Capital B's Black oral history archive, Danny Glover reveals Alzheimer's, RIP Tony Brown
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What I’m Reading
Capital B’s For The Record Archive
There are very few Black news outlets at the national level that publish the type of stories as Capital B News. It’s why I’m a paid subscriber to their work. And now, the digital news outlet’s most ambitious project has been unveiled.
Capital B has launched “For the Record,” an oral history archive that aims to feature at least 250 firsthand accounts of Black American life. The archive is how Capital B has chosen to commemorate of America’s 250th birthday. Within the archive, you will find stories from Emmett Till’s cousin, Michael Jackson’s music teacher, the first Black graduate of the University of Georgia, and much more.
The revolutionary imprisonments of Paul Cuffe, The New Bedford Light
You may have never heard of Paul Cuffe before. That’s because his story has largely been snubbed from the country’s list of historical figures. He was a son of a slave, a mischievous smuggler and ship captain, and later the wealthiest Black entrepreneur before the Civil War.
The forgotten history of the Civil Rights Movement’s fight for economic justice, Hammer & Hope
In her latest for Hammer & Hope, historian Nancy Maclean explained that, “by turning DEI into a slur, Trump wants to erase the radical promise of the movement that won equal rights.”
The party we built, the bill has come due, ESSENCE
Ashley Etienne, a former advisor to Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, penned an op-ed for ESSENCE on what the future of Black political power can look like.
“The Democratic Party cannot win the most competitive state and national elections without Black voters. But Black voters can no longer afford a relationship built on loyalty without investment, representation without authority, and promises without accountability,” she wrote.
What’s In The News
Across America
California: Workday lost a bid to toss a lawsuit alleging its AI-powered job screening tools unlawfully filter out applicants based on race, age, and disability…
Colorado: Melat Kiros beat a 15-term congresswoman in a House primary, a stunning victory for the first-time candidate…
District of Columbia: Hana Sharif, the artistic director of Arena Stage, abruptly resigned hours before the opening of “CrazySexyCool: The TLC Musical.” She says she was forced out the door...
Florida: The sister of To’Nea Nicole Miller publicly rejected authorities conclusion that the 27-year-old’s death was consistent with suicide…
Georgia: A campaign to stop a railroad company’s land grab and protect Black ancestral sites shows just what the Voting Rights Act has been protecting all along, Lisa Armstrong writes for Hammer & Hope…
Illinois: Organizers on the South Side of Chicago gathered to discuss next steps to prevent displacement following the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, Maia McDonald reports…
Louisiana: Southern University Law Center is set to offer an accelerated law program for Grambling State students in an HBCU team up…
Michigan: A federal jury has awarded more than $6.25 million to ex-employees of the Detroit Club who alleged they faced retaliation after reporting racial discrimination against Black patrons and staff…
Mississippi: Mourners gathered in Pope to say goodbye to Baby Kohen, but looming questions surrounding his shooting remain. Ben Crump announced the results of a preliminary autopsy…
Minnesota: Police overtime in Minneapolis is dragging down the entire city budget…
New Jersey: A historical marker signifying the inclusion of Chicken Bone Beach into the state’s Black Heritage Trail was recently unveiled…
New York: Gov. Kathy Hochul sat down with homeowners and elected officials to find ways to prevent deed theft in Black communities…
Oklahoma: Amid lingering disparities, Tulsa business leaders are exploring how to increase diversity throughout their employee ranks…
Oregon: Racism is a public health crisis in Oregon. A new report outlines what the state should do about it…
South Carolina: Plans are underway to build the Darlington African American Museum, but organizers need more funds to get the project to the finish line...
Tennessee: A heated town hall took place this week as Fisk University leaders answered questions from the public for the first time about a proposed data center…
Virginia: Trump axed a Black history exhibit highlighting enslaved people’s ties to Harpers Ferry. Former park rangers are teaching it anyway…
What’s Happening
A viral video of 11-year-old Jamel Josiah Johnson is making the rounds after the boy hailed an Uber and got dropped off at JFK Airport alone…
From Memphis to Newark, Black communities are bracing for dangerous heat that scientists say will become more common...
