What I’m Reading
There is no returning to Hillman College, The New York Times
For The New York Times, Tressie McMillan Cottom penned an essay reflecting on the 1990s and how Netflix’s “A Different World” “unintentionally memorializes the gap between the future many of us believed in and the diminished political reality of our lives.”
Inside Higher Ed: “A Different World” reboot is a “masterful” reflection of HBCUs
Essence Fest eyes Houston, Atlanta for 2027 as talks with New Orleans stall, Perdido Street News
With its contract in limbo, Essence Fest organizers have reached out to officials in Houston and Atlanta to discuss leaving New Orleans, according to a new report from Blake Paterson. The report sparked a heated debate on social media.
The Ulta debate has exposed a generational gap in Black hair care, The Cut
Beauty journalist Darian Symoné Harvin wrote about the growing generation of Black women who are finding corporate salons a seemingly more dependable option than independent stylists. She breaks it down in her latest post for The Cut on Substack.
Nicky Childers for Madame Noire: Black women are choosing Ulta over Black hair salons — and it’s costing us more than money
Journalist Otis R. Taylor has launched A Declaration of Repair, a new independent nonprofit newsroom focused on reparations and repair. He said the site aims to follow the money, examine promises and report on what actually changes for people harmed by public policy and institutions.
Emmanuel Felton, the first and presumably last race reporter at The Washington Post, will debut two stories for the outlet. The first will be released on Nov. 5. They also publish The Repair, a weekly newsletter connecting readers to their reporting and developments across the beat. Please consider checking this startup out!
Many HBCUs are celebrating record-breaking enrollment numbers, while Black freshman enrollment is down by 27 percent among some of the most selective institutions in the country. For Vox, Kahlil Greene explains the shift.
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: Officials approved a massive AI data center near a historic voting-rights campsite, despite objections from Black residents…
California: As federal officials end diversity programs nationwide, Sacramento State is pushing back…
Florida: Florida A&M University students are renewing calls for administrators to end an immigration enforcement agreement…
Georgia: Black women voters say it’s time for Keisha Lance Bottoms…
Louisiana: Jamie Davis is running to become the state’s next U.S. senator…
Maryland: Baltimore has a long history of Black women organizing their communities and stepping into leadership roles, yet gaps remain in who holds political power in the city…
Massachusetts: The proportion of Black students enrolled in Harvard College’s Class of 2030 fell for the third consecutive year…
North Carolina: A dozen Black current and former North Carolina state troopers say they have faced years of racist practices and abuse from their White peers…
Pennsylvania: Follow along with the Tribune on a two-day tour of Black Philadelphia…
Tennessee: In a newly drawn congressional district including Memphis, Black voters may get a representative who spent years stripping away local control…
Texas: Voter turnout has nearly doubled in key voting areas in the Black community since last midterm election cycle…
What’s Happening
Nikole Hannah-Jones reflects on her two deeply personal essays about her child and New York City public schools and how she grappled with readers’ responses. Watch above…
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is celebrating Alabama’s HBCUs with a new exhibit that recently opened…
Mother Jones: Black turnout is surging in Southern states that passed new gerrymanders or threatened to after SCOTUS dismantled the Voting Rights Act…
The 19th spoke to Black women in college about what issues are top of mind for them heading into Election Day…
Police and the El Paso, Texas NAACP are condemning a group shown on video walking through a neighborhood wearing KKK robes and hoods…
Black Women Unmuted compiled a list of Black women nationwide seeking office or reelection in the 2026 midterm elections…
Higher Heights for America CEO Glynda Carr explained how Black women are mobilizing their communities and flexing their collective political power ahead of Election Day…
A group of 1961 Freedom Riders and their descendants spent this election season retracing the historic Civil Rights bus trip…
A California bill expanding organized sports programs in state prisons is set to take effect next year…
Only two Black women have ever served together in the Senate. In November, they’re looking to double their numbers…
North Carolina Rep. Don Davis is reaching out to voters across parties in hopes of holding onto his seat in a redrawn district…
Charlotte police say a years-long racist text thread among seven officers was an isolated issue. Many in the city are unconvinced…
Capital B News: After a student accused a prominent fraternity member of assault, Spelman and Morehouse students are speaking out…
Entertainment News
Jay-Z will headline the next Super Bowl halftime show, the NFL announced…
Byron Allen has sold his entire 10.7 percent stake in Starz...
Bennett College will sell a record-smashing painting of Harriet Tubman to support initiatives including women’s health equity…
A judge has ordered Faith Evans to hand over $12.5 million to the trust of the Notorious B.I.G.’s late mother, Voletta Wallace…
Taylor Crumpton wrote about the “return of P Valley, Nolan Wells and Kohen Wiley, Sinners, and the state of Mississippi in the American consciousness”…
The Atlantic: 50 years ago, Stevie Wonder released “Songs in the Key of Life.” Its message still feels urgent…
For GQ Magazine, Frazier Tharpe sat down with J. Cole and his longtime manager, industry veteran Mark Pitts…
Mc Lyte spoke to VIBE about her Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, career parallels with Queen Latifah, and how LL Cool J inspired her musical return…
Isaiah Rashad sat down with Andscape to discuss sobriety, growth and finding joy in a new chapter of life…
Gladys Knight’s family and inner circle don’t see eye to eye on whether the 80-year-old music icon should still be touring…
For the first time in its nearly 40-year history, the Soul Train Awards ceremony is headed to Chicago…
Lawrence Lamont has been tapped to direct “Last Friday,” the first installment of the franchise in 25 years…
Josh Johnson, a trusted music producer, has a new jazz project coming out. He spoke to the New York Times about his LP...
Obituaries
Hattie “Chatty Hatty” Leeper, North Carolina’s first Black woman broadcaster, has died. She was 98…
Freddie James, a legendary Dallas high school football coach, has died. He was 89…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 50 seconds…
Join WABJ on Nov. 1 at 7 pm ET for a virtual conversation on Black journalism, voting rights, and civic participation ahead of the midterms…
The summer-long Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Internship places rising college students and recent graduates in the offices of Congressional Black Caucus Members. The deadline is Nov. 30…
KIPP DC is looking for presenters for its 5th Annual Black Male Educators Convening on February 12, 2027…
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