Tragedy at Lincoln University, Halle Bailey's baby, Stephen A. Smith goes off
Friday, January 12, 2023.
What I’m Reading
Lincoln University Community Calls For President’s Termination Amid Dr. Bonnie Bailey’s Passing, HBCU Buzz
Devastating news: Dr. Antoinette Candia-Bailey, the vice president of Student Affairs at Lincoln University-Missouri, reportedly died by suicide after experiencing “bullying and severe mistreatment” during her tenure. Additional reporting from KRCG shows emails written by Candia-Bailey, describing University President Dr. John Moseley as having caused “enough harm and mental damage.” Moseley is now facing calls to resign.
Taking life into their own hands: The story of Black birth workers and moms, The Washington Post
Check out this interesting interactive from Akilah Johnson and Jahi Chikwendiu for The Washington Post: “Black mothers and babies in the United States suffer more than most in the deadliest place to give birth among high-income nations. In Texas, a coalition of Black birth workers decided they must confront the national crisis.”
Can $3 billion persuade Black farmers to trust the Department of Agriculture?, NPR
The Biden administration is spending $3 billion to convince farmers to do their part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which in turn helps to achieve the administration’s climate agenda. However, the Department of Agriculture’s history of discriminating against Black farmers remains a significant problem.
Mychal Threets Wants Everyone to Experience 'Library Joy', New York Times
Mychal Threets is a 33-year-old librarian from California who uses TikTok and Instagram to share videos of what he calls “library joy.” His mission is to take public libraries, which some consider to be dull places, and help people realize that they can be fun and welcoming to all. Recently, he came under attack by someone on Twitter, and thousands of people — friends, fans, and strangers — rushed to his defense.
What’s In The News
Across America
Alabama: A former police officer was charged with murder in the shooting of a Black man outside his home, authorities said…
California: The state’s “Ebony Alert Law,” designed to help young Black people who’ve been reported missing, officially went into effect on Jan. 1…
Colorado: Former police officer Randy Roedama has been sentenced to 14 months in county jail in the killing of Elijah McClain…
Florida: A Republican lawmaker has introduced a bill that would make it defamation to accuse someone of racism, sexism, homophobia, or transphobia…
Michigan: Republicans voted to oust Kristina Karamo, chair of the state Republican Party, from her leadership role. Karamo said, “It was an illegitimate meeting”...
Missouri: Ralph Yarl has been named to the 2024 Missouri All-State Band as second chair for bass clarinet less than one year after the teen was shot in the head when he went to the wrong address…
Mississippi: The body camera video of the police shooting of an 11-year-old Mississippi boy has been released. Warning: the footage is disturbing…
Nevada: The man who leaped at a judge as he waited to be sentenced has been charged with attempted murder in the courtroom attack…
New York: Black women are nine times more likely to die from pregnancy or childbirth than white women in New York City, according to the New York Times…
North Carolina: A man wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for 44 years has reached a $25 million combined settlement with the city of Concord and the state, his lawyers said…
Ohio: The Black woman who was facing criminal charges after miscarrying in her bathroom will not be charged, a grand jury decided…
South Carolina: Josephine Wright, a courageous 94-year-old matriarch who fought developers to keep her family’s ancestral land on Hilton Head, has died. I wrote about her fight in June…
Virginia: The Lynchburg chapter of the NAACP has organized a town hall to address community concerns after neighbors found racist flyers outside their houses…
Texas: Multiple employees have been fired from an IHOP after a waitress was accused of not serving a Black couple because of their race…
What’s Happening
2024 is getting off to quite a start: Stephen A. Smith spent nearly 40 minutes going off on his fellow media personality Jason Whitlock…
A Texas rapper and real estate broker has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping a pregnant woman and locking her in his garage for years…
President Joe Biden’s speech at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church was interrupted by protesters demanding that his administration call for an immediate ceasefire in Israel. Related: Maya King’s dispatch from South Carolina on Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’s pitch to Black voters…
Three commemorative coins featuring Harriet Tubman have now been released to the public, the U.S. Mint said…
America’s hidden education crisis: Absenteeism has nearly doubled since the pandemic, and more students consider school to be optional…
At Florida A&M University, the state’s only public HBCU, some students are concerned political constraints could get in the way of teaching parts of their history…
In a wide-ranging interview, acclaimed civil rights attorney and historian Bryan Stevenson discussed the state of race in America and how honest accounts of history can help overcome resistance to progress…
Don Scott has been inducted as Virginia’s first Black Speaker of the House of Delegates…
The Justice Department will reportedly make a “major announcement” Friday in the federal case against the white supremacist who shot and killed people at a Buffalo supermarket…
More than 6 million people in the U.S. get benefits from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women and Children, commonly known as WIC. But it’s not always easy to get fresh produce, baby formula and other nutritious WIC-approved items…
U.S. police killed at least 1,232 people last year, making 2023 the deadliest year for homicides committed by law enforcement in more than a decade, according to newly released data…
Black children and teens who experience racial discrimination online may develop symptoms related to PTSD, according to a new study...
CNN's Sara Sidner recently received a stage 3 breast cancer diagnosis…
A Black-owned family bakery in Buffalo is using sweets to give back throughout the Western New York community…
Entertainment
Halle Bailey has welcomed her first baby with boyfriend DDG, a son they have named Halo…
Vinie Burrows, a New York-born stage actress who was known as “one of the reigning divas of the Black theatre,” has died. She was 99…
Food critic Keith Lee has decided to end his Bay Area stop on his “Keith Lee and Family Food Tour” prematurely…
Tiger Woods is ending his 27-year partnership with Nike…
Is there beef between Oprah Winfrey and Taraji P. Henson? Definitely not, according to Winfrey…
“Michael,” a biopic about the King of Pop directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring the singer’s nephew Jaafar Jackson, is set for a 2025 release…
Solange recently revealed “In Service To Whom,” a performance art exhibit that was initially showcased in 2023…
In an interview on “Good Morning America,” Jonathan Majors spoke out for the first time since his conviction in a domestic violence trial. His comments about Meagan Good raised some eyebrows, and even Bernice King had to respond…
Don Lemon is planning to launch a new show called, you guessed it, “The Don Lemon Show,” on the platform formerly known as Twitter…
David Dennis Jr. for Andscape: What Katt Williams can teach Dave Chappelle about being fearless…
“The Donnie Simpson Show” is coming to an end today…
Awards season: Barack Obama, Keke Palmer, Nikole Hannah-Jones and others took home Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Angela Bassett received an honorary Oscar. Davine Joy Randolph and Ayo Edebiri saw success at the Golden Globes. Related: Kathleen Newman-Bremang wrote about what the Golden Globes was missing the most: a backbone…
Torrei Hart, Kevin Hart’s ex, said that she will be joining Katt Williams on his upcoming “The Dark Matter” tour…
Prince’s 1984 classic film “Purple Rain” is set to become a Broadway musical…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 2 minutes and 38 seconds…
The teaser trailer for “SHIRLEY,” a Netflix film starring Regina King as Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress, is out…
Two interesting projects to check out: HBO’s new films “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,” and “The Barber of Little Rock”...
For musicians: The NPR Tiny Desk Contest is back. The winner will play their very own Tiny Desk concert and go on tour with NPR Music…