Zandria F. Robinson wrote about the afterlife of Black representation in Memphis…
Newsone: HBCUs are especially vulnerable to Trump’s student loan overhaul because they enroll large numbers of students whose families depend on particular types of federal aid…
Hammer & Hope: The right-wing attacks on Black studies have devastating consequences, but they won’t stop people from telling our history…
Dr Stacey Patton: Dear Barack Obama, how can you “admire” a founding father who was a racist monster and a human trafficker?…
For Brookings, Keisha N. Blain wrote about Black women and their legacies of civil and human rights activism…
There’s a problem Black men cannot ignore. Plastics are the culprit behind everything from hormone disruption to increased rates of cancer…
For the New York Times, historian Martha S. Jones tells the story of Elizabeth Freeman, the enslaved woman who sued for freedom and emancipated herself…
Shannon LaNier, Thomas Jefferson’s sixth great-grandson, told the Guardian he wished “he would have done more to free the enslaved people”…
A group comprising 15 public radio stations in the United States has launched the Black Public Radio Network…
The Associated Press: Families of those who died to enact voting rights see America turning backward…
Black Catholic history is “both inseparable from and essential to the history of Catholicism in the United States”…
Community members, elected officials, clergy, and historians gathered in Tennessee to dedicate historical markers recognizing victims of lynching in Williamson County…
The family of Qaadir and Naazir Lewis have accepted authorities determination that the twins died by suicide…
After a civil rights complaint, Chicago built the nation’s largest air monitoring network…
14-year-old Aamina Bradley is being hailed as a hero after jumping in the Detroit River to save her 9-year-old cousin who fell in. Aamina’s body was recovered over the weekend…
Entertainment News
To wrap up Black Music Month, Bow Wow performed a litany of his classics for his NPR Tiny Desk concert. Watch above…
Legendary actor Danny Glover revealed on TODAY that he’s been living with Alzheimer’s disease…
“X-Men ‘97” showrunner Beau DeMayo was fired from the animated series for alleged misconduct. Vanity Fair’s Chris Murphy spoke with Beau for months about what happened…
Former NFL star Chris Johnson revealed earlier in the week that he was diagnosed with ALS at 39…
Tyler Perry’s “Why Did I Get Married Again?” will premiere on Netflix on September 9…
Forest Whitaker’s MGM+ crime drama “Godfather of Harlem” is coming to an end…
My colleague Raj Punjabi-Johnson writes for HuffPost: What will it take to disrupt the perceived whiteness of Pilates?…
Here’s everything you may have missed from the BET Awards. You can watch all of the performances here…
For the New York Times, Gina Cherelus sat down with Mara Brock Akil, who is debuting her first novel: “The Revelation of Dionne Daphne”...
Serena Williams lost in her first pro singles match in nearly four years during the opening round of Wimbledon. She still “enjoyed the moment”....
Lisa Respers France did a deep dive into what really happened with Lizzo’s career…
Martha Reeves, now 84, spoke with the Guardian about her time with Motown Records, how Marvin Gaye convinced her to sing “Dancing in the Street” and more...
Patti LaBelle and Nona Hendryx reunited as Labelle for one night in New York City this week to honor their classic album, “Nightbirds”…
Obituaries
Tony Brown, a groundbreaking journalist, author, educator, and host of the iconic talk show “Tony Brown’s Journal,” has died. He was 93…
Victor Willis, the lead singer of the 1970’s disco group Village People and co-writer of “Y.M.C.A” and “Macho Man,” has died. He was 74…
Prezell Robinson, the transformative former president of St. Augustine’s University whose relationship with the HBCU spanned eight decades, has died. He was 105…
Mother Khadijah Farrakhan, the wife of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, has died. She was 90…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute…
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on July 8…
The Clotilda Descendants Association are hosting their annual landing event & ancestor festival in Mobile, Alabama next weekend...
The Root is building a show network and is holding casting calls for their show concepts. More details here…
Sacramento students can now fulfill their U.S. History graduation requirement by taking African American U.S. History…
Thank you for such a beautiful collection of stories.
I can't believe that 11 year old took a rideshare to the airport.