California fires, NAACP Image Awards nominees, RIP Mr. CIAA
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What I’m Reading
We’ll Miss DEI When It’s Gone, The New Republic
For The New Republic, Malcolm Ferguson wrote about the diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives born at the beginning of the decade and how these programs were likely doomed from the start.
Related: Reuters interviewed corporate directors and advisers who reported that conservative backlash against DEI policies has stalled boardroom diversity…McDonald’s also announced it is rolling back its diversity practices…
Inside the Struggle to Preserve Georgia’s Butler Island, Home to a Notorious Plantation, Smithsonian Magazine
Major Pierce Butler, a U.S. senator representing South Carolina, passed down a notorious antebellum plantation in Georgia to his grandsons. Today, Butler Island is owned by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Descendants of people enslaved at the site consider it “a sacred place for ancestral remembrance” and grapple with its history.
The Local Elections That Will Define Criminal Justice Policy in 2025, Bolts
From prosecutors like Larry Krasner in Philadelphia and Alvin Bragg in Manhattan to sheriff races in Buffalo and New Orleans, Bolts Magazine dove deep into the critical local elections that will define criminal justice policy in 2025.
‘Essential’: nearly 800 incarcerated firefighters deployed as LA battles wildfires, The Guardians
The dystopian headline of the day: Hundreds of incarcerated firefighters are helping fight the wildfires raging across southern California for $5.80-$10.24 per day. “When responding to disasters, they may earn $26.90 over a 24-hour shift.”
Related: Planet Fitness locations are “offering anyone impacted by the fires—first responders & residents—free access to shower, recharge, and relax”...Airbnb, Uber and Lyft are also offering services…
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: A state autopsy ruled that Dennoriss Richardson, who was found hanging in an abandoned home in rural Colbert County, died by suicide. A private autopsy from his family found no definitive evidence of this…
California: The fight for reparations isn’t over in the Golden State. Advocates campaigned this week at the state Capitol…Former Rep. Barbara Lee has officially filed a campaign account to run for mayor of Oakland…
Florida: Olympic sprinter Fred Kerley was arrested and stun-gunned by officers in Miami and is now facing charges, according to authorities…
Illinois: Evanston was the first city in the United States to approve reparations. Here’s how the payments affected three residents… Brooklyn, America’s oldest Black town, is dying. But the fight has begun to save it…
Louisiana: Capital B has two important stories out of the Bayou state — Louisiana’s brand new majority-Black congressional district is in peril… ‘Our city is always hurting’: Black New Orleans residents grapple with inequity…
Maryland: Lupe Fiasco will teach Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute students in one-on-one studio sessions next fall as a visiting professor…
Minnesota: Minneapolis officials have reached an agreement with the Department of Justice outlining reforms for its police after George Floyd’s killing…
Mississippi: A judge dismissed all charges against two white men accused of shooting at a Black FedEx driver while he was making deliveries…
Pennsylvania: A former Delaware County assistant fire chief is facing charges after he allegedly hurled racist slurs at a driver…
Tennessee: The Memphis community held a march this week for Tyre Nichols, who was beaten and killed by police officers two years ago…
Virginia: A Black family is speaking out after an NICU nurse responsible for their infant’s broken leg was charged with felony abuse…
What’s Happening
I am honored to be named to Black Enterprise Magazine’s “40 Under 40” list…
Waffle House employees have accused the restaurant chain of robbing them of up to $46.8 million annually, claiming it forces them to do janitorial work and dishwashing for lower tipped wages…
A new federal rule will block credit agencies from including medical debt in their reports on individuals, the Biden administration announced…
“As inclusive community values face pushback, we must resist marginalization and build authentic connections despite our differences,” José Luis Vilson writes for Word In Black…
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a new advisory on alcohol and cancer risk, outlining the link between the two…
