Florida drops voter fraud charges, Young Journalist of the Excellence, Serena book deal
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Florida drops voter fraud charges, Young Journalist of the Excellence, Serena book deal
Friday, October 20, 2023.
What I’m Reading
During her residency with the Library of Congress, Maya Cade was surprised to learn of a show for Black women that hadn’t been written about in decades. Alice Travis may not be a familiar name today, but in the late 1970s, she became the first Black woman to host a nationally syndicated talk show: “For You … Black Woman.” Cade found Travis, now 80, and spoke with her about her career.
She Was Oprah Before Oprah, The New York Times
CNN is hoping for new direction with its newly arrived chief executive Mark Thompson, and a primetime lineup featuring Laura Coates and Abby Phillip. Phillip anchors “CNN NewsNight With Abby Phillip,” while Laura Coates follows with “Laura Coates Live.” The two hosts talked with the Los Angeles Times about their new roles.
Laura Coates and Abby Phillip aren’t ‘mouthpieces.’ CNN hopes they can revive the brand, Los Angeles Times
The number of Black people imprisoned in the U.S. has decreased 39% since its peak in 2002, according to a new report by The Sentencing Project. However, the amount of people imprisoned remains too high, particularly for Black Americans, the authors contend.
One in Five, Ending Racial Inequity in Incarceration, The Sentencing Project
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: Alabama is building a new supersize prison that will cost over $1 billion. It will be the most expensive incarceration facility in U.S. history…
California: For three weeks, restaurant patrons of Momo’s Cafe in Vallejo will be able to stop by and pay what they have on hand for food or coffee. Rapper LaRussell will cover whatever’s left…
Laphonza Butler of California will not run in 2024 for a full term in the U.S. Senate, opening the race up again for several prominent Democrats…
Florida: Less than three weeks after arresting a 69-year-old Florida woman in the middle of the night at her home, the state announced it is dropping all voter fraud charges against her. A former Republican state senator penned an op-ed on how the state is improperly using “voter fraud” prosecutions like hers to paper over its failures…
Georgia: A Black man who spent more than 16 years imprisoned in Florida on a wrongful conviction was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy in Georgia during a traffic stop…
Illinois: A man who served 16 years in prison for murder had his charges dropped and conviction overturned by a judge…
Massachusetts: Black neighborhoods in Boston are struggling to save their churches…
Mississippi: Jaylen Burns was shot multiple times on the campus of Jackson State University and later died, marking another shooting within the past month at an HBCU. He was a brother of Alpha Phi Alpha…
The Mississippi sheriff who leads the department where former deputies pleaded guilty to the torture of two Black men has asked a federal court to dismiss a civil lawsuit against him…
Virginia: Missy Elliott donated $50,000 to the Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority for families facing eviction…
Washington: There’s a new bus shelter mural honoring the lives of a trailblazing Black couple who were among the first Black people to move to Western Washington…
What’s Happening
I am honored to announce that I am the 2023 recipient of the WABJ Young Journalist of Excellence Award! Thank you to the reigning NABJ national chapter of the year for the honor…
Have you heard of “Brothers Talking?” It is a monthly, hour-long program on a Chicago-based public access TV channel that “brings Black men together to unpack the effects of racial trauma”...
Sickle cell disease disproportionately impacts Black patients. When they have a health crisis, it can quickly lead to a fatal stroke or infection. However, research shows that patients often wait hours in ERs…
Speaking of sickle cell disease, scientists aim to collect genetic material from 500,000 people of African ancestry to “better understand genetic variants that affect Black people” — and HBCUs are behind the effort…
Police made more than a quarter of a million arrests for weed-related offenses in 2022, according to FBI crime data…
A leading doctors group formally withdrew its approval of a 2009 paper on “excited delirium,” a document critics say has been used to justify excessive force by police…
The FDA is considering a ban on hair-straightening chemicals, but stylists say Black women have moved on…
Racial gaps in math have grown. A school in South Carolina tried closing theirs by teaching all kids the same classes…
Rap Snacks has revealed that it will expand into the transportation sector through Rap Snacks Trucking…
Annie Jewell Moore, the oldest living alumnus of Spelman College and fashion pioneer, recently celebrated her 104th birthday…
The American College of Emergency Physicians formally withdrew its approval of a 2009 paper on “excited delirium,” calling the paper outdated. If you’ll recall, the term came up during the trial of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin...
Billionaire GOP megadonor Harlan Crow maxed out a donation to Cornel West, according to the latest FEC filings. West made a statement on the donation…
Scholastic said it will separate titles in its elementary school book fairs by race, gender and sexuality, allowing school districts to choose to include — or exclude — the list. These fairs are pretty different from what I remember as a book-loving kid…
Entertainment
Camaraderie and visibility: The Gateways Music Festival, a gathering of Black classical musicians, has provided performing opportunities for 30 years…
In a New York Times interview, Will Smith finally responded to all of Jada Pinkett Smith’s revelations, saying the memoir “kind of woke him up”...
Veteran White House correspondent April Ryan married her fiancé James Ewing at The Carriage House at Gramercy Mansion in Baltimore. Congrats!...
Reebok has signed LSU center Angel Reese to a multi-year endorsement deal, Shaq’s first major get as president of Reebok Basketball…
Megan Thee Stallion and 1501 Certified Entertainment will “amicably part ways” after a yearslong dispute…
LeBron James is a proud, embarrassing dad: The NBA legend attended his daughter’s volleyball game and could be heard yelling from the stands. Sidenote: When did Zhuri get so big?…
In a rare in-depth interview with Complex, legendary music video director Hype Williams touched on how he got the best out of superstars like Beyoncè and Busta Rhymes, the challenges of making “Belly,” and what happened to that “Yeezus” tour film…
Pras Michel wants a new trial in the multimillion-dollar conspiracy case in which he was convicted earlier this year, claiming his lawyer made various errors by using an artificial intelligence program…
Serena Williams has a two-book deal with the Random House Publishing Group, with the first book being an “intimate” memoir about her upbringing and legendary tennis career…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute, 1 second…
The long-awaited Smokey Robinson NPR Tiny Desk concert is out…
Join Angela Davis, Breya Johnson, Briona Simone Jones, Jaimee A. Swift and Clarissa Brooks as they host a webinar on the “importance of the Black feminist literary and political canon and the mandate of Black feminist commitments to a free Palestine.” It will be held October 22 at 5:30 PM ET…
Please share: The Washington Association of Black Journalists is accepting applications from DC-area college students for scholarships. Each is worth $2,000. The deadline for applying is October 22 at midnight EST…
The trailer for “Maxine's Baby: The Tyler Perry Story,” which chronicles the life of the filmmaker, is out. The documentary will stream on Prime Video November 17…
Florida drops voter fraud charges, Young Journalist of the Excellence, Serena book deal
Congratulations on the award! Well-deserved!