My trip to the Dept. of Ed, Beyoncé goes country, Rachel Dolezal fired
Friday, February 16, 2024.
What I’m Reading
Education Secretary Calls Diversity Program Cuts Latest 'Boogeyman' To Divide Schools, HuffPost
I was invited to a Black media roundtable at the Department of Education this week. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona took questions from Black reporters about student loans, FAFSA, public schools and more. I asked about the right-wing attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion programs taking place in schools and colleges nationwide. He called the attacks the latest “boogeyman” to sow division.
What’s Next for Lil Jon After the Super Bowl? A Meditation Album, Of Course, Rolling Stone
Crunk legend Lil Jon spoke with Rolling Stone’s Mankaprr Conteh about his role as the musical director for Usher's Super Bowl show, how rap has come before the court in Atlanta, and why he loves the South African music subgenre of amapiano.
What if Federal Reparations Weren’t a Fiction?, The New York Times
For the New York Times, author Maura Cheeks described what could happen if the United States chose to consider a federal reparations program. "It’s hard to read [statistics about the racial wealth gap] without intuiting that a federal intervention must be part of the equation,” she wrote.
What’s In The News
Across America
California: A mother in the East Bay accused administrators of turning a blind eye when her 13-year-old child complained of racist bullying and allowing a teacher to assault her daughter…
Florida: A Florida school district is drawing fire for asking parents to consent to having their children participate in the reading of an African American author’s book to comply with state law…
Georgia: Two of the largest Black church groups in the state are formally uniting for the first time to mobilize Black voters in the battleground state ahead of the November presidential election…
Illinois: Chicago’s mayor is ending the city’s contract for a controversial gunshot detection system that critics say was too expensive, ineffective, and potentially prejudicial…
Kansas: The Wichita Police Department said an arrest has been made nearly three weeks after a Jackie Robinson statue was stolen from a park — and found dismantled days later…
Michigan: Ivory Thomas, who was sentenced to life without parole in 1965 after he was convicted of murder as an 18-year-old, has been released from prison…
Mississippi: The state has shortchanged Alcorn State University approximately $257.8 million in agricultural funds from the federal government over the last 30 years…
Missouri: Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum received a $1 million gift from SoFi to help people buy homes in his hometown of St. Louis…
North Carolina: Chef Ashleigh Shanti said a group defaced her Good Hot Fish’s entrance with a racist sticker and cut the power of the newly opened restaurant…
Ohio: A new witness who came forward during the murder trial of a former Ohio sheriff’s deputy testified that he saw the man who was killed not long before the shooting but that he didn’t see a gun…
Tennessee: Nearly 400 Shelby County kids were diagnosed with lead poisoning in 2023. But leaders are overlooking the harm it causes…
Texas: Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson’s wife alleged in court that she “caught him in our house” being unfaithful with a woman employed by the city, in February 2021. The mayor is denying the allegations…
What’s Happening
She’s back: Nkechi Diallo, the white woman infamous for pretending to be Black (formerly known as Rachel Dolezal), was terminated from her teaching role in Arizona after the district found out about her OnlyFans account…
A judge in Georgia said it’s “possible” Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could be disqualified from the state’s election interference case against Trump. Here’s the latest…
One of the six police officers charged after the killing of Freddie Gray has been tapped to oversee the Baltimore Police Department's Public Integrity Bureau, a unit that handles misconduct investigations…
In the Wall Street Journal: “The municipal-bond market is a sleepy corner of Wall Street that finances America’s roads and sewers. It also features in the nation’s history of racial inequality, and Destin Jenkins wants to show you how”...
MSNBC: As right-wingers ban books and transform school curricula, historians are turning to tech to keep Black history alive…
Nearly 40% of over 9,500 sworn Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department employees do not live in the actual county, according to the Los Angeles Public Press. At least 51 of them do not live in the state of California…
Media moves: Aaron Foley is now the news editor at The New York Amsterdam News…
The CDC has pledged $5 million in scholarships for Tuskegee descendants nearly a century after the unethical study that resulted in syphilis infections and deaths among Black men…
Check it out: The new National Geographic documentary, “The Space Race,” chronicles the stories of Black astronauts — and their first pioneer, 90-year-old Ed Dwight…
Descendants of Black civil rights icons like Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington and Rosa Parks met at the White House — some convening together for the first time ever…
Entertainment
Tabitha Brown spoke with Better Homes & Gardens about her life story…
You’ve probably already seen it, but Usher shut down the Super Bowl with his halftime show. He’s also developing a TV series about “Black love in Atlanta and individuals looking to find a place to call home”...
The Kid Mero spoke on his split with Desus Nice and how things fell apart for “Desus & Mero,” but Desus seemed to disagree on the details…
Netflix announced that it was adding a multi-year, first-look series deal to its ongoing partnership with Tyler Perry. Speaking of the streamer, The Vince Staples Show is out on Netflix. For Vulture, Craig Jenkins spoke with the artist about the series, and how he broke into TV…
After teasing new music in a Verizon ad that aired during the Super Bowl, Beyoncé has dropped two country hits, “Texas Hold ’Em” and “16 Carriages.” We’re already seeing the effects of Bey’s announcement: A radio station in Oklahoma initially had no plans to play her new songs after saying, "We do not play Beyoncé as we are a country music station.”...
Russell Simmons was sued in New York federal court by a woman identified as Jane Doe, who claims he sexually assaulted her at his New York City apartment in the 1990s when she was “a senior level music executive” at the label…
Mo’Nique’s oldest son has spoken on their estranged relationship following the comedian’s viral appearance on the “Club Shay Shay” podcast…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 2 minutes, 34 seconds…
Is a Toni Braxton Tiny Desk on the way?...
Music icons Lionel Richie and Diana Ross will headline the inaugural Fool in Love Festival…
The Ida B. Wells Society Investigative Reporting Internship Program is back! We desperately need more Black investigative journalists. Students and recent graduates, apply by Feb. 18…
Got a story to tell? Monkeypaw is seeking pitches from short genre filmmakers, and the prize is a $50,000 grant…