In the medical world: Pulse oximeters may misread oxygen levels in people of color. The FDA wants to change that…Medical schools are reporting a steep drop in the enrollment of Black students after the Supreme Court banned the use of race in admissions…
For the Chicago Tribune, Tiffani Arnold wrote about the Black cowboys and cowgirls carrying on traditions brought to northwest Indiana and the Greater Chicago area from the South…
Media news: Danielle Belton, editor-in-chief at HuffPost, is stepping down ahead of major layoffs…Reckon News is shutting down…Writers at The Root were asked to write more stories to "offset the tragic loss" of their colleague, Stephanie Holland, Semafor reports…
Educator Sharif El-Mekki penned an op-ed for the Philadelphia Inquirer: “In an era when initiatives promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion are under attack, it is more important than ever that we focus on increasing the number of Black educators”…
The push for more Black pilots is expected to get a significant federal funding boost, Chauncey Alcorn reports for Capital B…
Entertainment News
Award season is here: The NAACP Image Award nominations have been revealed; read the complete list of nominees here…
Amy Sherald, one of our greatest living portraitists, is likely best known for her official portrait of Michelle Obama. But she has far more work than that…
Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor sat down with each other for TheWrap and discussed their films “Hard Truths” and “Nickel Boys,” why they find it hard to watch their own work, and more…
Sheryl Lee Ralph announced she is receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame…she also spoke with PEOPLE about finding major success in her 60s…
A new docuseries starring Nelly and Ashanti is in the works at Peacock…
A Brooklyn-based arts group dedicated to African diasporic performance now has a place to call home…
Drake called out those who switched sides on him during the Kendrick Lamar beef on his new “Fighting Irish” freestyle…
Vogue talked with sprinter Gabby Thomas, basketball player Angel Reese, tennis player Frances Tiafoe, and more about how sports and fashion are intertwined…
Brandy announced she’s working on a new memoir that will be published this fall…
Keefe D wants all the charges against him dismissed in the 1990s killing of Tupac Shakur…
Rickey Smiley said he recently discovered that he has 5-year-old twin daughters…
Megan Thee Stallion has been granted a five-year restraining order against Tory Lanez…
Damar Hamlin, who recently celebrated the second anniversary of his cardiac arrest, decided to spend it with the people who saved his life…
Obituaries
Abraham Mitchell, known as "Mr. CIAA" for attending the annual basketball tournament with his stylist and flamboyant clothing, has died. He was 95…
Brenton Wood, the soul singer known for his hits “Gimme Little Sign” and “The Oogum Boogum Song,” has died. He was 83…
Dr. E. Lavonia Ingram Allison, a civil rights activist and force in Durham, has died. She was 94…
Stephanie Holland, a cherished staff writer for The Root, has died. She was 47…
Derrick Ward, a veteran NBC Washington reporter and D.C. native, has died. He was 62…
John Daniel, “the voice of the New York Daily News” and a beloved newsroom staffer, has died. He was 72…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 2 minutes and 4 seconds…
Author Deborah G. Plant spoke on NPR’s Morning Edition about restoring “The Life of Herod the Great,” Zora Neale Hurston's posthumous novel that was saved from a fire…
Star health reporter
has launched — “a bold, forward-thinking newsletter rooted in care for Black communities, tackling health misinformation, and exploring the intersection of health, wellness, equity, and technology”...The New Republic is hiring a Class Politics reporter…
If you’re in Atlanta, consider dropping by the 2025 State of the Atlanta Black Tech Ecosystem Summit this weekend at the Gathering Spot. It’s free…Also, The Atlanta Hawks are hiring…
The Schomburg-Mellon Humanities Summer Institute, a four-week fellowship program, is taking applications from rising college seniors. More details here…
Bringing together in one place so many Black People’s stories from around the country - wonderful work! Thank you 🙏
thank you for the shout out fam. but more importantly thank you for your work. you bring nuanced, ACCURATE information straight to us and I'm grateful for your presence in journalism