Flint Water Crisis 10 years later, Biden and Morehouse, Reggie Bush restored
Flint Water Crisis 10 years later, Biden and Morehouse, Reggie Bush restored
Friday, April 26, 2024.
What I’m Reading
As Civil Rights Era Fades From Memory, Generation Gap Divides Black Voters, The New York Times
Many older Black voters see moral and political reasons to vote. Younger Black voters feel far less motivated to cast a ballot for Democrats or even at all. Maya King, reporting from Atlanta for the New York Times, examined how older and younger Black voters view President Joe Biden and Democrats.
‘They Tried To Erase Us.' Taking Up Space As A Black Cowgirl In LA, LAist
For LAist, Aaricka Washington interviewed some Black cowgirls about how they are forging their own paths in a white male-dominated industry. For them, Beyoncé's “Cowboy Carter” album arrived just in time. Related: Ivan McClellan, a photographer, documented Black cowboys across the U.S. for his forthcoming book...
‘I Gullah Geechee, too’: the educators keeping a language of enslaved Africans alive, The Guardian
In 2019, Akua Page went to a juvenile incarceration facility in South Carolina to teach about the Gullah Geechee language, telling the inmates, 'Y’all are bilingual.' For the Guardian, Adria Walker wrote about the educators keeping the language of enslaved Africans alive at Harvard, the University of South Carolina, and other places.
Flint’s Water Crisis Ten Years Later, Capital B News
This week marked 10 years since the start of the Flint Water Crisis. For Capital B, Adam Mahoney traveled to Flint and spoke with residents who all told him the same response: The Flint Water Crisis is far from over. You can also watch a local news documentary on Youtube: Failure in Flint, 10 Years Later.
Related: At 8, Mari Copeny gained global recognition for raising awareness about the Flint Water Crisis. Now 16, she is opening up her life in the spotlight and coming into her own.
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: Alabama is considering a bill that would make Juneteenth a state holiday. Workers could choose to celebrate Juneteenth or the birthday of the president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis…
California: A judge has ordered a review of death penalty cases out of Alameda County after uncovering evidence of decades-old misconduct that showed how prosecutors excluded Black people and Jewish people from juries…
Georgia: All graduating seniors from an Atlanta high school have been accepted into Morris Brown College…
Florida: A Florida Museum of Black History is narrowing down options on where it will eventually be located…
Illinois: The migrant crisis in Chicago and other blue cities has shifted the immigration debate right, in no small part because it has highlighted longstanding concerns of Black residents, Matt Brown writes for AP…
Indiana: Fort Wayne Councilwoman Sharon Tucker made history when she was selected as the new mayor of Indiana’s second-most populous city…
Louisiana: Gov. Jeff Landry's takeover of the state's already-underfunded public defense system has led to a new payment scheme that incentivizes lawyers to lose…
Michigan: A new study from the University of Michigan showed that Detroit's Black homeowners gained $2.8 billion in home value during the span from 2014 to 2022…
Minnesota: A Minnesota family's chances of being reported for child maltreatment varies dramatically depending on their race. The Minneapolis branch of the NAACP filed a federal civil rights complaint about this…
North Carolina: Local volunteers with churches are feeding St. Augustine’s University students who are still on the Raleigh campus after the shift to remote learning…
Ohio: Brandon Upchurch is speaking out after Toledo Police stopped his vehicle and released a police dog that bit him several times. Authorities later admitted they stopped the wrong car but still charged Upchurch with resisting arrest…
Oklahoma: The Tulsa Black Mental Health Alliance is looking for ways to end the stigma and help all Tulsans when it comes to mental health…
Pennsylvania: Rep. Summer Lee easily defeated her Democratic challenger in the primary after she was slammed for backing a Gaza ceasefire…
South Carolina: A new statue honors the first three Black students to enroll in the University of South Carolina post-reconstruction…
Tennessee: A new documentary spotlighted Crosstown High in Tennessee, which is trying to “radically rethink high school with project-based learning and a diverse student body”…
Texas: My colleague Phillip Jackson obtained body camera footage of an unarmed Black man attacked by a K-9 in front of his son during a traffic stop last year with Denison police…
What’s Happening
President Joe Biden will deliver the commencement address at Morehouse College’s graduation ceremony. Faculty members are calling on the HBCU to rescind its invitation…
Diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives have become a target of conservatives across the nation. Here’s what to know about the state laws that limit or ban DEI efforts at colleges…
A Texas prosecutor will appeal against a court ruling that tossed a 5-year prison sentence for Crystal Mason, the woman who did not know she was ineligible to vote in 2016…
School segregation between Black and white students has returned to 1968 (!) levels, according to a report…
Black Americans are more likely to worry about harmful pollution where they live, according to Gallup…
NPR investigated historical markers in the United States and found a "fractured and often confused telling of U.S. history, where offensive lies live with impunity, history is distorted, and errors are sometimes as funny as they are strange”...
