"It's f***ing racist”: The Army dropped recruiting efforts at a prestigious Black engineering event this week in Baltimore…
In Healthy Futures , Julia Craven gives resources and tips on caring for ourselves in this moment…
Black women are 10 times more likely to have an HIV diagnosis than their white counterparts, Sharla Steinman reports…
The Trump administration held its White House Black History Month Celebration this week, even as it continues its assault on DEI…
The digital racial justice-centric magazine The Emancipator is moving to Howard University…
Speaking of Howard, it just became the first HBCU to achieve the top research classification for universities…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution interviewed five of Atlanta’s six living Black mayors about their roles in the city's evolution…
Outlandish, a Brooklyn-based hiking store and adventure group, is one of several organizations on a mission to encourage Black people to spend time outdoors…
Allen Brooks promised his mother that he would finish college. The 60-year-old made good on that promise by graduating from Alabama A&M University…
Google Calendar has removed events like Black History Month and Pride because its holiday list wasn’t “sustainable,” The Verge reports…
Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost talked with Teen Vogue about the Democrats’ plan for taking on Trump…
Entertainment News
You must read this fascinating interview with one of the greatest actors of all time, Denzel Washington…
The Wayans Family will be inducted into the NAACP Image Awards’ Hall of Fame…
A new photo exhibit tells the story of the first recorded golf tournament at a historically Black course in DC. I went to the grand opening and spoke with the curator…
Jewél Jackson talked with Eve L. Ewing about her new book, “Original Sins,” which examines how the education system is designed to hurt Black and Indigenous students…
Louisiana-based artist Demond Melancon, known for his hand-beaded portraits and Mardi Gras Indian suits, has won the 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art…
Blue Note Records is likely the best-known label in jazz, having recorded music for over 80 years. Marcus J. Moore asked 14 musicians and writers which songs they would recommend to introduce someone to the label…
Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe’s exhibit at the Whitney Museum captured the intimacy of Gullah Geechee life in 13 portraits…
For ESSENCE, Patrice Peck explains how Black women have always been the blueprint in home and lifestyle…
Morgan Price recently became the first HBCU gymnast ever to receive a perfect score during a bar routine…
For the New York Times, Emmanuel Morgan explored the success of Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay”...
PBS has closed its diversity, equity and inclusion office to comply with Trump’s executive order…
Autumn Lockwood became the first Black woman coach to win a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles’ spanking of the Kansas City Chiefs…
Check out these two profiles: For DAZED, Thomas Hobbs sat down with Sexyy Redd for a wide-ranging conversation…GQ’s Frazier Tharpe spent some time with Michael B. Jordan…
Issa Rae canceled her sold-out event and Shonda Rhimes resigned from the board amid Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center…
Hanna Pfifer interviewed Ira Madison III for his new book "Pure Innocent Fun," in which he examines his childhood as a Black closeted gay boy in the Midwest…
The trailer for “G20,” starring Viola Davis as the President of the United States, is out…
Sean Combs has filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against Peacock over its documentary "Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy"...
Amanda Gorman told Kristen Welker that the bans on her poetry felt “like a gut punch”...
An exhibition at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles examines Alice Coltrane’s influence on today’s artists…
Obituaries
Irv Gotti has joined a growing list of Black male rap stars who’ve died before turning 60 years old. Some are working to fix that, Margo Snipe reports for Capital B…
Cleveland Harris, a longtime NFL assistant coach who helped open doors for future Black head coaches, has died. He was 79…
Rev. Dr. Nelson N. Johnson, a prominent Greensboro community leader and founding pastor of Faith Community Church, has died. He was 81…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute, 19 seconds…
Director EJ is hosting the first of many Black Studies virtual sessions. This free course will focus on the Maroons and the history of Black resistance. It takes place on Feb. 15th at 11:30 am EST…
Dr. Tiya Miles, a history professor at Harvard University, will discuss her new book “Night Flyer” at Metropolitan AME Church in D.C. on Feb. 18. The talk will also be held virtually…
The Hip Hop Caucus is hosting “The History of Black Banking: From Reconstruction to Modern Financial Activism,” a virtual event on Feb. 19 at 6 pm EST…
The Spelman Archives has announced the Audre Lorde Travel Grant, offering two $2,500 travel awards for PhD students interested in researching the famed poet. The deadline is March 1…
Oh wow. Thank you for covering my Hip Hop Caucus webinar Phil. That means a lot.
🙏🏾