Kentucky rejects Cameron, Central Park Karen returns, Actors strike to end
Kentucky rejects Cameron, Central Park Karen returns, Actors strike to end
Friday, November 10, 2023.
What I’m Reading
ProPublica, which has been on a tremendous run of incredible reporting, just published another stunning story. A Louisiana appeals court systematically ignored petitions filed by people in prison, most of them Black. But the court collected over $1 million in filing fees for those appeals it didn’t read. Judges used the money on office furnishings, travel allowances and other perks.
Louisiana Judges Systematically Ignored Prisoners’ Petitions Without Review, ProPublica
Leah Johnson, whose debut young adult novel, “You Should See Me in a Crown,” was challenged by officials seeking to “review” books. The Black, queer author opened Loudmouth Books in response, a bookstore in Indianapolis dedicated to the books so often targeted by bans.
This bestselling author’s book was challenged in schools. So, she opened a store for banned books, CNN
Uwa Ede-Osifo spoke with African American students (specifically, descendants of enslaved people) at Ivy League schools who are voicing concerns over representation on campus. Some students believe that admissions officers may be missing or ignoring the difference between descendants of enslaved people and Black immigrant families. “The descendants of slavery on campus are woefully underrepresented,” one student explained.
A debate brews among Black Ivy League students over representation on campus, NBC News
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: The co-captain of the riverboat involved in the Montgomery brawl has been charged with third-degree assault, according to court records…
Arkansas: Arkansas State University student Alandria Maddox has been crowned homecoming queen and made history as the university’s first Black woman drum major moments later…
California: A former San Jose police officer has been fired over “disgusting” text messages that included uses of the N-word and read, "I hate Black people"...
Colorado: The Aurora officer who put Elijah McClain in a neck hold was found not guilty of homicide and manslaughter…
District of Columbia: Several Howard students have come together to form an intercollegiate figure skating team – the first of its kind at an HBCU…
Florida: Activists say the state under Ron DeSantis’ rule is “ground zero” in the fight for civil rights. Black churches are offering African-American history lessons during service…
Georgia: More than 60 people were arraigned on organized crime charges related to their alleged efforts to stop the construction of Atlanta’s Cop City…
Indiana: An Indianapolis woman drove her car into a building because she was offended by the “Hebrew Israelite” symbol on the front of it, she told authorities. The building was owned by Black Hebrew Israelites…
Maryland: Baltimore's former top prosecutor Marilyn Mosby was found guilty of two counts of perjury…
Massachusetts: De’Shawn Washington has made history, becoming the first Black man to receive the state’s top award for educators, the teacher’s union said...
Missouri: A federal lawsuit by five Black women alleges Kansas City officers raped and intimidated them into not reporting the crimes…
Michigan: Meet 16-year-old Cayden Brown. He works as a part-time juvenile defense attorney for the 52nd District Court’s Teen Court Program…
Mississippi: At least 9 precincts in majority-Black Hinds County ran out of ballots on Election Day, according to reports…
New York: A new report released by the state’s attorney general exposes profound systemic racism within the housing market that causes disparities in homeownership rates and mortgage lending practices…
North Carolina: Local Black elected leaders aligned with racial and economic justice groups want to build on the labor gains made through the United Auto Workers’ six-week strike…
South Carolina: Former North Charleston Police Chief Reggie Burgess has won the North Charleston mayoral race, becoming the first Black person elected to lead the city…
Oklahoma: Lessie Benningfield Randle survived the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. Her lawyers are making what they say is a final bid to keep her case alive…
Pennsylvania: Philadelphia voters have elected Cherelle Parker as the city’s 100th mayor — making her the first woman and the first Black woman to hold the post. Her victory signals a likely shift toward “tough on crime” policies…
South Carolina: Tax-burdened property owned by the descendants of formerly enslaved people is being sold to hedge funds and developers…
Rhode Island: Gabriel Amo has won the special election for Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District seat, making him the first person of color to represent the state in Congress…
Tennessee: The city of Gallatin has unveiled a monument to honor over 500 Black residents interred in unmarked graves…
Virginia: Democrats raised concerns that non-white voters in the state were having their mail-in ballots flagged for possible rejection at much higher rates than their white counterparts ahead of a closely watched election day…
What’s Happening
Kentucky voters have rejected Republican Daniel Cameron. He lost his bid to become the state’s first Black governor on Tuesday. The attorney general is blamed for sabotaging justice for Breonna Taylor…
Thousands of Black women say hair relaxers gave them uterine cancer, and are taking L’Oreal, Revlon and other cosmetic companies to court…
Birmingham, Alabama’s first Black police officer, Leroy Stover, has died. He was 90….