Lethal injections of Black people in the United States were botched more than twice as often as those of white people, according to a report from an anti-death-penalty group…
The Gateway Pundit, the conspiracy theory site accused of engaging in a “campaign of lies” about two Black Georgia election workers, has declared bankruptcy…
Michael Eric Dyson’s thoughts: Rainbow PUSH is in financial shambles, and Rev. Frederick D. Haynes III was in place to succeed a man, Jesse Jackson, whom many don’t want succeeded…
Tatiana Walk-Morris for Block Club Chicago: The Windy City’s legacy of racial segregation and redlining by banks influences access to mortgage lending, harming older Black neighbors who want to age in place and pass on generational wealth…
A white author calculated just how much racism has benefited her. Here’s what she found…
Howard University received nearly 37,000 applicants for its 2028 class, breaking previous records. Also, Howard professor Nikole Hannah-Jones and her students recently premiered the “1619: The College Edition” podcast with Spotify…
Entertainment
Reggie Bush got his 2005 Heisman Trophy back. ESPN was the first to report that the Heisman Trust would announce the formal "reinstatement" of the trophy to Bush…
Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Future, Rick Ross, and now, Kanye West, are all embroiled in rap’s version of “Avengers: Endgame.” If you’re not exactly quite sure how we got here, Thomas Hobbs broke down “the rap beef of the decade” for The Guardian…
As if the beef couldn’t get stranger: Tupac Shakur’s estate has threatened to sue Drake over the Kendrick Lamar diss track that featured an AI-generated version of the late rapper’s voice, calling it a “a flagrant violation” of the law and a “blatant abuse” of his legacy…
Journalist Elliott Wilson has been named editorial director of hip-hop journalism for UPROXX, HipHopDX and Dime Magazine…
Stephen A. Smith apologized for comments he made in which it seemed he was defending Donald Trump, who compared himself to the plight of Black Americans…
"Wash Day," a new book by Tomesha Faxio, showcases “the inherent beauty of Black natural hair”…
The official trailer for “Black Twitter: A People’s History” is out. It will premiere on Hulu May 9…
EW Scripps is reportedly exploring a sale of its Black-culture broadcast network Bounce TV, and apparently, some parties who were interested in buying BET are involved…
An ex-cameraman for Megan Thee Stallion has filed a lawsuit accusing the entertainer of harassment and a hostile work environment, and a lawyer for the hip-hop star has vehemently denied the allegations. Here’s the complaint…
In an interview with PEOPLE, Mary J. Blige hinted that her 15th studio album could “probably [be] my last studio album,” but she quickly retracted that statement…
Viola Davis and her husband Julius Tennon are getting into book publishing by launching JVL Media, and prioritizing underrepresented voices in the book world…
NPR just released Ne-Yo’s NPR Tiny Desk concert where he performed some of his classics, like “Sexy Love”…
Coco Gauff spoke with TIME about the next phase of her tennis career, why she has no problem expressing her views, and her love of reading…
Comedian Mark Curry told Roland Martin that he’s hoping for a return of his 90s sitcom “Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper”...
Mary J. Blige, A Tribe Called Quest, Big Mama Thornton, Dionne Warwick, and more will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Robert "Kool" Bell, the last surviving original member of Kool & the Gang, told Rolling Stone he's overjoyed that they will be inducted…
Aja Naomi King will star in NBC’s drama pilot, “Grosse Pointe Garden Society”...
Obituaries
Mandisa, a Grammy-winning Christian singer and “American Idol” finalist, has died. She was 47…
William “Bill” Strickland, a scholar and decades-long fighter in the struggle for Black liberation, has died. He was 87…
Helena Hicks, a civil rights advocate who led a 1950s protest to desegregate a drug store lunch counter, has died. She was 88…
Terry Carter, who broke color barriers onstage and on television in the 1950s and ’60s and later produced documentaries, has died. He was 95…
Barbara O. Jones, who starred in Haile Gerima’s “Bush Mama” and Julie Dash’s “Daughters of the Dust,” has died. She was 82…
Rep. Donald Payne Jr., a progressive six-term congressman from New Jersey who was passionate about social justice and constituent service, has died. He was 65…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute, 3 seconds…
Jobs, jobs, jobs: Complex Magazine is looking for a Social Media Strategist. The Miami Herald is seeking a reporter to cover education in South Florida. Apply to be a copyeditor with Afrotech, and The Associated Press is looking for an editor focused on audiences and engagement…
Attention HBCU alums: Applications for The 19th’s Frances Ellen Watkins Fellowship are open! Work in reporting, audience engagement, or product and technology. The deadline is May 31…
LinkedIn for Journalists is accepting applications for free access to LinkedIn Premium until May 23…
For those interested in entertainment: The Tyler Perry Studios Dreamers Internship has released its application. The deadline is May 5. The Paramount Writers Mentoring Program is now accepting applications! The deadline is May 1.