Florida prof defies DeSantis, Memphis cops fired, Teacher shortage slams the South
Florida prof defies DeSantis, Memphis cops fired, Teacher shortage slams the South
Friday, January 27, 2023
What I’m Reading
The teacher shortage can be felt nationwide, but the crisis is even more dire in rural and southern states. In rural Mississippi, some students are taught by recording, with no teacher in class to ask for help. This article focuses on the West Bolivar Consolidated School District in Rosedale, Mississippi. It is 98 percent Black, and at one point, had to hire so many uncertified educators that it risked losing accreditation.
A teacher shortage so acute that students are expected to learn without one, The Washington Post
You may have missed the protests taking place in Atlanta over this past week. The protests began after city council voted in favor of a potential training complex for police in a forested area within Metro Atlanta. Later, a 26-year-old environmental activist protesting the proposed “Cop City” was shot and killed by police. Atlanta Magazine details everything you need to know about the battle for South River Forest.
“Over the centuries, the forest has been many things: Indigenous land, a prison farm, a dumping ground - and the keystone of an ambitious proposal to incorporate nature into Atlanta’s growth. But in 2021, people living nearby were surprised to learn that the city had different plans for it: a massive new police training facility.”
“The birds stopped singing”: Inside the battle for Atlanta’s South River Forest, Atlanta Magazine
Marvin Dunn, an 82-year-old professor emeritus at Florida International University, is defying Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ so-called Stop Woke Act which aims to restrict lessons on race. Dunn is suing the state over the law, and he takes high school students to sites where some of the most racist violence in Florida history took place.
“Listen, if there is such a thing as the woke mob in Florida, I aspire to lead it,” Dunn said.
A Black professor defies DeSantis law restricting lessons on race, The Washington Post
Related: You can read what's in the AP African American Studies course Florida rejected here.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who became the first Black lawmaker to lead a party in Congress, credits his time in Kappa Alpha Psi as a defining era of his life. Being elected president of his college chapter as a sophomore prepared him for a life of service, as a New York state assembly member, a state senator, and now, a congressman.
How Hakeem Jeffries' Leadership of His Historically Black Fraternity Shaped His Career, TIME
What’s In The News
Black faith groups have been fighting neighborhood gun violence for decades. They’re finally getting support…
The Memphis Police Department has terminated five police officers that arrested and brutally beat Tyre Nichols, who died days later. They have been indicted. The police body camera footage may be released Friday…
The Bethune-Cookman-Ed Reed coaching saga is a painful lesson for HBCUs in the post-Deion Sanders era, William Rhoden writes…
A Kentucky Republican women's club hosted an event honoring one of the cops in the raid that killed Breonna Taylor, and police body-cam footage was played there. People unaffiliated with the event at the diner were horrified…
After Black actresses and directors were snubbed by The Academy, film critic Robert Daniels takes aim at the entire awards ecosystem for repeatedly failing Black women…
From Yahoo News national reporter Marquise Francis: Why Oprah is fighting to free a man from death row…
The estate cases of Chadwick Boseman and John Singleton have made headlines. Talking about death is uncomfortable, but here’s why Black folks should normalize having an estate plan…
A prosecutor whose racist tweets targeting Black women resurfaced says he has resigned from a district attorney’s office in Texas…
Randy Gonzalez, dad of the hit TikTok duo Enkyboys, has died of colon cancer. He was 35…
An Army lieutenant held at gunpoint and pepper-sprayed by Virginia police in 2020 was awarded $3,685 in damages. He sought $1 million…
Wondering why you’ve been second-guessing if you really need eggs because they’ve become so expensive? An advocacy group says it all comes down to corporate greed…
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is planning to sue Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for blocking AP African American Studies from schools. Here’s how kids can learn it outside of school…
The Aurora Police Department has re-hired an officer who restrained Elijah McClain and threatened to unleash a police dog on him…
The family of Keenan Anderson, who died after repeatedly being shocked by Los Angeles police with a stun gun, is suing for $50 million…
The superintendent of Newport News Public Schools has been terminated after a teacher was shot by a 6-year-old. The teacher is planning to sue the district…
What’s Happening
Keith Lee, a food critic on TikTok, is one of the most powerful figures on the platform. He helped a Black-owned food truck raise $30,000 in under 24 hours…
This is an older article, but he was trending recently so it’s worth reading again. Bokeem Woodbine, who lives at the top of the list of the most “Black famous” actors ever, is one of the most underrated actors of his generation…
Raven-Symoné says we’ve all been mispronouncing her name this whole time, but I don’t know about that…
I was recently named one of the most powerful voices on Black Twitter by The Root…
Brian Tyree Henry, who recently became a first-time Oscar winner, was visibly emotional after Angela Bassett showered him with compliments. Bassett is also now the first Marvel Cinematic Universe actor ever to be nominated for an Oscar…
Limmie Pulliam took a 12-year break from singing because of the comments he received about his weight. He’s now the first Black singer to perform as Radamès in Verdi’s “Aida” at the Metropolitan Opera...
A mobile barbershop in Memphis isn’t just coming to Black men for a cut but lending a listening ear as well…
Creative Juliana Pache created the Black Crossword, a “free daily mini crossword puzzle that places emphasis on terms and clues from within the Black diaspora”…
The sequel to the wildly popular “Girls Trip” has been confirmed and will be set in Ghana, Variety reports…
A 24-year-old North Carolina man is the first Black male nurse technician to work at Moses Cone Health’s Women’s and Children’s Center…
Keke Palmer isn’t stopping anytime soon. HBO Max is developing her comedy series “Unfriendly Black Hotties”...
What I’m Watching
The “1619 Project,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning work from Nikole Hannah-Jones, is out on Hulu…
The NABJ Global Journalism Task Force is hosting a "Haiti: What Journalists Should Know" webinar on January 31st at 6 PM EST. All are invited to attend…
Save the date: Historian Keisha Blain is hosting an online conversation with Peniel E. Joseph about his book The Third Reconstruction on February 1st at 3 PM EST…
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, a 20th anniversary reissue of Luther Vandross: Live at Radio City Music Hall 2003 is releasing digitally on February 10th…
This is my second year as a nominating committee member for one of the awards at the 54th NAACP Image Awards. Here’s a reminder to cast your vote! Voting closes on February 10…
If you’re a Black woman or girl needing financial assistance in seeking therapy, you can sign up for The Loveland Therapy Fund here…
If you’re in Dallas, stop by the “Black Cowboys: An American Story” exhibit at the African American Museum. The exhibit will be up until June…