Jazmine Hughes, an award-winning New York Times Magazine staff writer, resigned from the publication after she signed a letter that voiced support for Palestinians and protested Israel’s siege in Gaza…
Remember Central Park Karen? Well, she’s back with an essay and still accepts no responsibility for her actions…
An audit of the research center run by Ibram X. Kendi at Boston University found "no issues" with the center's finances following a shakeup within the organization, officials said…
Helen Williams, one of the most photographed Black models of the 1950s and ’60s seen mainly in magazines like Ebony and Jet, has died. She was 87…
Exonerated Five member Yusef Salaam has won a seat on the New York City Council, more than three decades after he was wrongfully accused and convicted as a teenager…
Barack Obama said a way forward for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is only possible if people acknowledge the “complexity” of the situation…
An op-ed from my colleague Stephen Crockett: A man accused Dwight Howard of forcing him to do sexual acts — and social media cares more about Howard's sexuality than they do about the allegations…
Why are so many Black students absent from school? A new analysis reveals 29% of kids overall were chronically absent in 2022, and minority school districts are doing even worse…
Entertainment
From my colleague Marina Fang: Hollywood executives reached a tentative agreement with hundreds of thousands of film and TV actors, finally ending a seismic period of dual strikes in the entertainment industry…
The judge in the Young Slime Life RICO trial ruled that rap lyrics can be used as evidence against Young Thug and his alleged associates, under certain conditions…
Keke Palmer is seeking a restraining order against Darius Jackson and requesting sole custody of their 8-month-old son. She has accused Jackson of abusing her…
In Eater: No one expected “Good Burger” to predict the future of AI, corporatization, and fair wages. Will “Good Burger 2” continue its anti-corporate message?...
Lori Harvey and Damson Idris have split. The pair made a statement on their recent breakup…
Young Jeezy sat down with Nia Long for a full conversation about growth and maturity…
“Grown-ish” star and singer Trevor Jackson covered Tyla's popular track, “Water,” and…people have thoughts…
Megan Thee Stallion’s fans are rallying behind her after the release of her new song, “Cobra,” which hinted that an ex-boyfriend was unfaithful to her…
C-Knight, a rapper best known as a member of Dove Shack, has died. He was 52…
Taraja Ramsess, a stuntman on “Black Panther,” “Avengers: Endgame” and more, has died after a car crash that also took the lives of his young daughters and son…
Kendrick Lamar will headline a new initiative to establish an international touring circuit on the continent of Africa, launching with a concert in Kigali, Rwanda, on Dec. 6…
NPR’s Eric Deggans wanted to love “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” but the show isn't the Western epic he had hoped for…
Lauryn Hill set social media ablaze after she addressed her tardiness to her shows…
Tracy Chapman just became the first Black songwriter to win the Country Music Awards Song of the Year…
Missy Elliott is the first female rap artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame…
Two more former Northwestern University football players came forward Friday, saying they experienced racist treatment during their time on the team in the early 2000s…
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is honoring the medical team that helped save his life by launching a scholarship program for Cincinnati youths…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 36 seconds!…
The Associated Press is hiring an intern to cover race and ethnicity. The deadline to apply is December 15th…
Beyoncé has released a new trailer for “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé”…
My colleague Taryn Finley just announced her new culture and entertainment podcast: “I Know That’s Right.” And for her premiere episode, she spoke with the one and only Usher…
Speaking of podcasts, I recently went on author and political commentator Bakari Sellers’s podcast with The Ringer for a conversation about my career and the recent election. Check it out here…